Paul Mitchell

First Time, Last Time

When’s the last time you did something for the first time?

Yes, there is much to be said for consistency and the pursuit of focused excellence.

And, developing one’s range is also powerful. The experience of stepping into the unknown (and incompetence!) to learn a new thing is frightening and wonderful.

And using “last time” in a new sense… Our lives are rather short, when you think about it, and there will be a last time that we are able to do something for the first time. This urgency helps us accept the risk of doing something new.

Better Relationships Are Possible

With the earth. With each other. With God.

Better relationships are possible.

For strained relationships to heal, it takes dedicated time and the humility to ask for help.

Introspection and Outrospection

Introspection seeks deeper understanding by turning inward, exploring our own thoughts, emotions, and motivations.

Outrospection seeks deeper understanding by turning outward, focusing on the experiences and perspectives of others, deepening empathy and connection.

We each need both, and probably gravitate to one or the other.

We each may be well-served by practicing the one that does not come naturally.

We Need You to Lead Us

Each of us long for good leaders. People committed to the common good, rooted in wisdom and active love.

I’ve heard this hope expressed in the “prayers of the faithful” quite a bit recently.

What if, as an answer to this prayer, God is speaking you to the world as the leader that you long to see?

Curious or Furious

A moment of anger can be quite involuntary. Something happens, crashing against our expectations of how things should be, and all of a sudden, we are furious.

Okay. But then what happens.

Choosing to fan the fury leads to barricading oneself on a self-righteous patch of moral high ground. Not a fun or productive place to live. This approach keeps us from being able to listen and relate to people who think differently from us. And so, anger keeps us from seeing and responding effectively to the situation that made us angry in the first place.

If we find ourselves to be furious, we can afterwards choose to become curious.

What’s Your 15%?

In this situation where I feel stuck and stymied, what is in my power to change?

A deeply important question to ask, and one that can be tough to answer well.

I was recently shown this succinct (and fun!) 20 minute group exercise that helps each participant answer the question with clarity and power.

What is your 15%?

Are We in Love With God’s Creation?

Do we love creation with the same love with which God loves creation?

That is a very high standard, an exquisite opportunity, and a grace for which we can pray daily.

Behind the Behavior

When someone does something that really winds us up, what do we learn if we get curious and ask: “What’s behind the behavior?”

If the behavior is particularly perplexing, chances are there’s fear behind it.

When we realize this, and realize our own capacity for fear, it becomes easier to get close enough to love.

Time and Temperature

I saw this graphic this week. It achieves its purpose well.

It’s not too late. What if we get it right?

Triple Maximum Speed!

Our sons love to run in a circuit through our apartment. As they do, the younger one loudly reports their movement from “maximum speed!” to “DOUBLE maximum speed” to “TRIPLE MAXIMUM SPEED!”

This is a harmless (so far!) game for them, but for most adults “triple maximum speed” is the uncritically accepted norm of life. We are too often stretched to breaking and do not consider that there is another way. When we do this, we miss the things of greatest value.

These are urgent times we live in… so, let us slow down.