Musings: Box

Box with Locks – Image by Dean Moriarty from Pixabay

When it comes to all ideas are you likely to stay within the confining lines or do you think outside the self-containing and limiting box?

Sometimes, we do indeed, have parameters that we have to work on so that there may be an issue or concern to start off with that have some causal boundaries. If we are ever going to improve, however, we need to stretch our imaginations and mind muscles.

I think, honestly, the issue started when we were told to be “correct” or “right” back when we were young people and we were instructed to only fill in pictures by colouring inside of the line-drawing. Who says that is the right approach?

Now, I absolutely love beautiful art but isn’t beauty found within the eye of the beholder? Aren’t some of the greatest artists in the world ones who come up with new forms and styles of artwork?

I remember loving art as a youngster from even before kindergarten. I loved to express myself with colour. I just enjoyed seeing something great come out of those little colourful crayons. I loved to create and did follow the rules and coloured inside those lines. I was not about to get into trouble.

En Formation – Artwork by Mary Mikawoz

I continued my fascination in art until junior and senior high school. In grade 10, I took an elective in Art class but not beyond then as I thought it was too frivolous of a pursuit and needed to focus my studies in serious subjects like Biology, Chemistry and Physics.

I remember my art teacher in grade 10 being such a fascinating person – a real avant-garde type of personality. She liked my art work a lot and my creations were often chosen to be featured in a number of art shows or displays in various malls around the city.

Morphology – Artwork by Mary Mikawoz

I remember her special love of the expression of abstract art. I could not fathom it. In my judgment, I saw it as artwork that was simplistic and was created by a person who could not draw. Somehow as the years went by and that initial influence of my art teacher, I realized that those artists often could draw really well but chose to express themselves in another fashion. I then came to be impressed by them and their work. I could see how the essential elements of the object could be represented in an abstract way or concept.

Bursting Through – Artwork by Mary Mikawoz

I started to experiment and I found that there was a special fluidity and flow to my drawings and paintings. It helped me not only on an artistic level but also on a mind level where I could use both my left and right-hand hemispheres of my brain. 

When dealing with issues or problems at work, I was able to work outside the box. When coming up with new mission statements or major organizational work concepts, my mind soared as I learned to love to express new ideas. I loved to have brainstorming sessions where we fed off of one another’s ideas as nothing was left off the table and no one contradicted each other’s ideas to begin with. It was amazing how often we built on each other’s mindful expressions: building up the foundation of a new house of concepts.

Heart Roots – Artwork by Mary Mikawoz

So, when it comes to work or in life, are you still limited by the old paradigms or are you opening to the new, infinite world of potentiality? I hope you are open to stepping outside the box to create a new and novel approach!

Mary Mikawoz
February 19, 2023

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Choose to Win

Choose to Win

 

Book: “Choose to Win: Transform Your Life, One Simple Choice at a Time” Tom Ziglar, Harper Collins, 2019

Book Review by Mary Mikawoz

Book available: March 5, 2019

Tom Ziglar is the son of Zig Ziglar, an influential speaker over 40 years time. Tom has essentially followed in his father’s footsteps. He has written a book called “Choose to Win.” In it, he recounts the Wheel of Life which Zig Ziglar has used but not exclusively to him. I heard of the psychological concept about 20 to 30 years ago and many people have used it to balance life’s priorities and seven areas of life from the mental, the spiritual, the physical, the family, the financial, the personal and the career. The seven spokes are evaluated based on how well you are doing in each area. If you are well balanced in all areas, your spokes and tire pressure will be the same and all inflated to a good height level.

He reviews the areas in quite a bit of detail with individual chapters. He, however, repeats the same thing at the end of each chapter and so it is repetitive. He essentially says to replace a bad habit with a good habit. The premise of the book is basically this which to me is not a novel concept and is only common sense. I do not know how this is a new and exciting concept. Of course, you change a bad habit with a good habit and of course, you do it in incremental baby steps. Tom says you should do something for 66 days, but I have heard of 28 days, one month and so forth as other optimal times to make a habit habitual. James Clear agrees with Tom Ziglar but according to the Phillipa Lally’s study, it can take anywhere from 18 days to 254 days to form a habit depending upon a number of factors.

The other predominant concept in the book is to leave a legacy behind because you are already are either intentionally or not. This reminds me of another book I reviewed which deals in entirely with leaving a legacy by Terrie Davoll Hudson called “Leave a Legacy that Counts: Create One at Any Age.” It is quite a bit shorter but the messages between these two authors are similar.

Finally, the steps necessary to fulfilling a goal are as follows:

Step 1 – Identify your goals

Step 2 – My benefits to reaching this goal

Step 3 – Major obstacles and mountains to climb to reach this goal

Step 4 – Skills and knowledge required to to reach this goal

Step 5 – Individuals, groups, companies and organizations to work with to reach this goal

Step 6 – Plan of action to reach this goal

Step 7 – Completion Date”

Overall, this book has some good information in it. I found it heart-warming to hear of the last few days of Zig Ziglar’s life from the family perspective. As well, Tom Ziglar asks some very good questions throughout the book to help the reader along and has some good tips added in.

His trust and belief in God and Jesus Christ is paramount and not so different than the spiritual books I normally review.

I give the book a 3.5 out of 5 stars. I have changed my mind since and now give the book a 3.75 based on the very good questions he asks.

Tags: Business, Self-improvement, Self-development.Individual, Goals, mental, spiritual, physical, family, financial, personal, career, legacy, Tom Ziglar, Zig Ziglar, Attitude, Effort, Skill, Transformation, Religious, God, Jesus Christ, Bible, Mary Mikawoz, Mikawoz, Book Review

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