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Discover the Pace of Nature


“I remembered one morning when I discovered a cocoon in the bark of the tree, just as the butterfly was making a hole in the case and preparing to come out. I waited a while, but it took too long appearing, and I was impatient. I bent over it and breathed on it to warm it. I warmed it as quickly as I could and the miracle began to happen before my eyes, faster than life. The case opened, the butterfly started slowly crawling out and I shall never forget my horror when I saw how its wings were folded back and crumpled; the wretched butterfly tried with its whole trembling body to unfold them. Bending over it, I tried to help it with my breath. In vain. It needed to be hatched out patiently and the unfolding of the wings should be a gradual process in the sun. Now it was too late. My breath had forced the butterfly to appear, all crumpled, before its time. It struggled desperately and, a few seconds later, died in the palm of my hand. That little body, I do believe, is the greatest weight I have on my conscience. For I realize today that it is a mortal sin to violate the great laws of nature. We should not hurry, we should not be impatient, but we should confidently obey the rhythm of people and things” ― Nikos Kazantzakis, Zorba the Greek

We had a miraculous workshop cohort in Santa Fe this week with Jerry Colonna leading a group of 27 compadres in “Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up.” One of the exercises that Jerry offered was allowing us to review more than 100 deep, thoughtful quotes from wise elders while choosing one that truly spoke to each of us personally. I chose this quote because of how much I love the butterfly metamorphosis process and because I’m an impatient son of a gun. 

Sue Izzo, who leads our facilitation team, was in the classroom and egged me on to share my quote, not knowing it was so personal to my experience of creating and growing MEA. As I read this Zorba the Greek quote, my voice cracked a bit as I felt like the narrator as I often try to accelerate something before its ideal time is due. 

As for MEA, the process of nurturing our growth from Baja to Santa Fe has been fast and furious and I’m thoroughly proud of how quickly we’ve created a spectacular experience on our Rising Circle Ranch. But, as anyone knows who works with me, I tend to drive myself and others hard, expecting faster results than is normal. This is like breathing warmth into a chrysalis before “earth-speed” (thank you, Lee Johnson, for that language) is ready. In the investment world, this would mean trying to drive ROI in an accelerated fashion because the faster you drive returns, the stronger the Return on Investment. But, as you’ve heard me say before, my new ROI is Ripples of Impact, how MEA (and I) help create transformative effects in all that join us at our two campuses or in our online programs. And, fortunately as one of the lead faculty members, I get to see these Ripples every week I teach. 

Patience is a virtue. Please check out Monday’s upcoming post when I write about what I learned from my NDE (Near Death Experience) in 2008. 

-Chip

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