Coaching, reloaded - Coaching question of the day #113. - Your garden à la Voltaire

Just like we say "That's food for thought" about some sound advice or new input, as we would give our mind something to eat, we can "cultivate" ideas, skills, interests, and passions as we would do with vegetables or seeds.

Cultivating something, both in a literal and in a metaphorical sense, takes time and it requires patience, discipline, and care.
Cultivating something means not only taking responsibility for all the necessary steps and putting the effort but also enjoying the fruits of the work that has been done, and embracing the pleasant anticipation that comes with it.

[There is a huge hype about "Finding your passions"...

"Cultivating your passions" would be way more useful]

This was also the sense of French philosopher Voltaire [François-Marie Arouet, 1694-1778] where, in his novel "Candide", he wrote: "We must cultivate our garden", as an invitation for both the characters of the book and its readers.

Short and sweet motivational questions for your self-care #16. Your inner room

Who could have ever thought that modern Western philosophy and Feng Shui could have something in common, thanks to coaching?

Yes, exactly.

Something fascinating about Feng Shui is the concept called "Tsei Wei".

Tsei Wei is the energetic center of a house, that place where the Chi, the universal energy that is constantly present everywhere around us, while moving and changing over time and creating good luck and bad luck, is particularly strong.

Success, health, happiness, and prosperity of a house and their inhabitants are therefore influenced by its Tsei Wei.

[Are cactus plants good or bad, according to Feng Shui?

Image Credit: ISO Republic]

Having a strong Tsei Wei means having a strong core. Having a strong core means per se having strong energy and many possibilities.

What's the point, regarding Western philosophy, you may ask?

Short and sweet motivational questions for your self-care #8. The million dollar question

"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade", they say.

I came to the conclusion that it is the same when you are hurt, sick, exhausted or for whatever other reason forced to stay home for many days in a row, on your own, without being able to do what you would usually do.

Instead of being pissed off or feeling miserable, you can make the most out of it.

In my case, I see this as a chance to think about important stuff while not being rushed from one task to the next all day long, every day.

We can call it some kind of philosophical holiday at home, if you want. ;)

[When life gives you lemons, you think about your Dharma...

Just like everybody else is doing, right!?]

While doing so, I stumbled upon one of those questions that could truly define who you are and what's your purpose in life. No biggie, you know?

"What are your KPIs for a good bar?", or five questions I get asked a lot on a daily basis and five questions (almost) nobody asks

Do you know a good bar? They ask.

And I go "Well, it depends. What's a good bar, for you?".

And they go "Where we can find good cocktails".

Ah, if just everything in life would be that simple.

A clear question, clear parameters, a clear answer follows, KPIs are fulfilled. Happy ending.

[A good bar? The one with good cocktails, they say.

My favorite one? Café Morgenrot's Heilige Welt:

Alcohol-free and incredibly sweeeeeet

Image credit: Bustle]

Still, I smile going home, while realizing that I get asked this question almost every single day, even if don't drink alcohol at all. And yet, to most people, I probably look like the kind of gal that goes for shots every single night. (Hint, I never did... but may the force of stereotypes be with you, young Skywalker)

So here you have the five questions I get asked the most, day in and day out, in no particular order:

#1. Do you know a good bar? ("Yes, I do") - (Did I get asked yesterday? Check)

#2. Do you have a cigarette? ("Nope, sorry. I don't smoke" - And nobody believes me) (Did I get asked yesterday? Check)

#3. Where can I find some drugs? ("No idea, sorry" - The same as above)

#4. Where are you from? ("What do you need this information for, right now?" - Puzzled looks follow) (Did I get asked yesterday? Check)

#5. Are your tattoos real? ("Yep, they are") (Did I get asked yesterday? Check)

4/5 within 24 hours is a good ratio, if you ask me.
And here you have five question I almost never get asked and I would love to help people with, in no particular order:

How to grow #1. - Book wish list - Six books about decision making, money and mindset that are in my book wish list

In order to decide if something is valuable or not, which ones are your criteria?
Do you pay attention to the message or to the messenger?

Probably there's no clear answer for this one: I guess it depends on the circumstances for most of us.
Still, when I stumble upon a quote that I consider very strong and empowering, I don't really care that much about who said that.
If it resonates with me, teaches me something, and brings me further, I appreciate it anyway.

This is the case with this one, attributed to different people and often to the otherwise unknown Frank Outlaw:

Watch your thoughts, they become words;
watch your words, they become actions;
watch your actions, they become habits;
watch your habits, they become character;
watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

[Beyond the whodunit, the whosaidit...

Who did actually say this very empowering quote?]

Sometimes, the quote goes even further and goes like "Character is everything". Wow.

The paramount importance of showing up, and what two powerful quotes by Aristotle can do for you in the process

It has been a while since my last blog post, and I could go on and on while telling you how I spent the last four months, how incredibly and deeply my life has changed, how much I have changed myself and how far I still want to go with this.

And I will probably do it. In the weeks or months or years to come, since we are talking big changes here.

At the same time, I strongly appreciate the motto "Show, don't tell" and I believe that the best way to come back after such a long silence is just... to come back. To be back, to be here again, while writing this post for you.

To show up again and to stick to the decision to be back and to keep posting new content in the future, day by day.
To show you how I have changed, post after post and week after week, instead of just sitting here and explaining to you how I did it.

For my comeback, I chose two inspiring quotes by the Greek philosopher Aristotle [384 BC – 322 BC]. It is somehow funny to me opting for Aristotle for my very first blog post written in 2016, since I was not used to liking him when I was learning philosophy at school, and yet Aristotle's lean and very pragmatic point of view is still powerful and modern after over two thousand years.

The following quotes are perfect for getting motivated and staying on track every day and they contribute to maintaining and building up an effective and strong mindset. 

We are what we repeatedly do. 

Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit.

Aristotle [384 BC –322 BC]

'Avatar' by James Cameron (USA/UK, 2009)

Only a 'visual genius' like James Cameron could entertain the biggest audience of the cinema history for almost three hours with a beautiful, poetic, cinematic and really touching metaphor about politics, genocide, pollution and endless greed: in fact, absolutely powerful and tragic topics but not popular at all, not able to upset a crowd. Until now.

Over and above the past (the genocide of Native American, to give an example...), if we talk only about the present, our present, it's happening right now in every corner of the world something very similar to what happens in the movie and we don't have a second planet that we can colonize, destroy, devastate. But 99% of people simply don't want to think about it, they refuse to consider or to believe it.

They refuse to consider that they're involved, in something like this. During the projection, I simply could not stop to think about Amazonia. It was impossible, for me.

Avatar is visually perfect, full of cinematic quotes - from Werner Herzog to Stanley Kubrick, from Clint Eastwood to Francis Ford Coppola, from Peter Jackson to Jean-Pierre Jeunet, from Mel Gibson to George Lucas, from John Boorman to Cameron itself, with his 'Alien's' saga chapter, and so on... - and it's a kind of movie that you have to watch for the first time on a big screen, definitely in 3D, in original version if possible.

Update: 
Have a look at the comic by The Oatmeal Avatar: How to choose a Banshee

Tags: Avatar, James Cameron, Directors, Amazonia, genocide, pollution, metaphors

What to read next:
Colours in culture - This can be the colour of... #2. Blue, or over 100 different cultural references about the colour of melancholy, sapphires and water

Mood: Looking for Simplicity, Feat. Henri-Louis Bergson

L'homme devrait mettre autant d'ardeur à simplifier sa vie qu'il en met à la compliquer.

Henri-Louis Bergson [1859-1941]

This quote by French philosopher and essayist Henri-Louis Bergson says "People should put as much passion to simplify their life as they put to complicate it". 

It is a very interesting point of view and I know for sure that sometimes we feel so lost in our problems and in our thoughts, just like in this Black-and-White labyrinth, that we forget that for sure another way is possible too. Another solution. Another life.

To simplify is not that simple, of course, and takes time and practice.

But practice makes the master, after all.

Are you willing to semplifiy your life too?

How do you make your life more simple and easy-to-manage?

--

Questa citazione del filosofo e saggista francese Henri-Louis Bergson suona come "L'uomo dovrebbe tentare con altrettanto ardore di rendere la propria vita più semplice di quanto ne impieghi per renderla complicata". 

Si tratta di un punto di vista molto interessante e so per certo che a volte siamo talmente persi nei nostri problemi e nei nostri pensieri, proprio come in questo labirinto in bianco e nero, che ci dimentichiamo che c'è sicuramente un'altra via possibile. Un'altra soluzione. Un'altra vita.

Naturalmente non è così semplice rendere le cose semplici, e richiede tempo ed esercizio. 

Ma dopo tutto è l'esercizio che porta alla perfezione.

Desiderate anche voi semplificare la vostra vita?

Come rendete la vostra vita più semplice e facile da gestire?

Tags: Henri Bergson, Simplicity, Philosophy, Literature, Quotes, Semplicità, Filosofia, Letteratura, Citazioni