GPQ* (Growth Potential Quotient)

I once worked for a supervisor who believed that -- at a certain age -- people no longer change.  Being in Human Resources at the time, I thought this a strange conclusion!  I was younger and still idealistic, so I challenged her by pointing to the many ways that employees were adapting to changes the institution was making.  Our conversation ended in a stalemate when she listed many instances where people were resisting these very same changes.

Over time I have wondered if there are answers... Do people stop changing?... When do we stop changing?

Do you recall what life was like when you were younger?
(Photo: Salmonberry, Ketchikan, Alaska - Larry Gardepie)

The only hints I have noticed come in the form of Choice:

• Change can be forced upon us... so we have a choice in how we respond.
• Change can stimulate us... we have a choice in how much change to seek out.
• Change is always present... choice allows us to accept its inevitability.

In these, and so many instances, choice seems to be the constant.

Where do you blossom?
(Photo:  Wild Blue Flax, Juneau's Salmon Creek
- Larry Gardepie)

Besides choice, there are other Life Ingredients that nurture us and encourage us to grow.  (Think of family, faith, and fun.)  When taken out of certain environments, we may not do as well.  Again, there is a choice of noticing who and what encourages us to blossom and flourish... and then seek out these people and places that support and inspire potential.

It may even mean being challenged by situations we don't like!  Remember... we have a choice in how we respond!

When do you feel at peace?
(Photo: Alaskan Lupine and Kenai Peninsula
Mountain Range - Larry Gardepie)

This week I have been in touch with four friends who are in different stages of health issues challenging their concepts of life, mortality, death... and change.  Their Life Reviews have centered on personal growth, potential, and loss.  Each struggle eventually has been visited by Peace:  not a decision to stop change, but a choice and a surrender to accept Life on its terms... not theirs.

I wonder what my GPQ is or will be?  Can I respond in a healthy way to the changes that are already occurring?  Will I reach a peaceful resolution that change happens to all of us... all the time?

 

Keep changing!

 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

 

Backstreets of Life

Every once in awhile I have flashbacks of being a teenager.  Yikes!  The newfound freedom... with "parental guidance" (or restrictions!), of course... sports idols... friendships continuing from childhood mixed with expanding social networks... and the peer pressure!  If you stood out, you WANTED to stand out as a trend setter!

Exploration was important, but was oftentimes directed by counselors, youth leaders, and the general framework of cultural norms and societal values.

Do we notice what is hidden?
(Photo: Ketchikan Alley - Larry Gardepie)

People tended to stay on the "Main Streets of Life"... what was known and acceptable for that time.  As I have traveled through my adult years, I have noticed that many tourists stay in the safe touristy locations... oftentimes overcrowding and limiting what can be done, buying the same clothing and trinkets, and coming home with similar stories.

The adventure for me right now is noticing the color and beauty of the Alleyways of Life, those hidden areas we all have where wishes, dreams, and other treasures exist.

Are we willing to explore the road less traveled?
(Photo:  Juneau Lane - Larry Gardepie)

Now don't get me wrong!  I believe that both Main Streets and Alleyways are important!  Both provide the thoroughfares and shortcuts that get us where we want to go in life.  One does not negate the other.

Rather, there is a question for us to consider:  when the time is right for us, are we willing to explore the Road Less Traveled, beautifully phrased and imaged in the Bible and Robert Frost's poem?

Can we see the beauty in different ways of living?
(Photo:  Historic Creek Street, Ketchikan - Larry Gardepie)

The Gift of Exploration opens us to new Ways of Thinking and new Ways of Being.  We return from our Self-Adventures with different perspectives to share with friends and colleagues.  Our souvenir-gathering of images, objects, and memories invites us to consider how expansive Life is and how people have changed and adapted to their surroundings.

The question is:  Can I...?

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

Conjuring Words

Have you ever come across a male peacock?  You may recall its screech or call to its mate, and, if lucky, you may have seen its display of iridescent feathers fanned out?  Have you seen the simple petal structure of plumeria flowers or smelled their fragrance wafting on the breeze?  If you live in or have visited tropical climates, have you witnessed tall palm trees swaying in the gentle trade winds?

If so, the words peacock, plumeria, and palm trees may conjure up certain memories, images, sounds, and smells.

When do you experience beauty?
(Photo: Peacock in full display - Larry Gardepie)

Words not only convey meaning or help us describe abstract thoughts, but they also become building blocks that create bridges -- or walls -- in our relationships.  That is why our vocabulary, what we discuss, and our ability to dialogue with others is so important.

With or without knowing it, we may use a word or two which brings forth images, memories, and emotions we weren't expecting.

Do our words open up relationships?
(Photo: Fragrant Hawaiian Plumeria - Larry Gardepie)

What then do we do when the unexpected happens?  Do we ask questions and seek to understand?  Should we wait and let things settle?  Or maybe step back and reflect on what happened and the words used?

If we choose, our task -- and invitation -- is to notice the beauty and fragrance of relationships... and to sway when the breezes test us.

Can you sway when friendships are tested?
(Photo: Swaying Palm Trees - Larry Gardepie)

The skills -- and timing -- of when to ask questions, seek understanding, wait and let things settle, and reflect can be practiced every day.

What words conjure up memories, images, sounds, and smells for you?
 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

From Above

Perspective is important.  That is, how we look at a person or an object depends on where we are standing, what we notice from that position, and the conclusions we make.  It is the relationship between where I am in that moment... and The Other.

These thoughts were going through my mind on a recent flight home.  The cloud formations changed very dramatically over time and the distance I was flying.  At one point, the clouds were thick and foreboding; later on they were cotton-candy puffy; then they became stratified and separated where I could see water and land below.

What do you see right now?
(Photo: Cloud Formations - Larry Gardepie)

Time, distance, and other conditions changed what I was seeing and experiencing.  If I were asked to describe what was visible, it would depend... perspectives can change!

Last month I posted a blog, Untapped Re's (click on link to read the earlier reflection).  It contained a photo I took at Pacific Grove:  I was reminiscing about my childhood and a recent visit to Salinas and Monterey Bay.  Then, I came across the following aerial view of the Pacific Grove coastline:  I had never seen the Purple Carpet from above... a Perspective Unknown before this chance encounter!

What perspectives are unknown to you?
(Photo credit: Purple Carpet,
Pacific Grove, CA - Facebook)

In a similar experience, I was on a 7-hour sailing excursion along Kauai's western coast.  The ship's captain stayed close to shore to minimize the rocking and rolling of our vessel.  She described the Na Pali Coast, its history and culture, its sacredness to the Hawaiian people.  We were taken back in time, introduced to a different way of living.

During the return trip, the captain navigated us farther away from the coast.  The heights of the cliffs, the colors and shadows, and the expansiveness of what we were seeing took on new and more spectacular dimensions -- further away from our earlier and limited land-views!

Do you pull back to see a larger view?
(Photo: Na Pali Coast, Kauai - Larry Gardepie)

Aerial views and unsimilar perspectives invite us to consider:

• Are we forgiving in our thoughts when a new perspective is revealed?
• Do we hold tightly to our conclusions and miss opportunities to see differently?
• Can we rise above or step back to see from another vantage point?

May this week provide situations where we can question long-held beliefs and hold-lightly to the possibility that Truth is revealing itself anew. 

 

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)

A Maze of Dead Ends

Do you enjoy puzzles and word games?  I do!  The process of thinking through a number of possible solutions and narrowing down to one answer is stimulating.  So many possibilities... but why can ONLY ONE be Right?!

There are so many ways to to be challenged these days:  online games and jigsaw puzzle apps; books of word searches, crosswords, Sudoku, and acrostic brainteasers; TV shows that pit contestants against one another... and the list goes on, especially when we look at our day-to-day lives!

Do you see a world of possibilities?
(Photo credit:  Chirag Upreti - NASA)

Once, when traveling in southeast England, a friend and I attempted to walk through a life-size hedge maze.  The problem?  We almost missed our train because we couldn't find the maze's exit!  Dead ends prevented us from finding the Right Way out!  Yelling over the hedge walls didn't help... fellow mazers were just as lost as we were!

Reflecting on other dead ends in my life, I haven't been as frantic.  Similar to working out a solution in a puzzle or word game, I notice the obstacle or dead end, step back, retrace my steps, and consider another way out of the situation.  (It helps not to be rushed for time!)

How do dead ends help you?
(Photo credit:  Couple Creates 7-foot-high Maze in Their
Backyard with Only One Way Out - New York Post)

It sometimes helps to be able to "phone a friend," "ask the audience" or have some of the options removed.  In fact, like mazes and puzzles, dead ends and multiple answers sometimes slow us down and invite us to consider another way to move forward.

Is this what we do with our assumptions and conclusions about other people?  When they exhibit behavior we weren't expecting or when our conclusions don't match the outcome, do we step back and reconsider what we were thinking?

What life signs keep you safe?
(Photo credit:  California DMV Road Side Test Video)

The gift of puzzles and games is when we are a-mazed at the end result:

• What we learned about ourselves;
• How the dead ends helped us; and,
  
• Were we willing to ask for help?

I hope that you enjoy the challenges of this next week... treating each dead end as a way to step back, seek help, and learn.

Larry Gardepie

Dialogue San Diego Consulting

(click on link for website)