THE LEADERSHIP LENS Newsletter <download pdf>
July 2005, © Mark Sincevich, Staash Press, LLC
A monthly resource providing insight, opinion and practical information on creativity, balance, personal leadership & perspective

Where There's Smoke, There's Awareness

Heat waves emanated from the road into a hazy white summer sky.   I was happy to have on my new jogging shoes or I would have had blistered bare feet hurrying across the road.   I crossed the two-lane road and popped the front tire over the curb.   The jogging stroller took on a predictable shudder.   I know from experience that my son had a smile on his face, for he very much favors anything that goes bounce or bump. As I jogged down a large hill, I thought I saw some sort of mist emanating from the landscaping in front of a residential apartment building.   I couldn't believe that the building manager was watering the plants in this heat.   I was jogging at this time integrating my son's nap schedule with my desire to exercise before a dinner engagement.   Parenting is all about compromise.   

I kept saying to myself that this didn't make any sense.   As I got closer, what I thought was mist turned out to be something more.   It was smoke from a smoldering fire.   It was immediately obvious that an unaware and careless smoker had tossed a cigarette butt into the wood chips underneath the hedgerows and flowers.   I quickly looked under a three-foot section of plants and noticed that a large area was smoking at a fast rate.   The bottom leaves of the plants had cringed in response.   I kicked extra wood chips onto the smoking area only to have random areas suddenly ignite.   My bright white shoes got discolored by the dirt and burnt wood.   I remembered my half full bottle of water, so I dashed to the stroller telling my son that we were playing fireman.   His eyes were already wide with curiosity.

While I hope that I would be able to intervene in another situation like this, I believe my noticing the fire in the first place had something to do with practicing awareness.   In one of my professional speaking programs, "Getting More Done," using a journal to gain more control of your time and of your life , I speak about the importance of writing in one's journal on a regular basis.   It will definitely increase your powers of observation and lead to a better understanding of yourself and your surroundings.   Robin Sharma, the author of "The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari" says, "Journaling allows you to learn from life.   It allows you to let your days serve you.   You become wiser each day."   And you become more aware.   A key benefit of using a journal is that it increases your awareness.  

Many participants in my program take the title literally and only want to get more done in their lives, but there is much more.   Getting more done without clarifying your values, mission and goals doesn't make any sense.   What's the point in doing more, of climbing higher up the ladder, if your ladder is resting against the wrong wall?   In our search to do more with our schedules and our lives, we often end up not consciously experiencing the process along the way.   A journal allows you to experience life along the way and to make sure that your actions align with your vision.   It also serves as a living document for later review and understanding.   If you simply carry your journal with you wherever you go, and write three times a week for ten minutes each time, you will have over 300 pages of insight into the world around you and most importantly into yourself.   You can find this extra time when you change your perception of waiting.   The next time you are at the doctor's office, you aren't waiting for an appointment, but you are making time for writing in your journal.  

Did you realize that Stephen Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey have both kept journals for years?   One of the most famous commercial journals is the J. Peterman clothing catalog. I used to get them in the mail and I saved his 'Notebook' catalog that was designed exactly like a journal with lined and numbered pages, photographs, handwritten notes and sketches, water stains and on page 6, 'Rare photographs of Another Era: Maharajas and Their Retainers.'   The catalog states, "A friend in New Delhi came across some very old glass-plate negatives in private storage for a long-deceased maharaja.   I bought, sight unseen ... Glad I did.   A rare glimpse behind the scenes of a privileged way of life, long ago."   I'm not really sure if there ever was a man named J. Peterman, but he reminds us that we yearn to identify with the past as a way to give our present more meaning. When we give our lives more meaning, we strengthen our life's purpose too.  

The best way to give our lives more meaning and awareness is by using a journal especially when you paste in photographs! When you write in your journal alongside photographs of where you vacationed, your child's recent birthday or a family reunion, these will serve to remind you of some of the reasons why you are doing the work that you do. In my journal, I recounted my experiences of how my son and I played fireman. He watched me intently as I started spraying the smoldering embers with my half bottle of filtered water. I quickly ran out of water, but with a little scuffling of my feet, I succeeded in putting out the fire.   In this instance, where there was smoke, there wasn't just fire, but a chance for increased awareness.   When was the last time you wrote in a journal or a notebook about a unique situation that you happened across? They are always out there waiting for you. You simply need to be open to the experience and to the awareness that results.

About Mark Sincevich
Mark Sincevich works with organizations to develop leaders with more focus and creativity. He uses a unique photography angle in his speaking programs and writing. As a result of Mark's work, his customers gain a fresh perspective, generate new ideas, sharpen the focus and create more business. Mark is the chief perspective officer of his organization, Leading with Focus, the founder of Staash Press, a member of the National Speakers Association and the executive director of the Digital Photography Institute. He is frequently quoted in the media and the author of three books including, "The Leadership Lens." In between assignments, Mark can be found spending time with his family in the Washington, DC area or writing in cafés with character. He can be contacted at 301-654-3010 or www.leadingwithfocus.com .  

Order Mark's Latest Book, The Leadership Lens - key lessons from behind the camera about leading in an uncertain future, immediately available at www.staashpress.com/llens.html .