PLANNING AS PLAYY! ~ The Practice of Presence
PLANNING AS PLAY ~ The Practice of Presence
This is the second in a series of posts intended to support members who have come out as B.I.G. PEOPLE by declaring a B.I.G.
These posts are at Level 2 practices and above.
_________
THE DILEMMA
Now that you have a B.I.G. is it necessary to have a plan? Isn't a B.I.G. a “self-fulfilling goal,” so why do I have to make a plan? Furthermore, to what extent do I need a plan, if things never go according to plan?
These are some of the questions I have asked myself as I have engaged my B.I.G.
Perhaps you have too?
Here are some observations I have made…
YOUR B.I.G. IS PROJECT THAT’S HAPPENING NOW
Essentially your B.I.G. is a project. Imagine that it is a PROJECTION – that is coming through you NOW.
A B.I.G. is born of the desire to experience the essences our goals symbolize NOW, not just tomorrow. Essences like JOY, SUFFICIENCY ORDER, FLOW, VITALITY, ALIVENESS… It is the tendency of these desires to manifest now. They know nothing about tomorrow.
So we set our goals consciously and use our imagination, memories, curiosity and intuition to experience the things we truly desire NOW.
Your B.I.G. unfolds from everything are you so and have NOW. It really does not materialize from out of “thin air!” It is in existence now, though not in the form that you have seen it in your mind's eye— as the finished product.
It is in your imagination, it exists as your thoughts and emotions, curiosity, your intuition, in the actions you take. By identifying your B.I.G. you have activated the channel with your conscious awareness of it with these three actions.
- You have identified the project’s VISION: What world is the project meant to demonstrate?
- You have identified your BECOMING EXPERIENCE what is the experience that this project will cause for everyone involved including yourself?
- You PROJECT GOAL: Measurable & Specific. Project goals
What then is planning?
Imagine then that What's traditionally called planning can be thought of as part of a ritual engagement of this projection that you embody—that’s coming through you.
PLANNING IS A REGULAR & PLAYFUL ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CHANNEL OF PROJECTION IN YOU THAT IS HAPPENING NOW.
We now know that there is really no past or future that is stored somewhere other than where we are right now. If I worry about an event that has not happened, or regret something that happened in the past, these have emotional consequences, actions and results that impact me now.
So anything I do has an immediate effect in the present.
Imagine that planning can be a practice of presence—of connecting powerfully to NOW.
If this is true, how can we “plan” in a way that empowers us in the present—that supports us emotionally, is resourceful, that gives us the things we need; gives us a sense of adventure and inspires our imaginations?
Contrary to what we have been told, when you plan you focus on the future. Imagine that planning is a ritual that anchors you powerfully in the now.
What if planning can be used to gather and center our abilities, when it is engaged in mindfully … playfully.
Of course, if this were possible we would be P.L.A.Y.Y’ing
Here is now you might use the P.L.A.Y.Y. framework in your planning ritual.
P = PAUSE TO PLAN
What might be possible if we took care to approach our planning sessions as a painter approaches a blank canvas. He does so with the intention to create something that is an authentic expression. He has tools that she brings to the process, but essentially each time she begins again.
In the same way knowing your vision, your gift and B.I.G. provides a blank canvas, for the “how” to be filled in. When we approach our canvas with our “how” already in our minds, we do not leave room to remember new possibilities of how to accomplish your goal.
To help create that blank canvas ask yourself:
-What is working and why?
-What’s not working and why?
-What am I now choosing to do differently that honors my VISION?
L = LEAN-IN & BE CURIOUS.
As you engage planning as a ritual, see yourself on the other side of a barrier or challenge that you currently have around your B.I.G. It might be a fear or something you don’t know how to do, or have been working on.
How does it feel to be on the other side of that challenge? What are you doing on the other side as you are celebrating, are you calm?
How did you get there? When did this happen? What happened? Who did you become that got you there? WHO supported you? What did you do? What did others do? Why did you choose to go?
These are all questions that invite curiosity? You might now always come up with answers immediately; but what is most powerful is that you ask the questions simply and with an open heart.
A = APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE WITH YOUR IMAGINATION.
Remember that imagination begins with WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE. Imagination is an act of appreciation or growing, increasing what you already have. In this way IMAGINATION is distinct from FANTASY.
We use our imagination to see the toughness in ourselves, what’s around us and what’s in our hands now.
A plan is simply a snapshot of your current thinking—imagining. It said it is “not worth the paper it is written on.” Yet it is the process of making it that really matters. It is an exercise of your super power of imagination. A “plan” can be drawn, or illustrated, with minimal writing… it can take whatever tangible form works best for you.
Imagine a plan as a mental snapshot of what you can see of your B.I.G. unfolding now!
Y=YES — LET GO…
As you engage in the ritual of planning, be mindful of the things that you are holding on to for dear life. It might be a way of doing things that you have become comfortable with, but which you realize no longer serves you. It might be as simple as getting up earlier and going to bed earlier.
Notice the things that you are grasping for and ask “how does this align me with my B.I.G.” or is this only the way that others say will do the trick.
Be prospered to let go of strategies only designed to keep you comfortable or keep other people satisfied or comfortable with you.
Y= YES — WELCOME ALL.
When you plan, take the highest and best possible view as well as the worst possible view of things into account. During your planning sessions engage as many perspectives as possible without necessarily committing to any. Have a plan A,B,C, D…
Have as many people in your collective have an input. Hear as many voices and points of view that are also committed to your B.I.G.
Welcoming all in the planning ritual, allows for intuition to show up on the court in each moment as align your actions with your B.I.G.
Finally, I have been doing the following as I engage my own B.I.G. and I am inviting you to join me in this.
- Each morning as a part of your meditation and centering practice remind yourself of your plan. You can do so by connecting to your HEKA practice by simply saying “I am so happy and grateful now that (my goal) is happening…. “
- Set aside a time each week, to take a look and engage planning as a ritual using the play framework as outlined above.
In the next post we will take a look at mapping a project. In “mapping a project we will be taking a look at the five elemental components or moving parts of all projects. When we know them we are able to be more aware of the projection as it is happening. And the more consciously aware we are the more we become possible.
