ELECTRONIC HOUSE CALL - June 15, 2001

I am actually at home for the next week. No travel farther than a one-hour drive to Seattle. What a concept!

INSIGHTS FROM MAUI
I just returned from a few days in Maui where I addressed the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators. As you may know, Hawaii is a very spiritual place and a great spot for quieting the mind. As I was preparing for my talk, I was struck by an insight -- a six-word mantra of sorts -- Slow Down, Know Less, Learn More. I shared it with the group at the conference and since it is still on my mind, here is my current take on this bit of incidental wisdom

Slow Down
I am told that Ghandi once said "There is more to life than just increasing its pace." When we get too busy, start moving too fast, our minds speed up and we can only access old information, things we already know. If you have ever found yourself repeating patterns in your life, this is where it starts. Slow down means to quiet your mind, to let the world turn for a few minutes without your direct involvement. It's about stop and smell the roses. It's about taking the load off. HOW you actually do this is less important than the fact that you DO do it. You will never accomplish anything new and exciting with information that is old and boring. The first step to accessing new ideas is to quiet your mind, to, as my friend Joe Bailey would say, "Slow down to the speed of life."

Know Less
This will start to happen automatically as your mind quiets down, but start to get comfortable with the idea that you don't have all the answers. I know you get this intellectually, but I am talking about a healthy sense of puzzlement about what is happening and why it is happening that way. It is rather Columbo-like in application (remember the Peter Falk character of the detective Columbo?) It involves a willingness to operate from "I don't know" rather than jumping to conclusions or having a strong opinion about everything that happens. It also involves giving up on your need to be right, definitely an uncomfortable place for a lot of folks. Don't try to be too clever. Just hang out in the mystery of it all, drop judgements, open your mind and let yourself become a student of life.

Learn More
There is a lot that you don't know . . . but you don't know what it is! As your mind quiets down, as you know less, as you become more comfortable with being uncomfortable, questions will occur to you. Ask them and you will learn. As the process continues, you will start to be overwhelmed by fresh ideas and insights. This is about "What did you learn from your staff today?" (or what did you learn from your kids today? or what did you learn from your mate today? or what did you learn from your life today?) Everything you know is what got you where you are, but what will move you into new and exciting realms is everything you can learn. This doesn't mean that everything you know is wrong, just that everything you know is only part of the story.

The only quiz on this is the rest of your life, so no pressure . . .

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