What Box?^®

Here is a favorite affirmation of mine that I like to read aloud whenever I am in need of a little inspiration and greater connection to the unlimited creative power of Spirit.

There is the Great and Infinite Mind that knows all things, of which my mind is a part. My soul is of the Great Oversoul. My sight is that of the All Seeing Eye. My hearing, that of the All Hearing One that revels in the Universal Harmonies. My voice is of that Great Symphonic Melody, the Music of the Spheres that sways the Powers of the Seen and the Unseen, at its slightest tone.

My Breath is of the Great Breath which is the Life of All. It is the ether of High Heaven in whose realms I float at will on the breath of Love, viewing the transcendent glories that bloom eternal in the boundlessness of Spirit.

Excerpt from Revelations of the Life Beautiful by M. Evalyn Davis – 1908

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

What do you think?

Everyday we use our brains to think. We have to think when we eat, when we get dressed, in our conversations, when we are reading, when we are driving, during our quiet time, even when we are sleeping we are in a state of continual thinking.

Yet, how many of us use our brains to think about what we are thinking about? Sounds kind of funny doesn’t it?

At IBM one of the permanent fixtures on everyone’s desk was a plaque that said one simple thing, THINK. The founder, Thomas J. Watson Sr., was onto something here. He knew that if IBM was going to be successful its employees had to THINK. They needed to challenge themselves to think creatively. By taking on new situations that forced their brains to strain, they were able to move past what was in front of them to what lay beyond. Guess what? It worked! IBM became one of the largest computer companies in the world.

Today IBM’s THINK slogan is found in the attics of retired employees and at places like the Computer History Museum in Silicon Valley. IBM has lost its place as the computer leader because companies like Dell is out thinking them. I wonder what would happen if IBM were to reinstate their founder’s philosophy and challenge their current employees to THINK.

More and more of us are living a life on auto pilot where we attempt to think less, avoid taking on the challenges of thinking beyond what is or fully understanding the issues that face us. Back in 1940 when IBM was first started and the THINK slogan was introduced, television was first being introduced on a commercial scale, the Internet was something that someone was thinking about, consumerism was based upon meeting needs, and advertising was not as profound as it is today. We had less distractions and more time to think.

You see it all around you, people not thinking about what they are saying. Almost everyday I receive an email where it is clear that the person sending it did not think about what they wrote before they hit send. In many cases I am sure that if they were sitting right in front of me the words that they had written would not come out of their mouths, yet they write it freely in an email without thinking about the impact.

When I write an email or an article for What Box? I first think about what I want to write, I write it down and then I will re-read it many times to make sure I am communicating what it is I want get across. Each word is chosen with great care and thought. One of the reasons I have been able to achieve a diverse career and high levels of interactions with inspiring people from all over the world is because I choose to think consciously about what I am doing, who I want to associate with, and where I want to go in my life.

Today more than ever, we as individuals and a society need to think more consciously. Each of us makes choices every day. How you think about the choices you make will impact not only your life, but also the lives of those around you. When you become more conscious, more aware of your thinking and what you think about, you will become smarter. You will become more creative. You will become more valuable. When you consciously take the time and energy to think about what you think about, you will be able to invent things never before invented, solve problems never before solved, dream about things never before dreamt, and accomplish things never before accomplished.

You can do anything you want in your life. It takes some serious thinking to make it happen. Your thinking, combined with tremendous passion, persistence, and positive actions, will take you anywhere you want to go.

What do you think?

Let me know.

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

It seems like our lives are being planned today more than ever before, over-planned in many cases. From the master planned communities that many of us live in to the master planned schedules we keep for ourselves and our family. We seem to be in a place where if everything is not planned, perfectly, then we have a sense of being lost, without purpose, without direction.

What has happened to our sense of adventure and exploration?

I know in my life these days almost every minute of my time is pre-scheduled and, if you can believe this one, over two years out in some cases. This is kind of nuts. Even when I have a meeting cancelled or there is a shift in my schedule there is yet another activity ready to fill the opening. Because of my heavy schedule I even have to schedule more to fit in the activities of my life. When I am hanging out at Grand Lake I have to “master plan” my time to raft out, have dinner guests, host visitors from out of town, dismantle a barn or whatever it might be.

So what is the big deal?

When our lives become so planned, so scheduled, and so systematic we lose our ability to identify and explore new opportunities. We actually become blinded to potential opportunities that pass right in front of us. Our overly planned lives do not allow for unexpected opportunities to enter our consciousness because they do not fit into our plans. What a shame.

How many opportunities are passing you by because of your pre-planned life?

Now this may sound strange but being prepared for the unexpected is one of the best ways to capitalize and to become open to new opportunities. As an example, when I first started dating Kristen, my wife, she asked me if I had a passport. I responded with, “No I don’t. Why?” She suggested that, “It is a good thing to have one, as you never know when you might need to travel out of the country.” Up to that point my only out of the country travels had been to Canada and Mexico and all you needed was a birth certificate to travel over the border at that time.

With reluctance and the investment of much time I filled out all the paperwork and required documentation to secure a passport. What I did not realize, and what Kristen knew, is that I was preparing for the unexpected. Within two months I was called to Bologna Italy to meet with the Lamborghini family to explore the creation of a Lamborghini Website. Without a passport in hand I would have had to postpone my trip to go through the process of securing a passport which can take a few months to receive. My unexpected trip overseas resulted in securing a contract with the Lamborghini’s and my company building a Website for an Italian automotive legend. How perfect.

How are you prepared for the unexpected?

Another great way to open up to new opportunities and the unexpected is to travel without reservations or any plans. On more than one occasion I have traveled to places like Isla Mujeres, Mexico without anything but a bag and sense of adventure. This little island is about half a mile wide and two miles long and every inch of it is an adventurers paradise. When you plan every minute of your trip or head straight to the nearest all-inclusive resort you settle and compromise your ability to uncover new opportunities and learn about yourself. You would not be able to explore a variety of accommodations and learn from the locals the cultural uniqueness that makes the place that you are visiting so special. The trips that I have taken in which I have embraced the unexpected have allowed me to make new friends some whom have lasted a lifetime. I found local joints that would have been missed otherwise, and met artists whose art I would never been able acquire and continue to enjoy.

“Life is always walking up to us and saying, ‘Come on in, the living’s fine,’ and what do we do? Back off and take its picture.” Russell Baker

The unexpected created from unplanned activities supports greater creative thinking and increases your confidence empowering you to believe that you can do anything you set your mind to.

How are you living a life unexpected?

The next time you plan a vacation seriously consider going to the airport with just a bag and sense of adventure. The opportunities and your new found confidence will last a lifetime.

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
My in-laws are planning a visit and they are staying for almost two weeks. I need to create some “quiet time” for me and my husband. What do you suggest?
Looking for Balance in Bixby

Dear Looking for Balance,
Family visits can be quite a challenge, especially long ones. Here is what I like to do. If your in-laws have not rented a car let them borrows yours. Identify and suggest places for them to visit over a two to three day period. Eureka Springs, Branson, Grand Lake, are excellent choices. They get to explore the region and you and your husband get the “quite time” you need. Other choices include sending in-laws off on day trips. The key is to communicate your need for space and that you want to them to have a good time without being held back by your needs. Give them the keys to the car and take the time for yourself. Let me know how it goes.
Keep On Keeping On,
Sean

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

Have you ever noticed that when you try not to become something you don’t want to be the more you become that very thing? Or that the more you focus energy on what you fear the quicker that fear becomes reality? All of this has to do with resisting the way things are. When we are unaware of the flow of life we fight it and attempt to change a situation to suit our particular needs, fears, or desires. The world would be quite a different place if we all would learn how to let life just happen.

Going with the flow means accepting what is and not necessarily what it is you desire. We all fear losing control and yet overcoming our fear of losing control supports our ability to go with the flow. All of us are happy when things go well, but when things aren’t going “my” way or the way “I” want we get upset and then attract more of the same. This is how the flow of life works. We can’t control everything, even if we would like to think we can, which causes us to resist what is and to go against the flow of life. What we can do is to respond to what is and come up with creative solutions to adapt to a situation or to change it, enabling us to go with the flow of life.

Are you going with or against the flow of life?

One reason we kick ourselves out of the flow is because we are attached to outcomes. Here is where resistance comes in. We set our expectations in such a way that we become attached that a certain outcome will turn out the way we envisioned it. When the outcome does not go the way we expect we tend to go against the flow and create negativity in our lives. It is important to visualize positive outcomes in life. The key is to visualize these outcomes for the highest good of yourself and others. Then here is the challenging part. Once we have our outcome visualized we need to detach from it. No small task that is for sure. That doesn’t mean that we need to give up. It means we need to take creative initiative to respond to the situation in a different way.

Do you trust the life process?

I can remember a time back in 1997 when I was running StudioFX, an up and coming Internet company in Silicon Valley. Like many start up companies we had our fair share of cash flow problems and funding issues. It was during one of these down cycles that money became tight. We had successfully secured exclusive Internet broadcast and ecommerce rights to a number of classic television shows including the Underdog Show and the Lone Ranger. The Underdog show and Lone Ranger were with Golden Books Entertainment and we were obligated to pay licensing fees for the rights. As timing would have it our fees became due during this monetary down cycle.

My first thought was, “How am I going to keep these agreements if I can’t pay for them?” Funding in the pipeline was partially attached to these contracts and others being negotiated. If we lost these deals things could be a challenge going forward. I was losing control and had to do something, even if I did nothing that was something. It would have been easy to stick my head in the sand and do nothing and wonder when I would get the call that our contract was up. I could have given up. Instead, I took creative initiative to respond to the situation in a different way. I took a risk and called Golden Books to discuss our money challenges and that payment was going to be a little late. To my surprise they were more than willing to extend the time for payment on my licensing fees. All my fears and projections of having to control the situation were not accurate at all. To this day whenever I am in need of being reminded of the power of being in the flow I just think of Underdog.

What examples do you have of being in the flow?

The reality is that we are already in the flow of life. The question is are we going to resist and object to what life presents us or are we going to take creative initiative to respond to what is? Life has its cycles that at times are up and others are down. When you become aware of the flow of life and embrace the power of letting go of control and fear you align with the currents and flow of life. You receive what you need, rather than what you want. The interesting part of going with the flow is that over time these two dynamics have a strong magnetic attraction to each other and at some point unite.

The fact is that this kind of life awareness is not easy. I have to work on it everyday, every hour and every minute. Sometimes I fail miserably. Sometimes I am in the flow so much that every event of the day plays out with ease and grace. I continually have to remind myself to focus on creating each day for a higher good, to let go and surrender from being tied to specific outcomes. I figure it will take the rest of my life to get this one down.

With practice you can learn to go with the flow as well.

Let me know what you think.

Dear Sean,
Where can we even begin to make the changes needed in the many problems that we face today as a community, a state, a nation and the world? Taking in the news on a daily basis gives little or no hope for a promising future.
Very concerned in Grove

Dear Very Concerned,
The best and most effective place for making positive change is within yourself and your immediate surroundings. Affect positive change takes time and patience. I like to call it “one star fish at a time.” Pick up litter when you see it, mentor a youngster, get involved in your community. If everyone just does a little bit each and everyday it will add up to a big difference over time.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

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

Yes, our world is changing yet how many of us are aware of the rapid shifts taking place that are affecting our lives? More and more of us are living in a bubble, a bubble that prevents us from seeing what is really going on.

Many of us are so caught up in our own lives that we are blinded by the realities of what is taking place outside our daily activities. We get so focused on ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture. Because of this self-centered focus many of us are unable to see the changes going on outside ourselves, changes that can have direct or indirect influence on our lives.

The world is changing do you see it?

Children who are twelve are acting and living like they are fifteen or sixteen years old. Senior citizens in their seventies are living and acting like they are twenty one again. China is building the world’s largest dam which, when completed some time this year, will capture so much water it will slightly shift the rotation of our planet. Silicon Valley, the technology capital of the world just six years ago, is now ranked number seven. Singapore, Beijing, Ireland, and India have catapulted themselves to the top and others are catching up quickly. Knowledge workers are now looking outside of the United States of America for competitive jobs.

The world is changing do you see it?

I am writing this week’s What Box? from Vancouver, B.C., a city that just 10 years ago was on the brink of being left behind in the global marketplace. Today, Vancouver is known as the most beautiful city in the world and has captured the number one spot in terms of growth and quality of life. City leaders and private citizens knew that they had to make changes if they were going to survive the accelerated shifts of our world. They focused on creating an international sense of place based upon art, creativity, and diversity. Vancouver may not be for everyone but it is going to be around for a long time to come. The civic leaders saw the changes of the world and worked to be a part of that change.

As I work with Oklahoma leaders to identify ways to make Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Grand Lake, Enid, and even Zena become globally competitive, it becomes clear that we all have to take the bold step to think different about how we go about living our lives. This means thinking beyond next year, beyond our own backyard, beyond our borders and beyond what is. It is a fact that nothing stays the same and if we are going to be a relevant as a community we need to collectively wake up to our changing world and figure out how we can be a part of these changes.

Our world is changing do you see it?

So what if we don’t do anything and let our complacency run its course? Here is what happens. We wake up one day, not tomorrow, not even next year, but very soon and start to feel the impact of these changing tides on our infrastructure, lifestyle, health, and income. For so many years the United States has been promoting an open market system, democracy, and privatization of business. Guess what? The world has woken up and has embraced our way of thinking. The difference is these international countries are starting from scratch, have the fire in the belly to create what we have created, and a new-found excitement of what can be. That anything is possible. They literally are running like the wind to catch up and at an ever-increasing pace. This is great!

We should be very proud of our influence on the world. Our challenge is not to forget how we got to where we are and remember that to be relevant we must continually reinvent ourselves. We cannot live life in a bubble thinking that we can remain the same or that it is worse somewhere else. We have it pretty good. We must embrace the power of risk-taking, bold ideas, and that we can do anything when we work together.

The world is changing do you see it?

The choice is yours and the future is ours. If we remain the same we rust and decay. When we take on fresh new thinking we grow and the opportunities to prosper increase. When we think outside-the-box and look beyond what we know learning takes place and we increase our chances of being relevant players in our increasingly changing world.

Let me know what you think

Dear Sean,
I am a very structured person and tend to like “routine”. My husband is a pretty spontaneous person and I want to be able to be spontaneous too, but I don’t know where to start. Any ideas?
Stuck in the Mud in Nowata

Dear Stuck in the Mud,
Routine and structure can be a good thing, but a bit of spontaneity is very important. Take small steps in becoming more flexible and spontaneous. First – plan your spontaneity. I know this sounds funny, but set aside an hour a week to do something out of the ordinary. As your comfort level increases you will find yourself looking for other opportunities for spontaneous expression. Think of it as structured spontaneity over time the real kind will grow.
Keep on keeping on,
Sean

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

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.