Today, Thursday is a day for a few moments for me to plan to simply breathe this weekend. There has been quite a bit going on. Some challenging issues, some fantastic opportunities and some wins in the book. That made me start to return to some thinking around a few of the topics I have shared recently, a few posts and a book I am trying to read. More on the book further below. First some context.
The short story is a series of events in my extended family life that arose where my attention has been rightfully and necessarily heavily focused towards. Assisting with explanations, clarifying terms, answering questions that the healthcare workers are trying to share with terribly limited time and a need to move onto the next patient. As a doctor, I totally get that pressure and feel it is a duty to assist them and alleviate family angst by stepping in to assist. Also helping a colleague with a similar circumstance, as we live a triality in being a physician – healer, teacher, human (friend and family). Comes with the territory and two letters at the end of my signature. Signed up for it. Knew it going in and eyes have been wide open. Then it happened on a third front which made the need to support split into another directions.
In all three of these episodes, the issues are settling down and a pathway towards healing and recovery appear to be in place. I am deeply grateful to be able to assist, explain and support. Reflecting on Grit and Order, I know where and how I needed to show up.
Yet there is a need to keep life as I am architecting moving a lot. Project management 101. Gantt chart dependencies and critical pathways and so on. For all of us, virtual or live, urban or rural, etc., life can often feel like the image below. Where are we in that picture? If we can find our image, where are we in that visage?
And up there, near the top, below my familial commitments are my main work responsibilities. I can’t emphasize how grateful I am for the corporation where I am able to use my executive physician skills, have an amazing manager and a remarkable team that elevates me and each other every day. We have been incredibly busy, productive and laser focused on our work. That makes me deeply proud. It is an inspiration for me to work quietly in the mornings and evenings on my creative passion and then turn the monitors over to my day job at 07:45, get started with the dynamic teams and complex work. Then pumps the brakes to spend time with my wife at dinner time then following with time decompressing in my artwork and related tasks. Then again planning scheduled time away to recharge the batteries.
The one thing, the ONE thing, that I struggle with is the time to truly stop, turn it off and read. For me that is an amazingly difficult step to take. I would enjoy hearing from you on how you manage to do that. The competing demands have their own right priority as each allows another to function properly. Each has the right amount of time and energy it needs. But the ability to slow down and simply read is elusive. There is a book that I am trying to read: The Art of Sitting. Chapter one talks about various styles of meditation. This one advocates to do nothing and simply sit. No candle. No music. No focus on a point. Nothing … simply … nothing.
So words popped into my head around 4:00am this morning to add to our #LifeandLeadership work: Sit, Listen, Quiet, Still, Breathe, Serene, Grounded and Receive. What other messages, lessons or words come to mind when you are trying to grab hold of planet Earth and slow it down?
In another direction, there are art shows, which are subordinate to the above matters, but the myriad lives of the people I am attempting to work with does not slow down. It simply does not halt. Waiving hands at deadlines and submission dates doesn’t change them. The complexity and delays that will be introduced into our long term immediate family plan are impactful. A forthcoming piece of collaborative art comes to mind about Resilience and weathering a storm. There are productive ways to find balance, an even keel and steady hand to navigate the waters. That artwork was particularly relevant and was nice to retrieve and reflect upon. Perhaps that is a deeper value to the collaboration that I originally considered.
Finding balance allowed me to get into the FedEx small business grant competition in order to try an secure funds for the company so that our company and my son can develop more products, services and build a sustainable endeavor. That is super important for the entrepreneurial lessons learned for my son. To at least take a turn and a solid swing at bat. We learn from both wins and not wins. A deep heartfelt thank you to everyone who voted and continues to support us. We know you and love you for the kindness you put out into the universe on our behalf.
In a third hand was an engagement to start professional representation with a New York gallery that we are thrilled to get started with as part of the long term planning that is underway. Signed, sealed and delivered we will start our year long project to help people understand, learn about and grow confidence in my artwork. More to come on this one, but an equally compelling interest.
Our collaborative artwork is not skipping a beat, in fact there is growing interest and kindness as Bahar and I find our rhythm and continue to work on how to make the artwork available to those who have expressed interest and asked for prints. We are working on that and as I said above, there are a whole new library of Words and Thoughts to work together on for the benefit of the audience and ourselves. We put it out there for you to enjoy and will continue in that commitment which will be explored in the artwork entitled Intentionality.
In addition, several people have already contacted us to begin walking down a path of custom artwork originating out of the creative passion we have created as a small family business. Our shows are ramping up for the spring season. New York City, Washington D.C., Virginia, North Carolina and points beyond we are ready for you.
This piece of art comes to mind. There are places of freneticism, fast paced movement, and yet calmness and serenity.
As I close out this note, the weekend is just out there and about to arrive. I look forward to the chance to slow the pace down a bit, reflect on what has been accomplished in the last two weeks. Consider the good that was introduced into those around me and to be deeply grateful to be part of that. To be available, open and work from a place of abundance, not scarcity. That is where the legacy begins and continues. Stepping in to help, to elevate, to guide, to mentor and to create.
There are the words and concepts above that are very important to consider and incorporate into my life to find my footing. Sit, Listen, Quiet, Still, Breathe, Serene, Grounded and Receive. I can imagine starting to move towards a practice in life that includes 5 minutes for these words with their calls to near inaction sprinkled throughout the day. With 5 minutes as a first step, slowly ease into longer interludes that would be deeply beneficial and restful for me.
What a great time to be alive.
Join me in a fireside chat via Zoom in the evening to discuss any aspect of my artwork. To qualify, and join a video conversation send your contact information here and let me know what you would want to talk about. The selected participants will receive a 25% discount on any of my unlimited edition pieces of art. I will personally sign the piece at printing. Even more, the gallery is offering this purchase risk free for you. Free shipping, Free return, and no questions asked if you are unhappy with the art work. You can keep the print for 30 days to enjoy the selection in your home or office. This risk free offer does not apply to metal, acrylic and other specialized media prints.
Cheers,
Jim
2 Replies to “Visit with Jim – Sit, Listen, Quiet, Still, Receive, Serene”
Angela Anthony
Such an interesting and insightful message. One word that comes to mind for me is allow. Allow things to happen organically. Allow myself time to process it, enjoy it. As always, thank you for sharing such complex creativity.
Jim McCormick III[ Post Author ]
So true. Will add Allow to the set of concepts we will create for the future. Thank you!!