 |
In This Issue: June 28, 2007
 Warm wishes,
Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons
PS - Know anyone who'd like a little more joy in their life? Please forward Outside the Lines to anyone you think might be interested.
7 sources of joy
In the last newsletter I spoke about my Manifesto of Insignificance. It had the best response of any newsletter of the last three years. Thanks to all those who took time to email me and add their own thoughts.
One part of my Manifesto was “I’ll enjoy today” – and it got me thinking about what was bringing me joy right now.
Here are seven things that add a little juice to my life. (There are others of course – but these are pretty great).
1. Howard Hodgkin
I called my company Box of Crayons… so you might have guessed that colour matters to me.
One of my ‘DUH!’ moments recently was when I finally realised that beauty matters to me; and in fact I consider it so important that “create beauty” is now one of the five core values by which I strive to live.
Colour is a part of that and the English painter, Howard Hodgkin, has had his work described as a place “where color and brushwork meet in sensual beauty.”
His work is abstract, intense, and flows out onto and over the frames of his pictures. I first saw his work in the Hayward Gallery in London ten years ago, and against the gray concrete walls of the gallery his art just exploded.
Here’s one of my favourites
And here's another
2. The Princess Bride
Homage can be bland and blind.
Parody can be crude and cruel.
But occasionally, there’s the perfect blend – a piece of art that both celebrates the form and also teases it.
The Princess Bride is such a piece of art, a brilliantly funny movie that gives you pirates, princesses, revenge, death, love and a six-fingered bad guy… It’s got the best sword fight ever, references to Australia, and the deadliest poison in the world.
Suitable for ages 7 to 177.
And for those of you who are already fans of the movie, this will make you laugh
(A very, very close runner up… This is Spinal Tap, a “mockumentary” of the Heavy Metal rock scene).
3. ManKind Project
Part of my own continual learning and self-development is done with a group called The ManKind Project. Its purpose is to help men have a better life and a stronger connection to the people in their lives.
It’s international, and I’d recommend the weekend training to any man who is interested in self-development, who wants more joy in his life, who wants to build stronger relationships with his children, with his father, with other men, or who wants to feel less alone.
(Somehow, in general. women just seem to do a better job of getting together and talking about stuff that matters).
I’m happy to answer any questions about the group. If you’re curious, you can email me here
4. ConChords
This should
probably be 2A, as
it’s in something
of the same vein
as The Princess Bride.
However, friends
introduced me to
the Flight of the
ConChords just last
night and I’m thrilled by the discovery. They’re a singing-comedic-New Zealand Folk-Rap crossover duo – and
they have their own
special on HBO
Here’s the
first song I heard
them sing – The Business.
And here’s
another about when white New Zealanders do rap
5. William Blake
Blake was an oddball and a loner, someone on the edge of 18th C society.
He also created visionary art and poetry.
His most famous poem is The Tiger which always reminds me of this picture by Henri Rousseau in London's National Gallery.
However, I particularly love his Proverbs of Hell, a poem of single lines that even today reveals the contradictions of how we live our life and encourages us to more fiercely engage with that life.
6. Anticipation
In the next couple of weeks I’ll be launching the sequel to The Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun – The 5¾ Questions You’ve Been Avoiding.
If I say so myself, it’s fantastic… and I’m bubbling over in sweet antici…
...pation to send it your way. So stay tuned...
7. Dancing
Here’s how I’d like to dance
Here’s
the repertoire I’d
like to have
And
here's how I probably really dance
And a bonus ...
#8 Freedom from Fear
Not sure how that’s
done?
It’s not
an easy thing.
But here's one way
What brings you joy? Email and let me know
here
PS – I’d love to know what you'd add to my last article about the Manifesto of Insignificance. You can email me here
Don't take my word for it
Smart folks thinking out loud about what brings them joy:
“A
thing of beauty is
a joy forever”
-John Keats, English
poet
“We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them.”
-Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese poet
“If you were all alone in the universe with no one to talk to, no one with
which to share the beauty of the stars, to laugh with, to touch, what would be
your purpose in life? It is other life, it is love, which gives your life meaning.
This is harmony. We must discover the joy of each other, the joy of challenge,
the joy of growth.”
-Mitsugi Saotome, Japanese aikido teacher
“Oh, this is the joy of the rose:
That it blows,
And goes.”
-Willa Cather, American novelist
“One joy shatters a thousand griefs.”
-Chinese proverb
“On with the dance, let joy be unconfined is my motto, whether there’s
any dance to dance or any joy to unconfine.”
-Mark Twain, American writer
“You have to sniff out joy. Keep your nose to the joy trail.”
-Buffy St. Marie, Canadian First Nations musician
Want to learn more? Here are some useful resources
You can find out more about Howard Hodgkin, Princess Bride, This is Spinal Tap and William Blake on my Bookshelf here
Market Place Product of the Month
If you're a coach, consultant or trainer - and especially if you run your own business - then you know there's an overwhelming amount of "stuff" out there be marketed to you.
Over the last number of years I've been exposed to hundred of different books, products and services geared to help support coaches be successful - and I'm sceptical of much of it.
There are some gems out there, whether you're looking for:
- Ways to promote, market and sell your product, service or self in a way that doesn't feel manipulative or sleazy
- Products to add to your portfolio that are of the highest quality
- Systems to help run your business in an efficient way
I've now collected the ones I like in a single place - my "Michael Recommends" page.
You can see what I think is excellent here.
Got It Going On: Michael's Speaking Gigs
I'm currently finalizing my schedule for speaking in organizations and at conferences in the second half of the year and I'm looking for some great places to come and speak.
Could I be of service to your organization? If you know someone who's responsible for booking speakers or organizing conferences, please send them my information.
In the next couple of months...
I'm taking a break for my public schedule - things will start up again in September. You can always see what's going on.
About Michael
Michael Bungay Stanier is the guy behind The Possibility Virus, an organization that provides products and services so people can have lives of fun, inspiration and action.
To learn more about his corporate offerings, see BoxOfCrayons.biz
You can find out
more by contacting
Michael directly
at
michael@boxofcrayons.biz or +1 (416)
532-1322.
Subscribe - To subscribe to Outside the Lines click here or go to PossibilityVirus.com.
Reprint - I'd be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of Outside the Lines in your newsletters, websites, and message boards. Simply include the following attribution:
Michael Bungay Stanier is a professional keynote speaker, the author of the best selling coaching tool, Get Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters (www.getunstuckandgetgoing.com) and the creator of Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun (www.EightPrinciples.com). A certified coach and Rhodes Scholar, he works with teams and organizations to help them do less Good Work and more Great Work.
Schedule - Outside the Lines is distributed on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of every month. Your contact information is never traded, never rented, never sold.
I send out an extra email one to three times a month detailing programs and offers.
©Box of Crayons 2007. Box of Crayons is a registered trading name of Maida CC Inc.
*Outside the Lines is read in at least 166 countries:
Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Chile, China, Christmas Island, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Macau, Macedonia, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nepal, Netherland Antilles, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovak Republic, Slovenia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam, Wales, Yemen, Zaire, Zambia, and Zimbabwe!
Did I miss your country? Let me know!
|
