The Invisible Mentor

Archive for the ‘Poem’ Category

Perseverance

Tony started bright and early, cleaning up his room,

Soon he found he had to stop and make a little broom;

So then he went into the yard to get a little stick,

But the garden needed weeding, so he set about it, quick!

Then he found his wagon he intended to repair,

So he went into the cellar for the hammer that was there;

He’d just begun to build a box, when it was time for dinner;

And that’s why Tony’s father called his son a  ”good beginner.”

Source: Goops & How to be Them, Gelett Burgess, page 81

Are you like Tony a good beginner, or do you always finish what you start? How many projects have you abandoned because you kept on moving from one thing to another? How many books are on your night stand? What tips do you have for being a good finisher?

For me, I am not big on multitasking, and I try to focus on one thing at a time. I tried to read several books at a time and I couldn’t finish any, so I went back to reading one book at a time. And, if I am reading a book that I have to, that I find boring, to ensure that I finish the book, I develop a strategy where I read X number of pages a day and do so in one sitting. My strategy may not work for you, but that’s what works for me.

Having stick-to-it-ive-ness in life is not easy, but for those who want to excel in life, it simply is a must. What strategy do you have for stick-to-it-ive-ness?

Book List: Goops & How to be them: A manual for polite infants with 90 drawings

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What do you do when you want to clear your mind, when you you want to let go of all that “stuff” that gets in the way? To be the best that I can be, and unleash my inner genius, I reflect on my life a lot to make adjustments when necessary. And, I also read and write. Last summer I wrote a series of poems, and I would like to share one with you. Let me know what  you think.

A Daughter’s Farewell by Avil Beckford

I can’t remember you ever hugging me.

I can’t remember you telling me you loved me.

I can’t remember you kissing me.

But I clearly remember you criticizing me,

Leaving me, even when I was scared.

You weren’t there, even when you were there.

You were emotionally distant.

Sometimes I wonder if you were a figment of my imagination.

You must have been real, because you were my father.

The battle within me rages because I was invisible to you.

I no longer want to be invisible.

I want to be a real person to you.

Just once I would like you to tell me how you feel about me.

Just once, I would like to hear you say “I love you”.

Just once, I would like to feel your arms around me.

But you can’t really do that, can you?

You died before I got to know you.

You died without asking for my forgiveness.

You died before I forgave you.

I try to make sense of it all,

All the wasted moments, all the wasted years,

Both of us waiting for the other to extend a hand, a forgiving hand.

Our stubbornness got in the way, and now you’re gone.

If I got one more chance to see you again, what would I do?

Would I hug you?

If I got one more chance to see you again, what would I say?

Would I tell you I love you?

If I got one more chance to see you again, could I forget past hurts?

Could I forgive you?

Since I do not have the chance to see you again, I say,

“Farewell my father, rest in peace knowing that I love you.

Farewell my father, your daughter has finally found peace.”

What are your thoughts about forgiveness? What kind of relationship do you or did you have with your father?

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What does the word contemplation mean to you? How often do you take time for contemplation? Once a day? Once a week? Never?

How do you know if you are on track? How do you know if something in your  life is working or is not working? Do you ever take time to reflect on the things that you hear, see, feel, sense and taste? What do you do to engage all your senses?

Achieving success and unleashing your inner genius requires nuturing your soul, as well as feeding your mind. You have to take care of all of you, both the inner and the outer, the seen and the unseen.

Below is a poem about contemplation by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the German writer who lived in the 18th and early 19th century. Is the poem really about contemplation, or is it about something else? What do you think?

Book of Contemplation – Five Things

WHAT makes time short to me?

Activity!

What makes it long and spiritless?

‘Tis idleness!

What brings us to debt?

To delay and forget!

What makes us succeed?

Decision with speed

How to fame to ascend?

Oneself to defend!

By Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)

Now that you have read Book of Contemplation – Five Things, what are your thoughts? Do you agree or disagree with the point of view? Now read the quotation below by Heraclitus, how do you feel about it?

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” Heraclitus

Are people with a good character likely to manage their time effectively, and make decisions quickly and decisively? How would you connect the poem and quote? There are no right or wrong answers. The point of this exercise, is to look at life more broadly and with different lens so that when you are faced with challenges, you will identify solutions that are superior because you have such a unqiue look on life.

Combining works by Goethe and Heraclitus, or other great thinkers, can only lead to superior thinking. Try comparing and contrasting the works of other greats thinkers, what discoveries do you think await you?

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Photo Credit: Avil Beckford

Purple Cow

Ideas abound and are everywhere. You will see them if you are open.

Where do you get your ideas from?

My friend Elizabeth Winter from Contact Professionals Alliance read my blog entry about Gelett Burgess‘ poem The Purple Cow and suggested that I do a follow-up post. Burgess became associated with the poem and he was not happy about it, so he wrote a follow-up verse to The Purple Cow.

If you remember from yesterday, here is the original poem:

The Purple Cow: Reflections on a Mythic Beast Who’s Quite Remarkable, at Least

I never saw a purple cow
I never hope to see one;
But I can tell you, anyhow,
I’d rather see than be one!

And here is Burgess’ follow-up:

Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue

Ah, yes, I wrote the “Purple Cow”—
I’m Sorry, now, I wrote it;
But I can tell you Anyhow
I’ll Kill you if you Quote it!

When you read  Confession: and a Portrait Too, Upon a Background that I Rue, what comes to mind? For me, I immediately think of regret. How many times have you done something that you later regretted doing? Or are you someone who doesn’t believe in regret?

If you did something remarkable, something pioneering, in the eyes of others, and you gained “notoriety” for it, would you be able to deal with all the attention? Do you think you would later regret your actions? Think on this! Do you think Burgess’ response to being associated with his poem is reasonable? If you were Burgess, what would you have done differently?

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What Does Gelett Burgess’ Poem The Purple Cow Mean?

Photo Credits

Avil Beckford & Clarecia Christie

A Poison Tree by William Blake

 I was angry with my friend.

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe.

I told it not, my wrath did grow;

And I water’d it in fears,

Night and morning with my tears;

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles;

And it grew both day and night

Till it bore an apple bright,

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine,

And into my garden stole

When the night had veil’d the pole.

In the morning glad I see

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

When you read the William Blake poem above, what emotions does it evoke in you?

I felt sadness when I read it. We so often wear our anger with righteous indignation. If you are completely honest with yourself, on a scale of one to 10, how do you score on letting go?

Letting go is something that I struggle with. Because of this, I work harder at it – negative emotion cause stress, which kills. So whenever I am feeling angry, anxious, worried or fearful, and feel that accompanying tightening in my chest, that’s my cue that I need to let go.

I quickly go into Alpha and slow down my brain waves. The deep breathing also calms me down. There are times when I will call a friend to talk through the situation, and I often see another completely different perspective.

What techniques do you use to let go, or even diffuse anger, fear and anxiety? If you don’t have one, talk to a friend to get another perspective or go into Alpha. If you have techniques at your fingertips, the next time you’re angry with someone you can easily resolve the situation instead of wishing them ill will.

You cannot truly be creative if you’re angry, anxious or fearful. And you cannot be your best self if you’re are distracted by anger, fear, worry or anxiety. This poem is a reminder to me, and it is a reminder to you, to practice tolerance, be kind, forgive and always try to find your center.

Click here to read other William Blake poems.

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