September 29, 2007 Tomatoes

It’s our day at the farm – Well, I’m not going – staying home to makedelicious and totally simple sauce.  The only hard part is skinning the tomatoes – hand-picked, organic plums.  Of course, this is the peak season and Nancy will come home with a delug, so cook the old, save the new.

The recipe originally came from Rao’s cook book.  They call for Marazano tomatoes.  Too bad.  Put 1.4 inch of top quality olive oil in your pot.  Saute a large onion until its clarified.  Then add as much garlic as you’re comfortable with.  Our farm has award winning garlics-  one clove is like three from a supermarket.  Put inas many tomatoes as you want.  Put in fresh basil, fresh oregano, about 4-5 Bay leaves.  I would add some hot peppers, but I’m sensitive to Nancy’s taste – so no hot peppers.

And let it cook for 90 minutes.  Voila!

September 28, 2007 Scheduling Again

Scheduling is one of the most creative things we do — mostly because it’s so delicate… Almost anything can knock it off kilter…Worse, something funny happens to many of us…  We think that we work for the schedule – In some sense, this tool that we have worked so hard to use (whatever you use) has become our boss.  Following the schedule becomes a job. 

I’m not talking of our fixed appointments or meetings.  I’m talking about the times we allocate for different functions:  do this paper work, answer your emails, read Michael’s blog, plan this project, and a million other things.  We often unconsciously resent this as an imposition in our life… who is this task master using MY time.

We really have to own it and reown it again and again.  Scheduling provides freedom, it doesn’t steal it or command it.

September 27, 2007 Commitment-ing

I’ve joined 2 separate mastermind groups.  I’ve taken a look at how much commitment to my own continuing growth and development will be worthwhile – So I now have 9 people supporting me in these groups – one on entrepreneuring,  the one forwarding my commitment to the world — both really the same.. both getting and giving fruit.

For me, commitment expresses itself in conversations that become actions and I’m espanding both and the worlds my Brain Trusts  further engulf.  Smart is a willingness to share lessons learned from entirely different realms.  And these are Smart people.

September 26, 2007 Mind Masters

I’ve joined a newly forming Mastermind group.  None of us know what will emerge from this, but it’s clear from our first meeting that we’ve opened the doors to a new power in creating our own futures.  I’ve begun to read and hear a lot about this – from Jack Canfield, Joe Vitale, Napoleon Hill, etc.  It seems to be a simple and powerful concept:  4 heads are even better than 2 which are better than one.

Last night I watched the premier of House, which was all about his realizing that as smart as he is, he must have a team to  prod him and get his brain working in the optimal direction.  Must be the same principle in action.

September 25, 2007 For No Reason

For weeks I’ve known and shared that my daughter is having a Csesarian on September 26th.  Yesterday the doctor told her it was today (a premature planned birth?) For no apparent reason.  I’m rearranging while celebrating.

How much of our lives are lived for no reason – or, at least, for no apparent reason?  We have a remarkable resilience, because no matter what the circumstances, we still have the capacity to create, to plan — even to schedule – not always, but often.

I realize that I use this daily journal as a stabalizer – a mechanism that has me stop for a moment and reorient myself.  Interesting.

September 24th, 2007 The Last Minute

I continually try not to wait until the last minute… And I frequently fail.  I helped myself when I took an art class.  Normally I sketch and turn doodles into drawings, but learning to draw was entirely different.  I just learned how to draw with pencil (I have an unannounced goal to go back and learn oils or watercolor – I love black and white and get bored.)  Anyhow I trained myself to do a little bit every day. 

That’s not how I normally work.  It comes from having grown up smart – I never had to study or work so I never learned how to study or work.  One of my grandsons is like me, but he’s started out by being a cut-up in class, already discovered in kindergarten – boredom expressed differently.

The thing is, creativity is fast for me – but following through is where my hard work is needed.  And it’s useful that I know that… finally.

September 23rd, 2007 Family

I’ve been shopping and cleaning since about 8 this morning.  We’re having our 3 children and 5 grandchildren over for a post holiday celebration (and a 3 day early celebration of Aliya’s new son).  I steal some time to write this and plan next week.  I remember when Sundays were mindless escapes into football, a societal enslavement into mindlessness.  What a pleasure to wake up.  I am so grateful for my new life and I remember my old with appreciation.

oN October 1st I’m starting my second free 6 session teleseminar based on Jack Canfield’s The Success Principles./  The first has been very successful, surprisingly so, given the very high training levels of the participants.  There are only 2 spaces left.  Write me, michael@michaellipp.com, to register. 

September 22nd, 2007 Everyone

Wottaday — Farm  – I didn’t go, but I cleaned up, made lunch and put everything away in the regrigerator — a flat out impossible job – and once it’s away I can’t find anything – because it all got stuffed in every crook and nanny.  Then I’m studying for an extraordinary course by Jay Abraham – And just when I’m rolling, I’m taking Diamond out to play (she’ll be a big sister in four days – I’ll be a frazzle)

What keeps me going with energy and brightness is that I know I’m the same as Everyone (just changing some details.)  This is where we create from.  And it’s all the way we say it is.

September 21st, 2007 Fall – ing

Tonight is the start of Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, where we own our fallibility, our sins against G_d – comissions and omissions.  We ask for forgiveness and a clean slate – in full recognition that we will do it again in this coming year… as we did again this year.

And, despite the unofficial crowning of Labor Day, this weekend is also the end of summer, the start of fall.

It is a new time, set aside for creation.  The harvest is in and the jackets are back on.
Time to attract the bounty.

September 20th, 2007 banking

I dislike ATMs and try to use them as little as possible — today for the first time (duh!) I tried to use one to send a check to my bank – First, using an envelope  is new to me and I found that this bamk did not have any envelope restocking system — no envelopes.  Round I went  – So many banks on corners that going around is an annoyance.  Then I discovered that I had no pen in car or pockets…so I entered the bank, but had to return to the ATM to complete the transaction.  Then the ATM rejected it because it was not their bank on the check.

 I tell stories of how I keep learning about myself and our everchanging culture – another informational needle in a mental haystack….