My magic castle

My magic castle

Saturday, November 30, 2013

Magic and Minor Phobias

Minor phobias may not even be on your radar.  You may avoid certain things just because you always have, you don't even know why.  I suggest to all wise magicians out there that you have yourselves an adventure.  Explore whether or not you have a couple, or a couple of dozen, phobias.  I recognize one I have, it is the filling out of forms.  Somehow I don't fit myself into little boxes, check here, very well.  A lot of things in life are gained by filling out the applications for them.  I have missed some opportunities by seeing the form, then feeling overwhelmed by looking at it, and putting it to one side.  Just for a while turns into, "Oh, oh, I forgot about it."  Discover a teeny phobia then devise a spell to deal with it.  Let your sensory self, and your sense of humor, conquer this "thing that blocks you from a better life". Here are a few phobias people may have: filling out forms, learning about political issues, going to a barber, shopping, washing dishes, going to a doctor, admitting mistakes, saying I don't know, saying that you want something, getting things taken care of for your car, writing thank you letters, being realistic about a budget, exercising, etc., etc.
You get the point, you are procrastinating and probably are missing out by doing so.  I remember a Political Theory class I took in college.  The author of one of our readings said "Laziness is pathology". He said that people were not naturally lazy and if it seemed like they were the social scientist needed to search out what was holding them back. Listen to you little nagging "shoulds".  Maybe they have validity. (Maybe they don't, too.)  You will only know if you examine them.  Make your decisions for your self.  Don't let your phobias do it.  You deserve a rich and full life.  May the spark be with you.

Saturday, November 9, 2013

The Magic of Lemons

"Lemon Tree very pretty, and the lemon flower is sweet, but the fruit of the poor lemon is impossible to eat" so the song goes.  I am sorry but I don't know who recorded it or wrote it.  I hope I am not breaking any laws by not citing more.  I love all things lemon and sometimes I delight in being handed a lemon by life because it gives me a chance to make lemonade.  Many creative projects or businesses have come out of a situation in which a person had a problem and then solved it by seeing it as an opportunity.  Right now that is what is going on in my life.  I am trying to develop workshops and sell information products based on how we use our inner dialogue and do, or do not, access the skill of critical thinking.  I had some trouble with a service provider and found myself delighting in analyzing all the things they were doing wrong.  Their client service was faulty and yet I wasn't angry, I just wanted to help them improve. They no longer serve me but I have learned a lot about  what quality in a service business is all about.  I also under stand what a worker might go through as well.  The dignity and pride of provider and client are both important.  So I say to all wise magicians: take your magic wand to your problems and see if you can get a bit of lemonade out of them.  I find I can usually get a dinner table joke or conversation out of my suffering.  That is something, I hope.  But magical solutions are also possible.  Look for your chance to see opportunity is all things.  May the spark be with you.