What Box?^®

As we go through our lives there are many people who come and go without us giving them a second thought. And then there are those select few that influence one’s life for all time. You know, the kind of person who you think about when you are in need of a little help or are not sure quite what to do. In many cases you just have to remember that person and their wisdom flows into you like they were there giving you advice in person. These people are rare, and I am very grateful that I have known a few unique individuals who have had a powerful influence on my life.

One person who has had a major influence on my life is Chuck Castellano. When I first met him he was a Senior Director at NASA Ames Research Center involved in accelerating the commercialization of NASA technology. Chuck was on the cutting edge of the birth of the Internet and connected to some of the most powerful people in the technology arena. At that time I was a young 24 year old idealistic entrepreneur scratching my way up the chalkboard of life in Silicon Valley who was going to change the world through technology and pure intestinal fortitude.

I was an unknown entrepreneur working towards making a name for myself one step at a time. It was during this time that I got myself involved in a public, private, educational, and governmental consortium called Joint Venture-Silicon Valley. This organization was formed to support restarting the economic engine of Silicon Valley as it climbed out of a significant recession.

I followed my passion and signed up as a founding member of Smart Valley, which consisted of a group of technology leaders dedicated to networking the schools of Silicon Valley with the latest Internet access. At the same time NASA had just begun the planning stages of its own incubator, The Enterprise Network, in an effort to accelerate the commercialization of NASA technology. It was designed to support technology businesses through the start up process as they grew into a sustainable businesses. The synergies between The Enterprise Network and Joint Venture-Silicon Valley were ideal.

It was during one of these Enterprise Network business planning sessions that I first met Chuck. I will never forget the day. You see, I have always loved NASA and the opportunity to get to know and collaborate with NASA had my heart all a flutter. Chuck, a very serious man, must have thought, “Who is this kid?” To my surprise he engaged me in a conversation and was interested in hearing about my innovative business model. At least I thought it was an innovative model. At the time I was working to create an online auction house dedicated to the sale of art. Keep in mind this is before the days of eBay.

Our conversation led to a series of meetings and The Enterprise Network incubator became a reality. My company was chosen to be a part of the incubator and I was now a partner with NASA. A dream come true. Strange thing is that my company business model proved to be too far ahead of its time and after initial seed funding was raised it had to fold. To keep my relationship with NASA in tact, my partner at the time, Gordon Rudow, and I transformed our company into an innovative strategic planning company we called Vital Pathways. We utilized the power of visual communication to accelerate business success. Gordon and I were both very young and we certainly did not know what we did not know. We used to walk around the incubator barefoot, brainstorming and planning strategies with some of the leading companies in Silicon Valley. Chuck called us the “Barefoot Entrepreneurs” which is how we became known around the Valley. Classic!

Gordon and I, like many entrepreneurs, parted ways as our business focus changed. He went on continuing to consult with companies on their strategic plans. Loving NASA, I moved my energy to a new consortium called The Board Alliance for Technology Applications, a new organization that was started with NASA funding. It was during this time that I co-founded another NASA funded non-profit called the Digital Clubhouse Network www.digiclub.org. Chuck was the NASA leader on the project and at this time our relationship really started to blossom. He took the time to introduce me to other select NASA projects and encouraged me to get more involved. He walked me through the many challenging processes it took to move through the NASA maze. I like to call NASA the giant prickly pear. It hurts getting to the middle, but when you get there it is so sweet.

Chuck and I became close friends and he became my mentor. He probably doesn’t realize how much of an influence he has had on my life. Chuck showed me how to remain calm under great stress. He showed me how to work through complex political systems. He respected my thoughts and opinions giving me greater confidence when I was young and still learning. He wanted me to succeed and did everything he could to make sure that happened. He helped me to start StudioFX, an entertainment driven electronic commerce Web Portal. He inspired me to keep going and to never give up.

I will never forget the day my company received its first million dollars in funding, because that night I was over at Chuck’s house opening a bottle of Dom Perigon I had saved for just that day. You see there was no one else with whom I wanted to share such an important milestone. We signed the bottle and made a toast to the future.

How odd that StudioFX, burst by the Internet bubble, became the catalyst to my moving to Oklahoma. StudioFX may have died, but its memory will never be forgotten. The Digital Clubhouse continues to operate in California and Manhattan and Chuck and his wife, Deryl, and Kristen, my wife and I continue to visit each other whenever we can. We now share one of our great passions beyond NASA, wine and food. Boy, can Chuck cook!

Chuck’s influence on my life is one that continues to inspire me to become the best I can be. What a great gift. Now it looks like Chuck is retiring later this month after 40 years of government service with NASA. I cannot thank Chuck enough for all he has given me with his time, energy, and confidence. I am forever grateful and know his second career as a retiree will suit him well. Chuck, thank you for everything you do.

Who has influenced your life? How can you thank them?

Let me know what you think.

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create for yourself.

Whatever you most desire you will create in your life. Whatever you most desire you will create in your life. Wake up! This extremely powerful part of living your life needs your attention. When you align with “life increase” and become more aware of what you most desire, you will change your life for the better. Whatever you most desire you will create in your life.

What do you most desire for your life?

“Life increase” is all about focusing your thoughts and energy on abundance, what is possible, positivity, giving back, and letting go. Jesus was one of the few people walking the earth who was most aligned with “life increase.” Even though he owned nothing of the material world, except the shirt on his back, he was willing to give it to a person who needed it more. “It is in giving that you receive.”

“Life increase” is tied to the realization that nothing is permanent, that what you have is to be shared and that when you give it away you open up to receive unexpected rewards. When your thoughts and energy are focused on “life increase” you will begin to realize that the pie is getting bigger all the time, and that for every loss there are 100 wins around the corner. You realize that each day is an opportunity to take one step closer to creating what it is you desire for your life.

What do you most desire for your life?

For some people what they most desire can be overshadowed by doubt, negativity, hopelessness, and despair. This unproductive thinking is the focus of their thoughts and energy. In all reality this is not what they most desire in their lives. As a result of this continued focus on a sense of hopelessness and despair that is exactly what they continue to create for themselves. What you most desire you will create in your life. When you think you can’t, you can’t and when you think you can, you can. Sounds so simple doesn’t it? Yet it works so well.

“People become quite remarkable when they start thinking that they can do things. When they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success.” Norman Vincent Peale

This is not new information, some new stroke of genius or brilliant discovery. Since the beginning of time philosophers have been communicating the power of your mind to create what you want in your life. Why is it that so many people ignore this wisdom? Or worse yet, continue to create despair in their lives?

What do you most desire for your life?

How can you focus your energy on “life increase”? Here is what I do. Each and every day when I awake I make a conscious effort to think about what positive difference I am going to make today. I look forward to giving back to the world. My agenda is not focused on what can I get out of the world today, but instead it is focused on what value I can create. How can I give back? How can I make a positive difference?

What I have discovered over time and through the trials and tribulations of life is that the more I focus on what I can give back and what value I can create, the more I am able to create what I want and most desire in my life.

There have been times in my life that I have been depressed to the point of wanting to end it all. I have even attempted the ultimate finality because of this depression. In an unforgettable, life altering, instance I was driving my car towards the edge of a cliff on Highway One along the California coast imagining myself going over the edge. I stopped short. Something inside of me said that there had to be some purpose to living beyond this desperate fleeting moment. I focused my energy on hope, positivity and that I had the potential for greatness and was meant to do something of value in this world. Since those days I have learned that everything in life can change in a matter of seconds and nothing is so bad that it is worth taking your own life. I now have a saying whenever life gets me down, “Just wait five minutes.”

Even though I was depressed I still was able to muster the energy to focus on the positive, what could be, and that my life had a purpose. This is a key to “life increase.” Even when I have been down to my last penny, and I have been on more than one occasion, I have still been willing to give it away to the homeless person on the corner. As I have given away my last few cents, with great intention and energy I would say to myself, “With this money I am making a difference for this one person and I am grateful to be able to do so.” Next thing you know I have a new gig and money to burn.

“Life increase” means doing things that don’t make sense to the many people. This is okay. It means thinking outside-of-the-box. It means having intention and believing that everything will get better and that what I most desire will come true in my life. “Life increase” means being able to lose it all and to know that you can get it all back again and more. “Life increase” means you are able to walk through life with increased confidence, knowing that nothing can hurt you or cause you despair, at least for long.

What do you most desire in your life?

Boy, am I glad that I did not let the ocean take me back where I came from. Even though life is not always easy and the challenges are great, I have had dreams come true, many influential people have come into my life, and I have been able to have a positive impact on many lives through the power of “life increase.”

How are you increasing the value of your life?

Let me know what you think.

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create for yourself.

Living through the unknowns of life can be more like riding a roller coaster than taking a walk through the park. Every one of us has at one point or another experienced the peaks, plunging down into the lows and powered through the curves that life brings as we experience our individual journey.

The unknowns of life scare many of us into limiting thinking. Many of us like to think that we are in control of our lives and that we can avoid the unknowns of life if we just keep thinking the same way. This kind of thinking is an illusion. Each and every day is filled with unknowns from the time we wake up in the morning until we go to sleep at night. We can’t know for sure what will happen any particular day, whether it will be our last day on the planet or what great fortune may bless us. We don’t know what we don’t know. The truth of the matter is that we just don’t know a lot.

Acknowledging and embracing the unknown is a big challenge for almost everyone. Some people may want to embrace the unknown. They know deep down inside that this can help them change their lives for the better, but they are unwilling to change their attitudes and the way they think. These people do not want to lose the benefit that years of thinking one particular way has brought them. Once again, this kind of thinking is an illusion. Thinking that you can control your life and the environment around you only holds you back from reaching your full potential.

How are you using What Box? thinking?

It takes practice, patience and a willingness to be tortured at times to learn the process of embracing and entering the unknowns of life. Welcome to the roller coaster of life.

When Kristen, my wife, and I moved to Grand Lake in 2000 one of the first things I was able to identify as an entrepreneurial opportunity was the development of wind farms to harness the untapped wind energy potential of Oklahoma. We rank number six in the nation for wind power generation potential and at that time not one utility grade wind farm had been built.

What an opportunity! I started to dream and visualize about the creation of a wind farm in Oklahoma. I dreamed about being a “new energy wildcatter.” Kristen thought I had lost my mind. What does an Internet entrepreneur and artist know about starting a wind farm? I had entered the unknown in a big way. This is where many people get scared and in a majority of the cases give up before they move past their dream. Yes, the odds were stacked against me and the costs to build a wind farm are high, $60 million dollars for a 35 Mega Watt facility. Here is the thing, I would have regretted it if I had not gone for building a wind farm, especially when I knew I would start seeing wind farms being built by others very soon. I decided that even if I failed at this endeavor I would give it my all. I knew that know no matter this was something that had great potential. I also knew that I would learn a huge amount about wind energy and other alternative energies.

I contacted wealthy individuals in California who had invested in past ventures of mine to test whether they would be interested in investing in such an opportunity. I also started exploring potential Oklahoma venture and government sources of money. To my surprise money was available from state and private investors, and in no time I had secured $35 million dollars to start the process of building a wind farm in Oklahoma. I began researching wind turbines, maps of Oklahoma indicating specific locations for utility grade wind production, along with the processes needed to build a wind farm. The more I researched, outreached and traveled, the more I realized how much I didn’t know. I dove deeper and deeper into the unknown.

Experts were enrolled into the vision of building a wind farm in Oklahoma, challenges were addresses, strategies were developed and a business plan was created. The next step was to secure the land so I started a land acquisition campaign. My newly formed company bought radio time in Guymon, Lawton, and Woodward inviting landowners to become part of the new energy revolution. Radio stations said that I should only expect 10 or so people to show up. Guess what. Over 80 showed up to each presentation. By the end of the two-week tour Kristen and I had been successful in securing premium land for wind farm development. Boy was this getting exciting! I was moving out of the unknown into the known. So I thought.

That is when the unknown hit me dead between the eyes. One of the greatest challenges that had been identified along the research and strategy process was that of securing a Power Purchase Agreement from the utility companies. Utilities did not fully understand the viability of wind farms at the time and to secure long term purchase agreements for power generated was going to be tough. I thought, “Never ever give up. You can do this.” The Power Purchase Agreement turned out not to be the most difficult piece of the puzzle to put in place. It turned out to be what utility companies call an Interconnect Agreement. Basically, it allows you to plug into the power grid and move the energy produced by the wind farm to market. The utilities of Oklahoma had already given out four Interconnect Agreements and were not going to give out any more until they knew for sure that wind energy we going to work within the utility system. How could I have known this?

Our project died on the spot. Our funding was time-sensitive and once the mega corporations moved onto the scene my window of opportunity as a wildcatter wind farmer would have passed. I can still remember getting the call from a utility company executive in Woodward like it was yesterday. Kristen and I packed our bags and drove home knowing that we had given it our best shot and had become all the wiser.

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” Confucius

So what is the lesson here? By embracing the unknown I am able to live knowing, “gave it my best shot and I don’t regret a minute of it.” As a direct result of my efforts many doors have opened for me. I was invited to participate in the creation of state legislation that increased tax credits to wind farm energy producers. In addition I would have never met Kathy Taylor, who at the time was Secretary of Commerce and Tourism. Through this relationship I have been able to create a public/private sector partnership between the Oklahoma Department of Commerce and SpiritBank for which I am facilitating the creation of economic development strategies around the state. And if that’s not enough, I am now involved in Kathy’s campaign to become Tulsa’s next Mayor. Who would have known? I certainly wouldn’t at the time because I was focused on building a wind farm in Oklahoma and embracing the unknowns of that process.

When you embrace the unknown, new and wonderful doors open. Powerful vibrations start to surround you which support you to grow. Others will start to notice you increasing your growth by leaps and bounds and become attracted to your energy.

Go for it and embrace the unknown. Who knows what great new opportunities will become yours until you do.

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
We are surrounded everyday with advertisements in the papers, on the radio, and on TV about places to go, people to see, movies to watch, events to attend and the list goes on. There must be places to go where a person can just “be!”
Looking for Peace in Tulsa

Dear Looking,
Fortunately, Oklahoman’s are blessed to have some of the most beautiful natural environments in the nation. I would suggest taking a walk along the Arkansas River and sitting on one of the benches to watch the river go by. Between 11th and 21st is my favorite stomping grounds when in Tulsa. Grand Lake is one of the best places I know of to relax and “be.” Any of the state parks along the shores of the lake can be a good place to recharge your batteries. I like watching the vultures and other birds fly around. Get lost in their beauty. And finally I always like to create a quite space, a sanctuary, where I live. This allows me to get away from the rat race and just “be.” If all that does not work give away your TV. Not much is better and quieter than a house without a TV.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create for yourself.

Just the other day, I was thinking, perhaps we might want to consider changing our name as a species from “Human Beings” to “Human Doings.” Think about this for a minute. In Western society, we have become so active that “doing” is the only way we seem to derive value from our lives. In fact, we are constantly developing new technologies and processes that enable us to do more things in less time so we can do more things. We are definitely in the “Human Doings” mode of operation.

And what are we “doing” all these things for? Will Rogers may have had a clue about why we are always in the “doing” mode. Will said, “Too many people spend money they haven’t earned, to buy things they don’t want, to impress people they don’t know.” And of course, spending more and more money means, “doing” more and more things.

As an artist portraying life issues, I believe that one of the main reasons we are always “doing” or in action is because we have a deep desire to control things in our external world. We want to control our stature in life, the power we have, our leisure time, and security of our property, just to name a few. The reality is that control is merely an illusion and the more you attempt to control the more control you lose.

Technology, whether we realize it or not, permeates every fiber of our society and is probably the greatest single tool we have to enable us in achieving the control we so desperately desire. We put our faith, as a society, in the power of technology and the technical sciences to solve all of our problems. Having been deeply involved with the technology industry, I can see the potential danger with this kind of thinking. The danger is not with technology itself, but that it might become elevated to a religion or used exclusively as a tool to create profit. The inherent nature of a “Free Market” society is to develop competing technologies. The global nuclear arms race and terrorist threats that endanger all of us around the world can be directly linked to this “Free Market” technologically driven profit model.

Do you think that just because we have the power to do something we should do it?

Today, most people are so busy “doing” that they have lost touch with “being,” and have become prisoners of time. As a result, our society has lost its sense of balance. This is where “being” comes in. “Being” implies being present in each and every moment and not preoccupied with what has happened in the past or what may or may not happen in the future. Taking the time to just “be” in nature, to focus on the clouds, to let the mind rest and to think of nothing opens up the possibility to create genuine wisdom. “Being” with your children, your family, and your friends without being preoccupied with what you could or should be doing enables us to appreciate our lives and our relationships with people in a meaningful and powerful way.

It is not easy to create a balanced life in today’s world. As a society we have collectively put so many expectations on ourselves that to come anywhere near achieving these expectations we have to keep on doing and doing and doing and doing some more.

Creating a balance in one’s life takes tremendous effort. Life has its ebbs and flows and does not always follow the path we might want. You can take steps to create a more balanced life by setting aside time each and every day to do nothing and just “be.” Take the time to appreciate your life and those of the people close to you. Take the time to rest your body and mind, creating a space to be in awakened rest and reflection. I have found that when I am able to incorporate “being” time into my day and life I am better prepared to take on the challenges of life and feel more complete.

How often do you focus your energy on “being” rather than “doing?”

Let me know what you think.

Sean,
My daughter is painfully shy and doesn’t have many friends. What can I do to help her be more outgoing?
Hopeful in Grove

Dear Hopeful,
It may be hard for some people to believe but I am very shy myself. It has not been easy for me to get up the motivation to show my art, speak in front of people, or attend networking events. Getting out in the world can be a challenging process for some people. Here are couple ways I have learned to overcome my shyness.

Focus on other people’s interests, what they like, their hobbies, and what they dream about. People feel much more comfortable when they are talking with people who are genuinely interested in them.

Become a great listener. Avoid using “I” statements as this can turn people off and focus the attention onto you.

Imagine really enjoying a social event or interacting with people. Your ability to visualize yourself enjoying social activities is one of the strongest tools you can use to overcome shyness.

Shyness is one of those things that takes practice to overcome and the person has to want to overcome the shyness. Let me know how it goes.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

Remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create for yourself.

You have a creative resource in common with everyone else on the planet. This is one of the most important creativity resources you have. What is even better is that it occurs naturally. In fact, it’s a creative experience that happens each and every night. What is this amazing creative power? It is your ability to dream while you sleep.

Did you know that each of us has at least three dreams each night? That is right, three dreams each night. How many of these dreams do you remember?

Our dreams hold hidden messages that want to come out and allow us to understand our deepest desires and inner feelings. If you take the time there is much to learn from you dreams.

When I was child I could remember my dreams much better than I can today. They were more vivid, colorful and, at times, it was hard to distinguish between what was real and what was a dream. I can still remember some of these dreams as if I dreamed them last night. Why is it that as we get older our dreams get harder and harder to recall? Some people I know will say that they don’t have any dreams. What? Since we all have dreams whether we can recall them or not what keeps us from remembering and learning from one of our most important creativity resource?

With all the media, advertising, television, and internet communications coming at us each and every day it is no surprise that our dreams are being suppressed. Think about this for just a second. A hundred years ago radio was just starting to take hold of our imagination. Television was not even known and who could have imagined the internet? Our dreams were not drowned out by the overwhelming barrage of media driven communications we experience today. People remembered more of their dreams because their dreams were one of the only kind of creative movies people were able to view in those days.

Now more than ever we really need to get back in touch with our dreams to help us understand our increasingly complex world. Our dreams are one of the ultimate ways to exercise our creativity muscles. You actually write, edit, choose your video angles, and can, at any moment change the dream you are dreaming. What is more even impressive is that these dreams are sharing intimate messages which can give tremendous meaning to your life. You can learn from your dreams and then apply those lessons to support you in reaching for your full potential. And what could be more important.

“Reach high, for the stars lie hidden in your soul. Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.” Pamela Vaull Starr

You have read it before and will read it again like so many things written in What Box? “It is not easy.” It is worth it and with practice and persistence you can learn to remember and learn from you dreams.

You may say, “Great Sean. Another way to exercise my creativity muscles and I can’t even remember one dream each night. How am I supposed to do this?”

Here’s what I do. When I go to bed and need help solving a problem, I imagine what I am going to dream about as I am falling asleep. I may say to myself, “I am having difficulty figuring out how to solve a particular problem and I am looking for answers.” As I am going to sleep I will ask for help from my dreams to share new solutions that I have not thought of. It is that simple, imagine what help you want from your dreams and say to yourself as you go to sleep, “I am going to remember my dreams.” It will take practice. Try it. Don’t give up and see how it works for you.

The best time to recall your dreams is when you first wake up in the morning. I like to keep a notebook by the side of my bed just for my dreams so that I can record them first thing in the morning. Just by placing a notebook with a blank page and pen next to my bed supports my ability to recall and learn from my dreams. The longer you wait to recall your dreams the more they will slip away and the realities of the physical world take over. When you awake from your sleep, stay still, don’t move and think about what you dreamt last night. If you are unsure of what you dreamt try and go back to sleep and consciously replay the dream. You will be surprised how well this one works. You can actually replay the dream and change it if need be. Whenever I am scared of something in my dream, I consciously tell myself to face the fear in my dream and confront it head on. Amazing things can happen here. Go ahead and give it a try. You have nothing to loose but the fear.

Ask your dreams questions. Your dreams want to share with you new inspirations and insights. When you practice getting in touch with your dreams you can actually go lucid, that is the ability to become aware of your dream while you are dreaming. This very powerful and not so common experience has the potential to expand your creative thinking and heighten your ability to express your creativity in the physical world. Your dreams are a great gift. Everyone has them. The difference is how much people get in touch with and utilize their dreams. There are any number of great books on dreaming available today to support you to interpret and understand your dreams better. Go out and pick up a couple to help kick start the process.

In the end only you can know the messages that your dreams are trying to communicate and how to apply these creative lessons to your life.

As Mike Munn, my good friend and former head physicist of Lockheed says, “There are no bad dreams only opportunities for learning.”

What are your dreams trying to tell you?

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
How do you create good vibrations in your home, garden and the places where you work? How can I create good vibrations in places that definitely have “bad vibes?”
Vibrating in Pryor

Dear Vibrating,
I am a big nester. I like to surround myself with things that inspire me and cause me to think. Make your space your own by putting art, collectible, pieces of nature on the walls that make you feel good. Try re-arranging your space every once in a while. Change is a good thing and will alter the vibratory energy of a space. We can all get stale when the spaces we are living and working in remain the same everyday. Experiment with how you design your spaces and see how your energy changes and that of the people around you. Let m know how it goes.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

Until next week, remember the only boxes that exist are the ones you create yourself.