Knowledge is a good thing, right? Of course it is. Knowing what works and what doesn’t keeps us safe. It helps us advance in our chosen field and it helps us make good choices for our lives and our business.

But there is a difference between knowledge and what we think we know. In the context of business this difference can make or break our success. Innovation and problem solving require a lot of knowledge but they are hindered by convictions and assumptions about what we know, what is possible, or even what is there.

Over the years I have used many strategies to overcome my lack of formal education. The one that has worked the best is this offer: “I will work for your company for one week. For free if you like. If at the end of that week, I haven’t become indispensable, I’ll leave, no questions asked.” The reason this works is because of what people think they know.

I used this offer once at an early laptop computer innovator and manufacturer in Colorado. They were not hiring at the time but I was interested in what they were doing. At that time, their product was the smallest “portable” computer available. It was also a Macintosh clone. I had recently worked for another Macintosh innovator in Vermont using a similar strategy.

I showed up on Monday. They gave me a simple programming task, I was a little slow because it was in their computer’s BIOS. The BIOS is the software in the computer’s firmware that runs first when you start the computer, even before the operating system. I had never worked in firmware before so I had a large learning curve just to get my first attempt installed. I completed the task on time by studying after hours and using imagination to practice what I learned before going to work.

By Thursday I had completed all of the tasks that they had offered. It wasn’t the big splash of success that I had hoped for though, and the week was almost over. They must have been thinking the same thing because they asked me to look into a problem that had been vexing them for 6 months. Some data was being lost after the computer was put to sleep. They wanted me to find the problem by using a logic analyzer. A logic analyzer is a machine that connects directly onto the CPU or other chip on the computer. It allows you to watch what the individual pins of the chip are doing. They thought it was a hardware problem.

They gave me a computer that was exhibiting the problem, the logic analyzer, and the manual. They walked away. I spent all of Thursday learning how to use the tool. I practiced all night in my imagination using what I had learned.

On Friday morning, when I went in I was concerned that I would not be offered a job because I had not made myself indispensable yet and it was the last day. I hooked up the computer and reproduced the problem while watching the output from the logic analyzer for about an hour. The director of software development came by and asked me how I was doing.

I told him that the problem was not caused by the hardware. I told him that it was a bug in the software. I told him that the data was not being saved before being put to sleep so there was no way it would be there when it woke. The director said that was impossible. He said he looked at that before and knew that I was wrong. I asked him to give me the benefit of the doubt and to look again. He walked away. He came back thirty minutes later with the owner of the company. They offered me a job.

This is one example of how our beliefs about ourselves and what we know can hinder our success in business. There are many others. I have seen business owners who think they know what is happening in their company or how their workers feel, while the workers themselves have a completely different story. I have watched companies lose dominance in an industry and even fail completely because they “knew” they had the answers. They were unwilling to even look at what else was available or who else was acting in the industry.

Why does this happen?

Knowledge is additive. It is never complete. But we think it is. We think we just have to learn a skill or get some information about the next thing we are doing and we are done. We assume we know what is best because we looked into it once and now have the answer. These thoughts make us feel good and important. That is not a bad thing. But when these feelings stop us from asking questions or revisiting what we know, to see if it still fits, we are making a mistake.

It is a good thing to know stuff about the world and our own profession. But if we don’t know about ourselves we are still lost. What do we think about what we know? What are our beliefs about what is possible? What do we think we know about others? Can we look at our own work and lives with fresh eyes? Or are we lost in some fiction that will one day stop us from seeing ourselves at all?

The only way to maintain a clear view of what we are doing is to maintain a clear view of ourselves. It is a practice. It is called mindfulness. It is a continual reassessment of our assumptions, our beliefs, our choices, and our reactions. To know ourselves is the only way to truly know the world.

Kelly MacInnis has been working full time in Information Technology as a software engineer and a problem solver for over thirty years. He has done so with no formal education what so ever. For information on how that is possible see this link: http://www.creation-songs.com/education.php.

I solve problems for a living, mostly in the technology world, but I have skill in many fields.

Recently a friend asked me to analyze a solar powered swamp cooler prototype that he wanted to invest in. The issue was, it couldn’t cool a closet. I took a look at it and after some minor, and then some major modifications, I used it to cool my 1700 square foot home for the summer, at about the same power input as the original.

I can’t say more about that as it may become a new kind of home cooling device. What I will say is, problem solving requires an open mind, a willingness to see what is there, and most importantly, an interest in seeing what is possible.

As a problem solver I have a unique opportunity to see existing businesses with fresh eyes. Often I am invited into a company to solve one problem or do one job, but find other glaring issues that, if addressed, could save the company a lot of money or even the business itself.

A big buzz word in the technology industry today is Agile. Agile is not computer software. It is a method of working together. Its main premise is that in order to be effective as a team, you have to communicate with each other.

I have worked with many companies that attempt to use Agile methodology. It doesn’t really work. Companies that say that they use Agile and require new workers to know about it have by far the worst internal communication I have ever seen.

A simple question, sent in an instant message to someone that is shown to be “online” can go unanswered for hours. Managers have to request status updates on critical issues in real-time or they don’t get an update at all. Team members ignore each others efforts or in some cases even undermine them to maintain their perceived status. If someone does follow Agile principles by reporting on problems that they are having or work that they are doing to understand their job better, they are then seen as weak or incapable of doing the work.

It seems to the people who work in this environment every day that this is normal. As an outsider in these companies, the issues and problems caused by this lack of basic communication are blatant. Reporting the problems though, even when hired to solve problems, has proven to be professional suicide. You can’t attack this problem head on without risking your own neck.

Agile may work, if it were implemented as designed and if the Agile members actually agreed to the rules. I have never seen that. What I do see is, the problems outlined above are a direct result of lack of self awareness. People compete when they would be better served by cooperation. They do this by default, without even looking at their own beliefs and behavior. “That’s how daddy did it so that’s how it must be done.”

Whether or not competition serves humanity as the prime motivation for doing things is not something I wish to speculate on. But as a problem solver, I know that when people are working together on a goal, things go much better than when they are acting primarily for their own self interest. Within most businesses today, even businesses that claim to use team oriented methodology, there is very little real communication or cooperation. Everyone is in it for their own career, their own personal well-being. They are not acting in the interests of the company or others in it.

Mindfulness is the practice of noticing. Noticing your thoughts, your feelings, sensations in your body, and your reactions to people and circumstances in the world around you. It is doing these things without condemning what you notice.

How can that help?

The personal benefits of a mindfulness practice are well documented, as well as the benefits it brings to companies. But there is more. When you start to notice how you feel about things, you start to make changes to your behavior and your thoughts that promote feeling good. This is a natural occurrence once you start practicing mindfulness. No one has to tell you about it, you just do it. The simple fact is, people want to feel good and most people will make changes to do so.

Something that people find is that, when they are respected and act respectful they feel better than when they are not. When they are honest and talk to their coworkers about what is really going on, they feel better about themselves and better about their projects. With self awareness, people are more likely to talk to their managers about the status of their projects, they are more likely to respond to requests, and they are more likely to value the same behavior in others.

Technology is good these days. If hardware or software is not working, there are solutions out there. Methodologies for working together may help, if everyone involved agrees, and practices it. But without individual self awareness, mindfulness, it is going to be an average company doing an average job no matter how much money or policy you throw at it.

Kelly MacInnis has been working full time in Information Technology as a software engineer and a problem solver for over thirty years. He has done so with no formal education what so ever. For information on how that is possible see this link: http://www.creation-songs.com/education.php.

Staying in Love is an intentional act. You have to think it if you want to feel it. Love is allowing, It doesn’t impose itself. Unlike fear or anger, which just seem to arise like a bull in a china shop. Love sits quietly and waits. We must come to Love if we want it. We have to focus our intention on it. We have to release anything that arises that is inconsistent with it.

Staying in love is a continuous practice. It is a constant vigil. Affirmations are fine and good. Saying them can raise your awareness to a more loving state. Saying a Loving affirmation one moment, then condemning yourself the next, for some perceived wrong, offers nothing. Can you make an error without the condemnation? That is what Love does.

Practicing Love requires mindfulness. Mindfulness is the act of being self aware. Aware of what you are thinking, what you are feeling, your emotional state, as well as any physical sensations. It is also being aware of your reactions to the world around you. In order to do this, you can’t condemn what you see. Mindfulness is discernment without condemnation.

Judgement has two parts, discernment and condemnation. Discernment is mindfulness. Condemnation blocks mindfulness. As soon as you view yourself or another as wrong, or bad, or failing, or less than you, or better than you, you block your ability to see and thereby, your ability to Love. How can you allow yourself to really see yourself if the seeing causes pain? Noticing what is creates the opportunity for something better, condemning it guarantees that nothing will change.

Love is as Love does. Taking action, based on the most Loving idea you can muster, even when you think or feel something else, reinforces Loving attitudes. It builds a Loving framework within. When you do this, the other thoughts and feelings quickly fade away. It is impossible to do though, while you are condemning the other thoughts and feelings.

I don’t think there will ever be a time when we will have only loving thoughts. That would be inconsistent with the nature of free will and the realm of infinite possibility in which we live. This puts us in the position of needing to manage our thoughts and thereby our emotional framework constantly. It is our gift and our curse to have such splendid power. Is is also our true responsibility. Given the problems that we know arise from not managing our thoughts, it is our most important task.

Staying in a state of discernment without spilling over into condemnation is what Jesus was talking about when he said, “Let those with eyes see and those with ears hear.” It is the difference between noticing a beggar on the street and having an insulting thought about his condition. It is also the willingness to forgive ourselves if a condemning thought arises. This allows us to dismiss the thought and return to Love in an instant.

You are the creator of your reality. With every thought, you bring your experience into existence. To maintain your highest aspirations you have to be them, in every moment. If a thought arises that is less than your best vision, you must notice it, forgive it, and dismiss it. Doing otherwise is only slowing our beautiful expedition into Love.

Free to distribute in tact. Please credit original author (Kelly MacInnis) and Link to original post: https://www.creation-songs.com/blog/we-want-love-now-what/

After Andromeda walked into my awareness I had another, more subtle shift in prospective. I started feeling God within me. It is not something I intentionally did. It just started happening. I have heard, my whole life, that God is within. But when I prayed, I would pray as if I was sending a message out. My view was that this expression was going somewhere and God was there and (s)he would get it, and maybe respond.

A few days after meeting Andromeda, I noticed that I had started sending my prayers inward. I noticed that when I felt the urge to connect with God, I was now looking to my own heart. Even now I can see subtle rays of light coming from my heart chakra when I close my eyes. (more…)

Thursday October 25, 2012

This was not the post I expected to write. I was trying to write more about Love yesterday but something else kept coming out. I thought I knew what was “right” so I kept trying to fit what I was writing into the topic. Needless to say it did not end well. This morning as I awoke, I realized what the topic really was. My struggle in getting there is a clear example of what I am writing about 😉 Enjoy!

Everything that exists in the universe has consciousness, everything. Consciousness is what channels Love and holds it in place. Consciousness throughout the dimensions takes endless different forms and expressions. Consciousness is not (more…)

Monday October 22, 2012

Andromeda suggested I start speaking. This is not exactly channelling in the traditional sense. It is definitely and expanded view of things, coming from more of my true nature than I have ever consistently accessed before. Some of what is presented is new to me, some is a deepening of information that was acquired by asking previously. The information about consciousness comes from 40 years of experience and is worth your consideration. Enjoy!

Physics has long suspected that there is one unifying force that underlies the four fundamental forces in the universe. Love is that unifying force. In fact, Love is the only thing in the universe. Love is conscious energy. It is what powers stars and what holds planets in orbit. It is what makes up the components of atoms and holds those components in place. Love is light. It is sound. It is heat. It is matter, It is thought. It is also the thing we call life. Love is the living resonant vibrational expression of the Creator of all that is. Without Love nothing could exist. In truth, we are always in Love. Please think about what this means for a moment. Everything you experience including your own consciousness, the thing that allows you to experience anything, is Love.

We were created (more…)

This is a one hour Crystal Bowl meditation. The recording was made April 15, 2012 at Om Time Yoga. There was two people in the room and 100 attending remotely from the Harmonic Tones of Intention (prayer circle). The weekly meditations at Om Time are a meditation practice. The intention is always to quiet our verbal thoughts, to allow our higher selves space to inform our lives. The sub-context is to connect with Love and find more creative ways to express it in the world. The remote attendees are part of a prayer circle of light workers. Their intention is to form a deeper connection with each other, you, and earth; To manifest a new world based in Love and Trust. Specific prayer requests are posted here.

This recording is powerful but it is not as profound as a live session. If you find it useful, try to attend a live session. If it raises questions or you need more information please contact me.

The recording is a progressive sequence of sounds designed to assist in the process of releasing resistance to Love and spirit. Please keep in mind that the sounds will alter your physiology and your consciousness.

Start at the beginning of the session and listen to the end. If you get distracted and have to stop, start at the beginning again. Starting in the middle is not recommended as it can be disorienting and may cause discomfort.

Do not use headphones, they tend to cause dizziness in some people.

Do not listen while driving or operating other equipment.

Listen at a reasonable volume.

Enjoy!

04/15/12 Crystal Bowl Meditation

This is a one hour Crystal Bowl meditation. The recording was made April 08, 2012 (Easter Sunday) at Om Time Yoga. There was one person in the room and 96 attending remotely from the Harmonic Tones of Intention (prayer circle). The weekly meditations at Om Time are a meditation practice. The intention is always to quiet our verbal thoughts, to allow our higher selves space to inform our lives. The sub-context is to connect with Love and find more creative ways to express it in the world. The remote attendees are part of a prayer circle of light workers. Their intention is to form a deeper connection with each other, you, and earth; To manifest a new world based in Love and Trust. Specific prayer requests are posted here.

This recording is powerful but it is not as profound as a live session. If you find it useful, try to attend a live session. If it raises questions or you need more information please contact me.

The recording is a progressive sequence of sounds designed to assist in the process of releasing resistance to Love and spirit. Please keep in mind that the sounds will alter your physiology and your consciousness.

Start at the beginning of the session and listen to the end. If you get distracted and have to stop, start at the beginning again. Starting in the middle is not recommended as it can be disorienting and may cause discomfort.

Do not use headphones, they tend to cause dizziness in some people.

Do not listen while driving or operating other equipment.

Listen at a reasonable volume.

Enjoy!

04/08/12 Crystal Bowl Meditation

This is a one hour Crystal Bowl meditation. The recording was made April 01, 2012 at Om Time Yoga. There were 4 people in the room and 91 attending remotely from the Harmonic Tones of Intention (prayer circle). The weekly meditations at Om Time are a meditation practice. The intention is always to quiet our verbal thoughts, to allow our higher selves space to inform our lives. The sub-context is to connect with Love and find more creative ways to express it in the world. The remote attendees are part of a prayer circle of light workers. Their intention is to form a deeper connection with each other, you, and earth; To manifest a new world based in Love and Trust. Specific prayer requests are posted here.

This recording is powerful but it is not as profound as a live session. If you find it useful, try to attend a live session. If it raises questions or you need more information please contact me.

The recording is not music. It is a progressive sequence of sounds designed to assist in the process of releasing resistance to Love and spirit. Please keep in mind that the sounds will alter your physiology and your consciousness.

Start at the beginning of the session and listen to the end. If you get distracted and have to stop, start at the beginning again. Starting in the middle is not recommended as it can be disorienting and may cause discomfort.

Do not use headphones, they tend to cause dizziness in some people.

Do not listen while driving or operating other equipment.

Listen at a reasonable volume.

Enjoy!

04/01/12 Crystal Bowl Meditation

This is a one hour Crystal Bowl meditation. The recording was made March 25th, 2012 at Om Time Yoga. There were 7 people in the room and 84 attending remotely from the Harmonic Tones of Intention (prayer circle). The weekly meditations at Om Time are a meditation practice. The intention is always to quiet our verbal thoughts, to allow our higher selves space to inform our lives. The sub-context is to connect with Love and find more creative ways to express it in the world. The remote attendees are part of a prayer circle of light workers. Their intention is to form a deeper connection with each other, you, and earth; To manifest a new world based in Love and Trust. Specific prayer requests are posted here.

This recording is powerful but it is not as profound as a live session. If you find it useful, try to attend a live session. If it raises questions or you need more information please contact me.

The recording is not music. It is a progressive sequence of sounds designed to assist in the process of releasing resistance to Love and spirit. Please keep in mind that the sounds will alter your physiology and your consciousness.

This session prompted a great deal of coughing in one participant. This is common when people come with a cold or other illness. Coughing, sneezing and other physical reactions to the session are encouraged and help promote physical healing. If you find you are distracted by it, try telling yourself that any distracting sound is an opportunity to go deeper into your own practice. Each sound, no mater the source, will guide you to a deeper level of meditation.

Start at the beginning of the session and listen to the end. If you get distracted and have to stop, start at the beginning again. Starting in the middle is not recommended as it can be disorienting and may cause discomfort.

Do not use headphones, they tend to cause dizziness in some people.

Do not listen while driving or operating other equipment.

Listen at a reasonable volume.

Enjoy!

03/25/12 Crystal Bowl Meditation