Curiosity and Excellence support one another, not unlike two wings. Last week, in Endurance Today, I shared “What are your dailies that will allow you to breathe and practice Patience? What are the simply joys that will cause you to be present? What sources of Reverence can you explore? What crafts or studies, grounded in Curiosity would give you a daily practice, focused on what has meaning for you?”
Yesterday, I posted on LinkedIn around Simply Forward…. where I offered, “What is one Virtue you will practice fiercely this year? What is your VOTY? And, what is your WOTY (Word of the Year)? How can you make them your two steps walking at home, school, work, business, community and life? What would that look like, walking it?”
The connection? Those dailies, those simple joys that cause us to be present… are signals for Virtues and words of particular meaning for us. As I was inspired by my friend Stephanie Staples to ponder my WOTY, I got to thinking of those dailies of meaning and joy and what they spoke to me of my VOTY and WOTY. Simplicity, Forward. I thought on the practices that bring me Presence and they offered up further clarity on the notion that this year is about Simply Forward. My thought to you is that you do indeed ponder what are your dailies that will allow you to breathe and practice Patience and what are the simply joys that will cause you to be present. Then consider what Virtue most speaks to that. And what Word speaks to you for the Year.
For me, 2022 is about Simplicity, Forward. Simply Forward. It is how Panda lived her life, knowing what she knew when she knew it and following what spoke to her.
She was curious, and daring, without ever thinking on it. She was present, through both health and sickness. She was what she was when she was, no labels. She just was, and allowed others to define her.
Great artists do that too. Artists in “the arts” and in life. They do what they do and allow others to “define”, knowing they just do what they do. LP Jacks once said that “The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, education and his religion. He hardly knows which is which; he simply pursues his vision of excellence in whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing. To him he is always doing both.”
I adore this. Indeed, in my Faith, there are these words on the importance of crafts, arts and science. “The source of crafts, sciences and arts is the power of reflection.” When I reflect on that, I understand that what draws our best Curiosity, draws out our best focus to explore Excellence. That which we soulfully feel curious about forges Presence and Excellence.
This year for me will be about Simply Forward, and I will allow others to come to their own conclusions. I will simply do what I do, forward. How about you? What dailies and joys will you explore? What arts, crafts or sciences do you have soulful Curiosity? What is your VOTY and WOTY walking step for 2022? Walk it.
Peace. 😉
Barry Lewis Green, The Unity Guy with Epic Engage.
Developing Leadership Character – Ivey Business Journal
“Intelligence plus character—that is the goal of true education.” ― Martin Luther King Jr.
Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. ― Abraham Lincoln