Creativity & Intuition from Joe in Brooklyn, NY
Hello Everyone,
My life has been on fire since taking the Creativity & Intuition workshop this past weekend. On Tuesday, I went to lunch with my parents, sister, and 4-month-old nephew for my birthday. We chose one of my family’s restaurants. Upon sitting down to eat, the manager of the restaurant came over to our table, greeted us, and then started to complain and vent to my mother about all the things that were wrong with the restaurant and the customers in the neighborhood. I immediately resisted her complaints – everyone at the table resisted her complaints. But quickly I saw that I was resisting, and relaxed. I listened to the manager’s complaints as if they were the only thing going on in the world at that time. In fact, they were.
Our food came and the manager continued to vent. I ate and listened. As I was listening to the manager as if my life depended on it, I saw the culture of complaint that existed in the restaurant. It was so clear and palpable. I also noticed that during the meal, my mother started to complain about some of her customers at the cafe she runs with my aunt, which is something I have never heard her do before. I then told my mom what I saw – that a culture of complaint existed in the restaurant, and that she was susceptible to being swept up in it. Here’s the interesting thing: I have told my mother my “observations” before. It usually ends in a “discussion,” or, more accurately, an argument. This time, my mother got what I was saying immediately. There was no discussion. There was no defensiveness. There was no need to justify or explain my assertions. It was a clean communication; something like a hole in one in golf.
The next day, in corresponding with my mother via email, I thanked her for the lunch and birthday gift. This was her response: “You know Joey, even though the lunch was a bust for us because we didn’t get to engage over our meal, your feedback about negativity will be instrumental in my dealings at the cafe. The outside perspective is critical when you are immersed in a work environment like mine. I spoke to your aunt and we are getting back on track towards what grew the business in the first place, our interest in our patrons. That is what I was supposed to get from yesterday. So you gave me the gift.”
Whenever I take a workshop with Ariel & Shya, it impacts my life in ways I cannot imagine. This is but one example. Thank you Ariel & Shya, and everyone in this community, for your brilliance, passion, and support.
Joe
