PeaceWalker Blog

OK, now that I have your attention! My seemingly controversial post title "Rich Black" probably isn't what you were thinking. You see, I have a background in printing and there is an ink color that is called "rich black." Rich black in printing, is an ink mixture of solid black over one or more of the other CMYK: (C)yan, (M)agenta, (Y)ellow and Blac(K) colors, resulting in a deeper, darker, more rich tone than black ink alone generates in a printing process. This idea of "Rich Black" is true for everything that we do. It is a combination of perspective, skill and execution. How you do what you do and why you are doing it makes all the difference. Take music for example. A novice can play a note, cord or song and even when it is correct, it may lack feel and soul. It doesn't breathe. It doesn't live. Here is a short but very interesting conversation with Rush's drummer Neil Peart and jazz drummer Freddie Gruber about this concept: ...

  When I run I like to stay off the main roads. I prefer trails. The course I go takes me through a couple of cemeteries. I don't find it morbid or scary or anything like that, rather, I see it as beautiful. The grounds are typically well kept and more to the point, the people who rest there inspire me. The lives they lived and the place of their current state acts as a reminder to use my time wisely. Sooner than later, I will join them. So the other day I was cutting through one of the cemeteries when a car drove by with its windows down. The lady driving took offense at my course. She thought that it was disrespectful of me to be running through the grave sites. So, she yelled out her window to me, "You should be ashamed of yourself running on those graves, don't cut through there!" My quick response surprised even myself. "Miss, I'm not running on the graves, I'm walking among them."  My statement completely took her off guard. A strang...

  I run about 4x a week, but I really don't consider myself a runner, rather just a guy who runs. I typically don't run far, typically 3 to 5 miles. Sometimes less. I can't say that I love to run. I like it. I like the cardio workout. I like running on trails, in the woods or on the beach. I like being outside and the feeling of the fresh air. Most of all I like it when my run is done! The feeling of "Yeah! I did it! It's done!" Some days the thought of just finishing is the only thing that keeps me going. Other days I actually enjoy the experience of running. On the days that I struggle it is good practice to be present, to be in each breath, each foot step, each pumping motion of my arms. Sometimes too big of a picture doesn't motivate it annihilates. On those days I just think, one more step, one more breath, I can do just one more, just keep going! On those days I only think about this moment and doing that one more time without giving up. When ...

Ah yes, I love those old spaghetti westerns and The Good, The Bad and the Ugly is one of my favorites! Exploring The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (GBU) can also be used for personal development, leadership and conflict management. Let me explain. It's easy to see the Bad and Ugly in others. Other people, organizations, societies, religions, cultures, etc. It's easy to believe that you're all right and everyone/thing else is all wrong or bad, or stupid. It's easy to judge, to put value on, or take value away based on beliefs, relative values or actions. The more we recognize that without exception we ALL have GBU inside of us. There is GBU in EVERY society, community, country & organization. When you begin to recognize that everyone is capable of Good, Bad and Ugly and that Life has value beyond those actions, thoughts, beliefs and values, we can deepen not only our understanding and empathy, but we then may have a better chance of  dealing with conflict bett...

To see takes time. ~Georgia O'Keeffe While running in May, I saw a neatly trimmed hedge, and sprouting briskly through its symmetry were scraggly blue flowers wildly obeying no form. It made me smile, for I have spent many years resisting being pruned and shaped. I loved how the wild blue just hung there above the hedge. While running in June, I say an older man put pruning that hedge. He was so involved: Clipping gingerly, then backing up, sweating through his eye, as if the world depended on his diligence. I was touched by his care. We nodded briefly, and without a word, it was clear that it wasn't the hedge, but that he needed something to care for.  While running in August, I came upon a slim fountain gushing from an unseeable center, as high as it could, reaching without arms until it ran out of reach, and at its closest to the sky, it began to fall back on itself; always what was rising up replacing what was falling away. Sweating and heaving, I real...

When new opportunities come along in life one of the key challenges is keeping your life in balance. It's easy to bite off more than you can chew or to do things that aren't taking you in the direction that you really want to go. Here are some questions to ask yourself when you are deciding to take on a new commitment: What's exciting about this new opportunity? What makes it worth pursuing? What concerns do you have about this?  What will I have to sacrifice to do this? What's the cost? How does this align with your bigger purpose?  What will you likely have to give up in place of this new pursuit? Where does the motivation to do this come from? Internal or external motivation? When is the the right time to pursue this? Now or should you wait? If so when? How will this decision affect your life and the life of those around you (family, friends, partners, coworkers, clients, students, etc) now and in the future? What would happen if you decided NOT to d...

  Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?  Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people will not feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone and as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.  ~ Marianne Williamson