Natural Rhythms

"Knowing without doing"

"Acting without Thinking"

Metaphors to help explain the unexplainable. The challenge of communication is knowing how to find common frames of reference and then to use them as an anchor into a new idea.

It's like a flying trapeze team. There are two suspended bars (trapeze), a flyer on one end, and a catcher on the far end. If you are the flyer and you want to communicate to the catcher, you must use the tool available to complete communication. The trapeze is a tool. Communication is not only limited to that one tool. If it were that easy, I guess everyone could be a flyer.

But that's not the case, people fall. Perhpas you had a bad start and didn't leave the platform on time and not be ining sync with the catcher. Perhaps the catcher is tired and/or is distracted for whatever reason. Therefore another quick drop to the net is the probable outcome.

What makes a good flyer and catcher team communicate effectively? Being aware of the natural order of the moment. In doing so the natural rhythms of the present will help achieve the desired result by streamlining the action. Not fighting nor forcing things to happen but rather giving nature permission to be natural.

"Go with the flow"

"Go with the grain"

Patterns in nature are here to help us. Following these set principles and not trying to be too creative, will ensure good and often great results. The all or nothing wildly creative ideas are reckless and often will go against the grain or the flow. Thus adding effort needlessly.

When I was a kid I liked building things. I had a hammer and some nails and some scrap wood from the construction site down the street. My grandfather came over and watched me banging away at my project. It would take up to 12 swings of the hammer to get a nail in. That is if it went in unbent. Well he taught my first lesson in physics through a bet. He said he'd give me a dollar if I could hit the nail into the wood in 3 or less hits. I thought wow a dollar! OK, you're on.

So like just like a gamer hunting the peeping rodents in wack-a-mole I tried in vain to pop those suckers into the two by four will all my might. There were nails flying everywhere, pieces of wood splintering off the board and when I finally slammed by thumb I guess he took pity and told me to simply hold the hammer in a different position.

I was holding it near the head like most kids. I didn't trust him until he demostrated. He did it in one shot! Now I owed him a dollar.

This principle of natural rhythms. It is elegant by nature's course. It is usually a simple solution that changes how we think from that point on. A small step in the long path.

Little by little to build something great. It is like acting without doing. "Rome wasn't built in a day" and it still isn't finished.

Thanks!

Matthew, MB

Beat your mental