"The reason it's so hard for some to be creative is that the act requires emptying the mind, not filling it." —Alan Weiss

Most of us have probably had important insights while doing something that didn’t require a lot of thought, like weeding or vacuuming.

“Bother”: What a great word.  When used as a noun it means “effort, worry or difficulty.” Interestingly, the origins of the word bother are “noise or chatter.” That’s exactly how I experience bother. Life can be going very well, yet if I feel bothered, a pall is cast over what otherwise might be happy, even joyful, times.

I received an interesting request from one of my clients. She asked if I could do a session with the leaders in her organization on “assuming honorable intent.” Several years ago, I’d done a similar session with their senior leadership team designed improve the working relationships among the members.

Hurricane Sandy and its devastating effects have resurfaced the simmering controversy over the reality of climate change. Earlier this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo weighed in on the subject when he said, “It’s a longer conversation, but I think part of learning from this is the recognition that climate change is a reality. Extreme weather is a reality. It is a reality that we are vulnerable.”

A little over 20 years ago, international thought leader Peter Senge articulated five core learning capabilities for teams, organizations and societies:

n detour [ˈdiːtuə]

a wandering from the direct way. We made a detour through the mountains.

Last week I went to the mall to meet a friend for lunch and do some Christmas shopping. Unfortunately, my friend had a family emergency and couldn’t make it for lunch, but I had several stores to visit so I carried on. 45 minutes later, loaded with bags and feeling gratified that I’d managed to find everything I was looking for, I exited the Target store into the center of the mall, right next to a Starbucks.

Yesterday morning, as I was preparing for the day, something interesting happened. My thoughts had been an underground stream of worries: family challenges, the possibility that I might be getting another cold, the never ending economic woes. All of a sudden, unbidden, I experienced a deep feeling of gratitude that vanquished my worries. Not just a general sense of gratitude but something very specific:

I recently read an intriguing article entitled, “Bombings, beheadings? Stats show a peaceful world.” The article cited numerous data demonstrating that the world is becoming a more peaceful place. Statistics show dramatic reductions in war deaths, family violence, racism, rape, murder and more.

This week I attended an interesting course entitled Coaching from a Systems Perspective. It was developed and facilitated by a group of colleagues affiliated with the Society for Organizational Learning. (http://systemsperspectivesllc.com) There were many valuable aspects that I’ll be incorporating into my practice over time.