"Dare to be naïve."

Buckminster Fuller

Inventor Buckminster Fuller was not a fan of know-it-alls. As you might expect, the visionary who engineered the Montreal Biosphere in 1967 was insatiably curious, a quality that fueled his passions for architecture, futurism, philosophy, and poetry. This sentiment permeated Fuller’s bibliography of more than 30 books. “It is one of our most exciting discoveries that local discovery leads to a complex of further discoveries,” he wrote in 1975’s “Synergetics: Explorations in the Geometry of Thinking, Volume One.” In his opinion, it was auspicious to approach any situation from a deferential, inquisitive place. Conceding that there is much to learn is the best blueprint for discovering something new.

Stone Cutter

There was once a stone cutter who was dissatisfied with himself and with his position in life.

One day he passed a wealthy merchant's house. Through the open gateway, he saw many fine possessions and important visitors. "How powerful that merchant must be!" thought the stone cutter. He became very envious and wished that he could be like the merchant.

To his great surprise, he suddenly became the merchant, enjoying more luxuries and power than he had ever imagined, but envied and detested by those less wealthy than himself. 

Soon a high official passed by, carried in a sedan chair, accompanied by attendants and escorted by soldiers beating gongs. Everyone, no matter how wealthy, had to bow low before the procession. "How powerful that official is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a high official!"

Then he became the high official, carried everywhere in his embroidered sedan chair, feared and hated by the people all around. It was a hot summer day and the official felt very uncomfortable in the sticky sedan chair. He looked up at the sun. It shone proudly in the sky, unaffected by his presence.

"How powerful the sun is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the sun!" Then he became the sun, shining fiercely down on everyone, scorching the fields, cursed by the farmers and laborers. But a huge black cloud moved between him and the earth, so that his light could no longer shine on everything below. "How powerful that storm cloud is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a cloud!" Then he became the cloud, flooding the fields and villages, shouted at by everyone. But soon he found that he was being pushed away by some great force and realized that it was the wind. "How powerful it is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be the wind!"

Then he became the wind, blowing tiles off the roofs of houses, uprooting trees, feared and hated by all below him. But after a while, he ran up against something that would not move, no matter how forcefully he blew against it - a huge, towering rock. "How powerful that rock is!" he thought. "I wish that I could be a rock!"

Then he became the rock, more powerful than anything else on earth. But as he stood there, he heard the sound of a hammer pounding a chisel into the hard surface and felt himself being changed. "What could be more powerful than I, the rock?" he thought.

He looked down and saw far below him the figure of a stone cutter.

Author Unknown

Flexibility

Flexibility was a cornerstone of psychologist Timothy Leary’s work: He introduced new frameworks for group therapy and the therapist-patient relationship. Leary is best known for his studies on the transformative effects of psychedelic drugs, which led him to conclude that some hallucinogens can positively influence personality or outlook. While Leary’s research remains controversial, his takeaway hits on a universal truth: By remaining flexible and willing to change our minds, we give ourselves more room to grow, expand our perspective, and live a fulfilling life.

"We all have ability. The difference is how we use it."

Stevie Wonder

Though he was born with a disorder that led to blindness, musician Stevie Wonder was so gifted and passionate about music that by the age of 10, he had already taught himself multiple instruments. At age 11, he was discovered by a Motown music executive and signed to a record deal. Still, Wonder never rested on his laurels, choosing instead to push himself. He studied classical piano, sought out mentors, and promoted social issues through music (including recording the 1985 charity single “We Are The World”). This quote reminds us that everyone can have an impact, no matter our circumstances — but it’s up to us to harness our unique skills.

"Whatever you are, try to be a good one."

"Whatever you are, try to be a good one."

William Makepeace Thackeray

When essayist Laurence Hutton was a boy, he met British novelist William Makepeace Thackery (author of "Vanity Fair" and other books) and had an encounter that profoundly impacted his life. Thackeray asked Hutton what he wanted to be when he grew up, and Hutton replied, "A farmer." Thackeray’s apparent response was this piece of wisdom. Hutton tried his best to fulfill that advice, and we should, too. It doesn’t matter what you do in life; what matters is striving for excellence in any task, big or small, because the effort itself can be the greatest reward.

Struggles in Life

"If there is no struggle, there is no progress." Frederick Douglass

If anyone understood the cost of progress, it was abolitionist, orator, and author Frederick Douglass. After escaping slavery in 1838, Douglass wrote and spoke of the great suffering and struggles he endured, using these depictions to further the antislavery movement. He understood firsthand that true freedom and equality do not come easily, and that it is sometimes in our pain that we make the greatest strides.

Take Care Of Your Life

The other day I opened up a post office box at my local Canada Post depot. A young girl in training was assisting me. Because of her inexperience, it took about 15 minutes to process the information. During this time, a lineup of 10 customers accumulated behind me. Feeling sorry for her, I walked away hoping she was not going to get yelled at by all the waiting customers.

I saw her a couple of days later and asked if she had any irate customers after I left. Surprisingly, she said no! I also commented how incredibly calm and focused she was knowing there was a huge lineup behind me. Smiling at me, she said....'I was totally focused on you and what I had to do, because if I looked at the line behind you, I would have freaked out!'

Looking at her I thought to myself...how can someone so young have so much wisdom? She had the ability to automatically focus on the task at hand, without being distracted with what lay ahead for her! Which reminds me of my dad's camera....

My dad had a Ricoh camera, the hottest and newest model at the time (25 years ago), that had a red dot in the middle of the lens. If your eye focused on the dot, and you fiddled with the lens until the dot came into focus, then you were ready to shoot your picture. If the dot was out of focus, then the picture produced would also be out of focus. I am sure this was quite revolutionary at the time.

I, in turn, own a great Kodak camera, that does everything automatically for me (expect my dishes, unfortunately!). It automatically forwards, automatically rewinds, automatically focuses...auto-everything! No effort, not thought, no fuss on my part.

There is a great quote from a book called "Seven Steps to Self-Fulfillment", by Walter Anderson and he states: "Focus on the solution, not the problem". The young clerk, in her infinite wisdom, focused on the solution and that was to process my application. She chose not to focus on the problem and that was the huge lineup behind me. Like the camera, she automatically focused on the object (me) in order to produce a well-defined image! (processing my application).

Reflecting on the lesson learned from this for the last couple of days, I share with you some 'focused' thoughts:

Focusing allows you to have 'short optics'! Your eye is your lens and is the focal point of your attention. Focus your optics (your eye) on the task at hand for the moment and exclude what is accumulating behind you. It allows you to live in the now. As one of my favorite authors, Louise Hay, says...."the point of power is always in the present".

Focusing is a learned skill, easily trainable and accessible. Through practice, you can focus automatically, unconsciously bringing your body and mind into alignment. Like my camera... no fuss, no thought, and no effort. A simple concept, that we have access to not only every day, but every hour of our day.

Focusing produces calmness and keeps you grounded. Be aware next time of your body and mind when you are reading something important... like a legal document. When your focus is centralized on something, it may exclude sounds and it may heighten body awareness such as your breathing or heartbeat.

Focusing helps eliminate fear, anxiety and paralysis. If that young clerk lost her focus and looked behind me, I am certain she would have become flustered, made mistakes, and probably would have taken longer with my application. In other words, she would have become un-focused.

So, keep your eyes focused on the lens of life, be prepared to shoot, and produce a great picture: a sharper, clearer and auto-focused YOU!!

Copyright © Adele Alfano

About the Author:

Nominated for Canada 100 Most Powerful Women, Canada's Diamond Coach Adele Alfano is an award-winning professional speaker, author and co-publisher who has helped thousands of people capitalize on their unique abilities to maximize their potential through her specially designed systems. Her proven techniques have helped people mine passion and purpose in their lives and in an evolving workplace.

Adele is also the co-author, co-editor and publisher for a series of collaborative books titled "Experts Who Speak Books" and is also the founder of the sold-out fund raising events in Southwestern Ontario called Kiss my Tiara!

Live

Live, and be happy, and make others so.

Mary Shelley

Spoken by a character in Mary Shelley’s famous 1818 novel, “Frankenstein,” this simple yet profound quote answers questions on the meaning of life with a compassionate command. If we can pursue true happiness, and seek to bring joy to others as well, we can celebrate a life well-lived.