On knowledge and the constant learning in life

What you experience today informs and alters what you knew yesterday, indeed, who you were. We are in constant transformation. It is only by learning constantly that we move forward. It certainly is not easy, this constant learning and questioning. It is mentally challenging and tiring even. It is hard. Not hard in a sense that we have to concentrate to assimilate what is before us, like when we go through school and have to memorize all kinds of information and data necessary in order to write an exam, but hard because so many life lessons are there before us and we don’t know how to look at them realistically, or, sometimes, we are just not ready to learn and understand what is going on. Life lessons are there before us at every turn. Each decision, each action causes a reaction and is an opportunity to learn. It is really like building blocks. One on top of the other, it all adds up to a life philosophy, to an integrity of actions that may change tomorrow according to today’s experiences, according to today’s new understanding.

 

Why is it more difficult for some than others to learn and move forward? Good question for which there is an enormous amount of answers. Some think it might be because our way is already traced and that we have to go through certain events during this life. Some blame a previous life that has set us up for certain experiences.  Some think it is because we are just not ready at the time when we are faced with a life lesson. Some people repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Isn’t there an alarm bell that goes off in their head, we ask, which warns them? Why is it so difficult to learn? We blame our personality, our genes, our environment, we blame everything but ourselves when we are in a recurring situation we should be avoiding.

 

So how can we let today’s knowledge sink in and help us move forward, and what is knowledge but an interpretation of what is? I am not talking in a scientific sense. A molecule is a molecule but everything else, every other subtlety fall victim to interpretation. And interpretation is based on previous experiences, our education, our past, in other words our background. To be able to strip away this background and its effects on our comprehension of what is before us would really liberate us as human beings and permit the advancement of not only our personal life, but of our decisions as a community, indeed of our protection of each other and the world.

 

I think the first step is to be conscious that you want to be alert and aware. When you are able to strip your environment, your judgment, your ego and truly look at any situation with open eyes, without judgment, with a clear mind, you are able to see. How do we get there? Meditation helps clear the mind. Quietness of the mind is the key to observing what is and learning from it.

 

I see so much unhappiness around me, so much hurt, so much fear, so much discouragement! People are lost and unhappy. Only because of interpretation that leads to certain decisions that lead to certain actions, because we are not able to look at what is before us and acknowledge realistically what we observe. We are not able to see.

 

What you experience today, what you do, what you think, informs and transforms your previous knowledge. This new inflow of information alters who you were yesterday. This is the beauty of it. This is how you can transform yourself, your reality, your life. You can choose, at any moment, to change direction if you now have understanding that you should. Take this opportunity, take this new day to look at one thing with different eyes and discover a different reality. Take this opportunity to grow, to better yourself, to be happy.

Reflection on painting

Today, I am reflecting on the art, on the work of painting, on the world of painting. It is often difficult to get going and start a new painting. The famous blank canvas… Some say that if you put a coat of background color or rather an undercoat, you erase the stigma of the blank canvas. But this is not true. If it can be useful to judge the tone or unify the painting, it remains a blank canvas. The blank canvas might be yellow or brown or blue or white, it still represents a challenge. Will that first touch of paint, that very first brushstroke be right? Will the color show how my mind’s eye expects or sees it or will it be totally wrong and send me in a tailspin of wondering, of corrections and self-doubt, of inquiring and research?

 

True, there is technique and we can learn to mix colors. It is an art in itself to be able to do this properly and rapidly, but the best way to learn and reduce this anxiety of the first stroke is really to practice, practice, practice. Some days are better than others but all days spent painting, each minute, are a step on the path the painter wants to follow, meaning forward, learning, progressing.

 

Just like writers are told to write everyday no matter what comes out to exercise the writing muscle, painters, sculptors, artists must practice their craft everyday even if we can give it only half an hour. When you love painting, this anxiety is mixed with expectations and questions. Expectations, because you want this new painting to be better than the last one, to be truer, to expose you a little bit more. Are we just asking for people to understand us a little better? Difficult to say…  Questions, because you just don’t know how your painting will be received.

 

Unless you are a really experienced artist, that knows what his public wants, it is hard to judge how the painting will be received. This depends on so many different ideas and criteria, that vary according to the individual staring at the painting. When you offer a painting to an audience, you are trying to touch the onlooker. To go deep into his or her soul and somehow touch a part of them, light a switch, create a “Ah !”  moment before the analysis takes over. Before they wonder will this fit in my living room, in my dining room? Is this the right color?

 

I think we are looking for understanding, for people to peek into our heart and soul, to share something joyful we feel in our core, or sad in some cases. The only way to do this is to paint first and foremost for ourselves. I think this is the main difference between doing artwork and doing “decorative art” or “crafts”. Unless you create, you don’t normally see the difference. Actually a friend of mine said one day that decorative artists are only “good technicians” and I felt a bit insulted by this statement. But now I see the difference. It is true that decorative art is all about technique except for those that actually create patterns and designs. There is a bit of sharing when you pick the pattern you want to reproduce or paint. But is nowhere close to the opening of the soul that happens when you create from your core.

 

I am speaking for me but there is no emotion when I simply paint someone else’s design. There is the satisfaction of completing a project but none of the excitement, no skipping of the heartbeat, none of the quiet joy of just working at transferring your soul to the canvas.  In conclusion I would like to say that the main thing is to make ourselves happy with what we are painting. I don’t mean to be 100% satisfied with the finished product but to paint for ourselves, about things we like and appreciate. It is not about painting what is trendy now if we hate it (unless we are painting strictly to make money). There is so much talk about finding your style and being unique, but each of us is unique and it is by painting what you believe, what you are, what you like that your uniqueness comes out. We have to live with ourselves, we are the only constant in our life and painting first and foremost for this individual that inhabits our body is a good way to start. So paint what YOU like and do at least a little bit everyday.

Change your language and improve your life

May 1^st, finally! This must mean we are finally into spring although you cannot really tell with the weather at 3°C this morning. Anyhow… I want to talks about metaphors today.

 

Have you ever heard a friend or anybody mention in passing: “I’m dying of heat” when it’s hot or “ I’m really stuck in this or that situation”. Do you think you’re hotter if you say “I’m dying of heat” versus “It’s hot today” ? Apparently you are because by using this type of imagery, your brain perceives things differently. Just try the test.

 

Lately, I felt like I was stuck in a certain situation until I realized that: Hey! I had the choice , I wasn’t stuck, I was making the choice, consciously or not, to feel trapped when in fact I could chose to take the steps to get out of it, which I did. Sometimes, we take on other people’s problems out of kindness or sympathy but, if it is nice to help, in the end the person to look out for is ourselves. I’m not saying to turn your back on a friend or family that needs your help but you have to draw the line and realize where your responsibility starts and the other person’s ends and vice-versa.

 

Each person is responsible for themselves and unless it is a child that you decided to have (which I feel you are responsible for until they are adults), everybody else make their own decisions. Once you have advised somebody or counseled them, informed them as best you could, if this was asked, it becomes their responsibility, their choice to act one way or another. You have to assume your own life and take care of your own stuff. But I digress…

 

To get back to metaphors, it is important to realize that the metaphors we use influence not only how we feel but the actions we take. When you say that you feel “struck” in a given situation, you feel discouraged to take action because you feel it is useless. If you say you are facing a problem, you will tend to look for a solution instead of waiting and feeling helpless.

 

Look at what you are facing today in a creative way and a solution will come to you. Try to notice if you are using negative metaphors in your language or your internal dialogue, and replace them by something that represents the reality better. Change your language, change your perception, you will change your life.

No use complaining about past choices.

I just finished reading a very negative blog. I thought at first it was a humorous piece but realized later it seemed real. The person was ranting and raving about her life and everything in it. It is often like this. People look at your life from the outside and think it is perfect. In this case, 2 healthy beautiful kids, a loving husband, probably a nice house. But what is going on inside a person’s head? Even if we think we know, most probably, we don’t. People look at what they see but not all can perceive what is.

But to come back to a situation where you seem to have everything, but are really, really unhappy. What are you supposed to do? You don’t have a disease so you’re not getting the sympathy, you don’t want to complain too much because you sound ungrateful for what you do have, and maybe you’ll attract problems. What can you do?

First you need a reality check: You can only change your present reality not your past. Decisions have been taken, life happened that got you where you are today. It is then important to create a shift in what you see when you look around you. It is important to stop blaming the outside circumstances for your happiness or unhappiness. You have to give yourself the tools to function at optimal capacity. Nothing is stopping you from changing your life. You are the only person that can change your life (inside or out) and to do so, you have to make the decision to take the first step.  

You can do anything you decide to do. Start by changing one thing you can’t live with anymore. A decision means you are immediately taking a step to put things in motion. A decision is not only a wish or saying “I want to do this” or “I’d like to do that”. A decision implies an action. Once you decide on a course of action go for it as soon as you can. It will relieve some tension as you have the feeling that you’re moving in some direction. Inaction, and frustration caused by inaction, when you know (you can feel it) you should act, creates a lot of pain and pressure. There will be immediate relief as soon as the decision is taken, even if you are not totally certain it is the right decision.

Another thing that stops a lot of people from acting on a decision is their fear of making a mistake. Don’t worry, you will make mistakes. And then you will learn from these mistakes. Hopefully, it will stop you from erring twice the same way.

Just have faith in yourself and in the future and live today as best you can!

Seeing the Invisible

The 14^th verse of the Tao Te Ching talks about the invisible, the inaudible, the intangible, of things that cannot be defined but are present all around us, indeed inside of each of us. It says « Each of these three things is subtle for description, by intuition you can see it, hear it, and feel it. Then the unseen, unheard, and untouched are present as one. » A little further: « Approach it and there is no beginning; follow it and there is no end. You cannot know it, but you can be it, at ease in your own life. Discovering how things have always been brings one into harmony with the way. »

 

This verse is asking us to feel the oneness we share with all beings human or otherwise. It is asking us to tap inside ourselves and observe what is around us and feel deeply the invisible but real connection that brings us all together. It is telling us we are all part of a chain and that what you do to others, you do to yourself because every action generates a reaction somewhere, somehow. Everything is in constant movement and connects everybody and everything together. This verse is suggesting that you look beyond what is before your eyes, beyond the physical information that is before you, that you tap into this inspiration, intuition that is present at your core, that connects you to the universe and that is all knowing.

 

We have to stop questioning why things are how they are. Lao-Tzu is telling us that as a part of the oneness that is all encompassing and eternal, we need not fear our future, our conditions since we are only but a part of the unfolding of the eternity. When you look at everything with these internal eyes instead of your physical ones, you start to love everybody around you because you can see that even your worst enemy is, most of the time, acting out of fear. A fear inspired by their ego seeing only the physical world in front of their eyes. Look around you, look at nature and see beyond the tree, the flower, the duck, your mate. Don’t assume you know what is inside or what motivates somebody unless you can really look with your heart’s eyes. Accept that you might be wrong about people.

 

Accept that we are all part of each other and that you must respect everything around you in the same manner.

Meditation on stress and problems

Untying the knots. This is a meditation to reduce stress. Start by finding a calm place to sit. Empty your mind as much as you can. Start noticing your breath without trying to control it. Observe your breath. When your mind wanders, bring it back on your breath. Continue to observe your breath for a few minutes. Visualize your stress. Stress is often caused by a decision you need to take but don’t know what to do, fear of mistake, wanting control over something or somebody, without this being possible. Do you see the thick rope all tied up? I see mine as beige and smooth, impossible to know its length because it is all intertwined and a prisoner of itself. Start thinking about loosening the knots. As soon as you think about it, it will start getting looser. Nice and smooth, the rope starts becoming straighter the knots just undo themselves until you have smooth thick lines one beside the other gently sitting in front of your eyes. They might be weaving in the gentle breeze. Try to focus on this image for 10 minutes or so.These are your problems. They can be resolved as easily as this it you let go and listen to your inspiration. Ask for guidance. It is there. If you lose the image, re-focus your attention on your breath, and then on the rope.

About creativity and our everyday mood

Today’s thought:

“WHEN UNHAPPY, ONE DOUBTS EVERYTHING,

WHEN HAPPY, ONE DOUBTS NOTHING” – Joseph Roux

I sometimes wake up feeling like I am not capable of anything and the day ahead will be difficult. I don’t feel like I can produce, either paint or write or even do something insignificant. The important thing when we feel that way is to keep going. Some people have it easier than others. Some people wake up in the morning and they just feel good, full of energy and ready to take on the day. Optimistic people… How I admire them and would like to be like this.

I just heard the term “slogging” recently and wondered what does this mean? Couldn’t find it in the dictionary but got all kinds of synonyms that give the idea: plod, trudge, struggle. Anyhow, it is sometimes how we feel in the morning and… so what? We are not supposed to like slogging, in fact we’re supposed to hate it. The only way to keep on going then is that we have to believe that our state of joyful production will return. It always does. We have to keep going in the meantime. In the interim, we have to show up at the easel, at the computer, wherever we create. And we have to listen, ask for guidance and listen and it will come. It always does. As artists, we must be able to see a reality that does not exist yet. We must be able to start with the end in mind. This is what creation is all about. But it is sometimes difficult and when it is, it is better to just start and fiddle with something without really knowing where this is going or what we are doing. We call this practice then and this is necessary. It is always better to “practice” than stay idle, waiting for “inspiration”.

Consistency is important. It is what brings about results. We have to be consistent with the way we spend our time if we want results. Once an idea for a painting or a book comes, and we start working on it, it gathers momentum, it fleshes out and becomes real, at least for ourselves. The more real the idea becomes, the easier it will be to transmit and all that practice will then come in handy, having perfected our skills. Once it is real for us, it can become real for others.

As for optimism, we have to work at it sometimes, we have to cultivate it, we have to choose to be optimists and we have to make it a habit. Each day that we manage to shift our mood in the right direction will make the next one easier and bring the confidence necessary to keep on going, to keep on creating.

 

March 20th, 2008 – World Water Day

The UN General Assembly declared the year 2008 the International Year of Sanitation. Today is World Water Day 2008 and celebrations and discussions will highlight issues on sanitation in accordance with the Year.

As the United Nations puts it: “The goal is to raise awareness and to accelerate progress towards the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target to reduce by half the proportion of the 2,6 billion people without access to basic sanitation by 2015”. It is estimated that between 35 and 50 % of urban dwellers in Africa and Asia don’t have adequate access to clean water.

In this World Water Day, let’s appreciate this resource and consciously taste each sip. Here in Quebec we are lucky to live in a country where access to clean water is taken for granted. Let’s be conscious of this and appreciate it.

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The Pareto law or the 80/20 principle in everyday life

I have been reading about the 80/20 principle lately. Over the years, it had never really caught my attention but here it is now. I find it intriguing because of the fact that it can be applied to everything in life, whether business, economics or relationships and material possessions. It first caught my attention while I was listening to a conference about the Tao Te Ching, the ancient wisdom brought to us by Lao-Tzu 2500 years ago. One of the verses talks about decreasing instead of accumulating. The 48^th verse says that “Learning consists of daily accumulating, The practice of the Tao consists of daily diminishing” It also says: ”True mastery can be gained by letting things go their own way. It cannot be gained by interfering”.

How does this link with the 80/20 principle?

When we really see that we end up using only 20% of our possessions, we should be able to get rid of 80% of what clutters our closets and our homes. Think about it, are you really using 100% of what you possess? Probably not. So why not get rid of some of it and donate them to people that would use them? It is important for material possessions to be in circulation, to flow. They are at our service and we should not be slaves to them. If you own a home and are enjoying it, that is good. But if it becomes a burden of payments you have problems meeting, work and maintenance you do not enjoy doing, if it causes you stress and worries, then it is not worth it. The same is true of all our material possessions that must be dusted, washed, moved and so on. If something brings true enjoyment, it is all worth it but the minute it doesn’t anymore, get rid of it.

The 80/20 principle is also interesting when applied to business. If 20% of your products bring in 80% of the profits, if 20% of your employees produce 80% of the work, if 20% of your efforts bring about 80% of the results, it is clear that there needs to be a shift in working habits and a profound analysis of the employees strengths and weaknesses in order to render the whole thing more efficient. Because the opposite is also true: 80% of the products bring in only 20% of the profits, 80% of your employees don’t produce more than 20% of the work and 80% of the efforts bring only 20% results.

And what about relationships?  Are we spending 80% of our time on the 20% that doesn’t count instead of spending the bulk of our time with the 20% of our relationships that are important to us, to our well-being?  Does that make sense? There needs to be a shift to bring together our true values with our actions. The goal should always be to align these two realities, our spiritual authenticity and our material reality. The 80/20 principle brings this to light. I myself have realized that I was spending pretty much 80% of my time on things that didn’t really matter to me. I have been trying to re-align this. You get caught up in life and outside demands and one day you realize that somebody else or something has taken over your life (80% of it at least) and that you are not doing what you want, with the people you want and are not where you want to be. When this happens, it is important to ask yourself what is important. What is the 20% you enjoy? What is the 20% you are good at? Take that 20% and increase its importance in your life by cutting out the things you don’t enjoy. Start with things you feel you are not good at (unless you think it is important to develop a particular skill). If you don’t enjoy something and on top of it you are no good at it, why are you doing it? Replace these by things you feel you are good at. After a while it will become easier to identify and eliminate what should not be part of your life. After all, it is YOUR life. It should be YOUR choice.

Vehicle idling is bad for your health, the air and our environment.

In french:

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