I see a framework as a structure of support. A paradigm is a framework.A system is a framework.As is a relationship.Like any structure, frameworks can change.Kids misbehaving at a gathering?The framework that a parent operates by might suggest a form of discipline (negative reinforcement) is appropriate. What about, “We were invited here because our friends felt we were the kinds of people that showed respect, care, and love to others. They talked about how much they enjoyed spending time with us and how much their kids loved you. What else did you come here to offer our friends?”  Your kids might answer, “respect, fun, and friendliness.” Then you could answer, “does running around their house, which caused this item to break represent the gift we wanted to give our friends?“I’m not a parent, and I’m not offering parenting advice (I’ve learned not to do that from my sister, who is a parent). But, I am offering a way to adjust the framework of “discipline.“What other frameworks, or structures of support, exist in our lives?How we do our work.How we show up for others.How we lead.How we follow.Adopting a posture of possibility means adjusting the frameworks that support how and what you do.  If you’re stuck in the slog we’re in, and can’t find a way out, rethink how you’re thinking about it. Perhaps there’s an opportunity in areas you never thought possible?  At the end of the day, what’s built can easily be changed.You just need to have the guts to do it.

Can you remember a time when someone ignited your passions?  Perhaps it was a trolling post on Facebook?Maybe it was an inspirational speech?Seeing your friend survive cancer?In some way, these stories inspire us - their gifts. They disrupt our expectations in some way, and from that, they give us the gift of possibility. Consider the trolling post on Facebook.Let’s say you see a friend post about a moment that’s happening now. A friend comments on how your friend is blind to what’s going on - they’re naive and stupid. Now you’re upset, and you’ll do what you can to prove the commenting friend wrong.  The gift is a disrespectful comment on Facebook.The disruption is an expectation go awry. You expect people to treat each other with respect, and your friend was not.Within you, a passion for avenging the unfair treatment of your friend erupts.You give way to passion and enroll in the journey of proving your friend wrong and showing them a better way to comment.Enrollment is a commitment that occurs when passion inspires action. And, when we enroll, we’ll remain committed to the very end.Once you’ve adopted a posture of possibility, you’ll need to enroll in the journey. That’s what makes possibility a reality.

It was the fall of 2001.I sat outside a Starbucks with my Carnival Stritch University music school classmates, and two of my professors. We were gathered to discuss a book we were supposed to have read, “Who Moved My Cheese?“Here’s the thing, I never read it.  I underlined one passage from the intro, but when called upon to share my insight, I dodged and pivoted an answer in the way only a lawyer’s son could.  (Side note: Given that I am no longer in school, I feel comfortable disclosing this deception to the professor currently subscribed and reading this post. Sorry, Charlene!)Back to the point - I finally read the book today. Wow.  This is not a book review post, it’s a post about serendipity.We are in rapidly changing times at the moment. Many people have lost careers, evidence to suggest spikes in COVID-19 in different states, and civil unrest. We’re all trying to figure it out. The thing is, change happens - the cheese moves, and we need to move with the cheese (as the book would have you believe.)We can’t expect tomorrow will be like today or yesterday, it can’t because it literally isn’t - it’s tomorrow.  I made mistakes in college. Quite honestly, I don’t think I was an individual ever cut out for college - that’s another post. But, I’m glad that I came across this book and decided to read it. In fact, I almost feel this book was meant for this moment.  For that, I am thankful.To all of the teachers out there, thank you for being an inspiration.

“The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.“Jonas is best known for creating the Polio vaccine. You can read more about him via Wikipedia. This post isn’t about Jonas, though he has quite an interesting background, it’s about his quote as he received the Congressional Medal for Distinguished Civilian Achievement.The artist’s reward, and you’ve heard me talk about this often, is not to fame or fortune. It’s also not about creating a body of work comprised of their own statements. It’s about receiving the opportunity to do more.If you write music for others, your reward is being invited to write more music.If you recruit others for an employer, your reward is recruiting more people.If you develop code for software, your reward is creating more code.If you are a raiser of children, your reward is that you get to raise your children again the following day.And every time you get to do more of what you love doing, you receive an opportunity to do it better.The ability to do more of the things that make you come alive is, to my mind, the greatest reward. Why?Because that’s where change happens.  If you do more, you create change, creating change is a gift for others, gifts create meaningful and positive change.  And,That’s creating culture.

They’re invisible. A few days ago, I wrote about how glasses create clarity. “But, put on a pair of glasses, and those problems become solutions. The metaphorical glasses I’m referencing are the mindset of possibility. When you adopt the posture of possibility, the path to a solution becomes clear.” Here’s what’s interesting to me, the lenses that we use to create clarity are invisible to us - you don’t know they’re there, but they are. Be aware that you might be seeing the world through a lens of limitation, frustration, and resentment. Take off those glasses - you don’t need them. Put on something that will help you see things for what they are, find clarity, and come alive.HT to Gib Gerard, Rob Scott and the Intelligence for Your Life Podcast for offering the idea that lenses are invisible.

Tati, a reader like you, responded to a recent article with the question:

“What do you actually refer to when you say, doing something for someone with our art?”

Tati, a musician, goes on to talk about how being a musician is not worth it without a non-musical audience to support. How can we serve those individuals without cultivating ourselves first?

I believe this is a generous question that deserves an equally generous response.

There are unwritten contracts between you and others.  This unwritten contract is what you expect of one another.Do you speak out?Do you keep quiet? Why aren’t you doing this…?Why are you doing this…?You may not have agreed to these terms outright, but rest assured, your friends know about them.  What I’m speaking of is what I write about often, expectations.  I’m also speaking about culture.For me, culture is a curated and cultivated set of internal beliefs and actions - it’s like the intersection of morality and ethics.   I think for you, and for others, culture is deeply personal. We care if others do things, or don’t, that assault our culture.  Seemingly insensitive comments;The absence of one’s voice from a cause;The lack of presence during a tough time;Not having your back the way you hoped they would; orNot adding up to the human, you expect those you trust to act.I encourage you to give people the grace of being responsible for their own lives. That what people do on the chessboard that is their world is their decision, not yours. And, I encourage you to give people the grace of doubt - they may make decisions that fly in the face of your values, that doesn’t mean they’re an awful human.  If you want to serve others in a meaningful way, allow them to be themselves, be still, watch, and respond. I think you’ll find a certain freedom you’ve been looking for in that mindset.  A deep thanks to my friend, Ian, for a bit of insight that inspired this post.

The large companies I worked at often wanted head/central offices to provide strong leadership - clear direction, precise standard operating procedures, and possibly, a bit too much, in my opinion, micromanagement.

Often, we didn’t trust the people who were hired to do the work, the people who directly interact with our customers.  

The pessimist in me offers a few ideas:

• They don’t know what you know.
• They are not thinking of the big picture.
• They are not going to be consistent.
• We can’t report up what we can’t directly manage.
• They can’t be trusted to do what we want.
• We know better.

Truthfully, I don’t like this way of thinking - it’s just not me.  

If you wear glasses, it’s possible that when you take them off, the world appears blurry. If you wear glasses, the lenses may tint as you step into the sun. If you wear glasses, you may not be able to see well at night. If you wear glasses, the world may not look the same to you as it does for others. Sometimes, the problems in front of you are blurry, aren’t easily solved, “too hard” or “too big” to fix. But, put on a pair of glasses, and those problems become solutions. The metaphorical glasses I’m referencing are the mindset of possibility. When you adopt the posture of possibility, the path to a solution becomes clear.Oh, I have no idea why I have an obsession with cute dog pics. Perhaps, it’s my subliminal mind telling me to get a dog. Perhaps, I need more cute things in my life. Who knows!

Art takes as much intentional time as it needs for something to realize. If you’re trying to decide if you’re being productive or not, perhaps the question ought to be… Am I being intentional with my time to make something worth something for someone else? If your answer is “no,” perhaps it’s time to set an intention and do the work. If the answer is “yes,” show your work and get invited to do more of it.