The Thank You Note: Taking Mindful Action

The Story

My neighborhood has an Abitibi paper retriever. It is a large bin which allows us to dispose of paper for recycling, then providing the homeowners association with a modest monetary refund. I keep a bag near my desk to collect the plethora of junk items that appear in the daily mail to deposit in the bin.

Yesterday I received a thank you note which I may hang on to for a while. With email, texts, and Facebook, as my main modes of written communication, I was delighted to receive this personal correspondence. Far more interesting to me however, was the source of this letter.

The card, handwritten on recycled paper (I confirmed it by smudging the ink with my finger!) came from a CREDO wireless employee named Andrew W. In response to Verizon's recent actions to alter net neutrality regulations, I had decided to change my phone carrier. The handwritten note was sent to welcome me to CREDO, to thank me for my business, and describe the impact that the company has had in supporting non-profits worldwide.

The Technology

The story of Verizon and the US Court of Appeals has been in the news the past few weeks. On January 14th the court reversed its ruling on "net neutrality" - or the role that businesses may play in regulating the flow of information over the internet. There have been plenty of stories which portray the unfolding situation as yet another instance of big-brother or eventual doomsday, while others have compared it to the changes which occurred with cable TV when pay-per-view and premium channels were added. With all of the press it can be hard to know which way is up.

Certainly, as our technologies continue to evolve and change, so will business' responses to profit from them. While we may not yet know the full impact of the Court of Appeals' decision upon our freedoms in accessing the Internet, we can be sure that things will continue to change. In an era where many feel their voices cannot or are not being heard, it can be challenging to know how to respond mindfully to these sorts of global concerns.

The case of net neutrality is complex with no apparent "right or wrong" answers. I believe, however, that there are ways we each can respond mindfully to the litigation, helping the big Internet providers to understand our preferences for the web to remain open and free. They include: changing Internet and/or cell service providers, signing net-neutrality petitions online, sending our own hand-written notes to key players, or dreaming up new ways of doing things in an open source and humanistic manner.

Connections

One only has to look in the paper, turn on the TV or scan the Internet to see global stories of doom and gloom. From issues on wall street, to genetically modified food, from Obama care concerns, to women's reproductive rights, there are many areas for which we may have justified concern. How do we remain positive in the face of such challenges? And how might we make a difference as a single human being on a planet of over 7 billion?

Many of the great wisdom teachers remind us, "You are the only one who can do something.  Do that one thing that you can do." It is not always apparent what that one thing might be. I would suggest we consider utilizing our technologies to help us in that area.

Personally, I am choosing to work on becoming more mindful of my technology usage, and seeking out ways to support those who are finding their own particular gifts or ways to benefit the planet. I encourage you to think about how your technologies can impact the causes you care about - from blogging about your ideas or about how you are making changes, to seeking out new collaborations and diverse opinions, or signing petitions or making donations to non-profits working in the trenches. I urge you to choose something and to make a positive, mindful contribution. Good luck!

Images of the Internet and Earth courtesy of Pixabay:  www.pixabay.com 

Flute in the Woods: Tools to Support Mindfulness

The Story

I recently came across a photograph of myself on a backpacking trip with friends. We had hiked several miles downstream one late fall weekend to a favorite spot of the kayaking locals. It rained the whole time we walked, and by the time we got to the cave where we planned to sleep we were grateful for the warm fire and shelter of the tons of rock overhead.

The next day as we hiked back out of the gorge, we stopped at vista to watch the boaters make a run over a substantial waterfall.  Together we dropped into silence, watching each kayaker summon the courage to run the falls.  As each slipped into the current, shooting the falls, we would join the gathered boaters in a tremendous cheer for the beauty and courage displayed!

Later the three of us took time to sit quietly on a rock in meditative contemplation. After a few minutes of breathing and prayer I decided to bring out one of my flutes. The photo is an image one friend took of me as I allowed the music of the rain, the cave, the woods, the trees, and the boaters, to flow through me, in a celebration of the magic of the weekend!

The Technology

Taking time in the woods is one of the ways I enjoy practicing my mindfulness with and without technology.  In many cases I leave my devices at home or in the car, intentionally unplugging for a set period of time.  While I often take my iPhone along for safety sake when I hike, I generally only pull it out for an occasional photograph.

So how do we create the more mindful space for ourselves in the day to day business of our work and home life?  How can we create some of that quiet, sparking, magic in the moments that feel more usual, busy or routine? There are several ways in which I have begun to explore using my technology to intentionally support my mindfulness practices.

Mindful Magazine has a new subscription service called Mindful Interrupters. Each day in my inbox I receive a short, one line suggestion for becomming more present in the moment.  I have also begun to explore apps to support my practice.  Currently my favorites include: a meditation timer, meditative music, and a new free app called Stop, Breathe & Think, created by an organization called Tools for Peace. My next plan is to try some software called Freedom that allows you to lock out the internet for a set period of time, allowing you to bring full attention to the work on your computer.

Connections

The connections between my flute, mindful apps, and other supports are that they help me to practice bringing mindfulness to each moment. While many believe that mindfulness is mainly practiced "on the cushion" - and it certainly can be - the purpose of meditation for me is to help me locate joy into each moment, through quiet and open attention. Looking for ways to involve my tools into this practice is one way I help myself to cross pollinate the practice, to make it more automatic and authentic.

Author John Kabat-Zinn defines mindfulness as, “paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgementally.” By bringing space to the moment, stopping habitual routine or thinking, I become increasingly able to feel peace and joy. Victor Frankl once wrote, "Between stimulus and response there is a space.  In that space lies our freedom and our power to choose our response.  In our response lies our growth and our happiness."

Taking time to walk in nature, to make music with friends, to watch others engaged in sports - all help me to be present in the moment. Connecting my technologies to the same purpose is allowing me to explore presence in the times when I need to be or choose to be plugged in. Breaking my technological habits, making mindful choices of what to use and when fits well with my personal goals for increasing my mindful awareness.

Meditation image courtesy of Pixabay: www.pixabay.com

Frozen in Our Tracks: Dependence & Planned Obsolescence

The Story

This week the temperatures have been the coldest on record in my area. Sub zero wind chills have necessitated school cancellations and adjustments to nearly every one's routines to compensate.  This includes the various feathered and furry creatures who congregate at the bird feeders outside of our home.

Last night, with a new dusting of snow, I noticed how pristine and clear the various animal tracks were on the driveway. I was curious to see if I could identify those who had gathered earlier to partake of the seeds and suet. I was able to identify various bird prints, squirrel, and deer prints on the driveway.  Beneath the feeder, however, it was harder to identify individuals as the mass of impressions looked more like the remnants of a dance party!

Seeing all of the tracks initiated a series of questions in my mind. What responsibility do I have to ensure the animals come to the feeder continue to have seeds to eat? What would happen if the seeds ran out? (I've read elsewhere that birds who get used to a feeder can actually starve if you do not continue to put out seeds for them to eat.) I also thought about the tracks and about whether they make particular birds or creatures more vulnerable to their predators.

The Technology

The other day during the cold snap my iPhone went on the fritz - the "swipe to open" feature was not working. This challenge meant I was unable to answer incoming calls or to access any of the apps or data stored on my phone. In my previous "New Snowfall: Fresh Start" post I shared the story of a friend's iPhone quitting and explored the possibilities for starting over with a clean slate. Now needing to heed my own advice, I decided to mindfully explore the problem with curiosity.

I first stopped at my phone carrier's local office. The young staff woman worked through a set of checks in order to determine that the issues were related to hardware (as opposed to the troubles being the responsibility of the service provider). She was helpful in suggesting several options for getting help locally. I then went to a local coffee shop to read through the Mac Forums to learn more about the problem, and to see if I could resolve it myself.

After unsuccessfully trying some potential fixes for the issue, I decided to visit the Apple Store. I booked an appointment online and arrived to a space that felt very different than any of my prior visits. I was greeted by multiple workers who were focused on selling me a new device, prior to attempting to diagnose and repair my malfunctioning touch screen. My question to the "genius" assigned to my case about her knowledge of the term "planned obsolescence" produced a confused look and then our subsequent move to a table where it said " it would be quieter." After some discussion I did choose to purchase the phone replacement - and to subsequently rethink my current relationship with smartphones in general, and with Apple specifically.

Connections

Synchronously this week, a friend posted an image on Facebook that commented on the disappearance of pay phones. According to the Pew Research Center 56% of adult Americans now own a smart phone - with those not owning a cell phone at all, down to 9% of the population. Smartphones are not only popular, they are enticing, creating what I would call an addiction in their affordance of access to a constant diet of amusement and information.

In many ways, the birds and squirrel's extreme reliance on the bird feeders this week is like the challenges I had with my iPhone. Many of us have become accustomed to having a smartphone and no longer pay for a land line - hence the disappearance of the pay phone. When my phone was out of service, while I had other devices to get to the internet, I had no alternatives to respond to my incoming calls.

In other ways the two stories are different. Where the birds and squirrels I'm supporting this winter still retain their wild ability to forage for food (I hope!), I believe we humans may be on the verge of becoming frozen in our tracks. Without pay phones or land lines, we are easy prey for the phone companies and cell phone creators. When our "food source" mysteriously disappears, we are forced to purchase plan upgrades and replacements - at what feels to me to be an alarming rate.

I recommend its time for a thoughtful responses - to encourage the creation of new options other than upgrades and purchases. I would enjoy hearing about your ideas in how we might proceed. I'll share my responses as I mindfully construct my own steps forward.

Phone booth image courtesy of Pixabay: www.pixabay.com

New Snowfall: Start Fresh

The Story

Its the week after Christmas, and gifts and treats have been exchanged and opened. Visits with family and friends are complete. The weather which had been cold, created a new blanket of snow covering everything in a blanket of white.

I found myself noticing the cleanliness, the crispness, the clarity and simplicity of the natural environment in my surroundings. It led to an interesting discussion about what makes snow squeak beneath the feet at certain times. (While not strictly on topic for this week's post - its interesting to note that our research uncovered that the sounds may be related to the crushing of the larger crystals which form in colder temperatures.)

As the temperatures rose today, the Christmas snow began to melt. The ground became slushy and muddy, and then the snow disappeared all together. As the cool brown, blue, and grey colors once again colored the December landscape I heard a few folks remark on how messy things appeared.

The Technology

Recently a friend was having trouble with her iPhone. It had frozen and she decided to try and reset the phone to a previous backup stored on her computer. With the restoration complete, she was dismayed to see that every app she had ever purchased (many which she had deleted) had reappeared on her iPhone.   

She next attempted to go through the apps on her computer one by one, removing items no longer needed, so that they would no longer reinstall themselves on her phone. Unfortunately, the deleted apps again reappeared when she attempted to restore the phone from a previously backed up version.

After a visit to the phone store and then the Apple store, she wound up replacing the malfunctioning phone with a new one. Attempting to set up the new phone using the most recent backup, she again found many applications reinstalled which had been deleted. Her situation now appeared to call for a different approach.

Connections

The metaphor of the new snow, as opposed to the thawed landscape of this post's story, holds some potential wisdom for us all in working with new technologies. With any new tools we purchase, be it a replacement for a failed computer or the addition of new device, we may want to steer clear of reusing sloppy leftover messes. In the spirit of fresh snow, it may prove more beneficial to mindfully begin with a clean slate. 

My mentor once gave me some excellent advice about our technologies. She suggested that when a device dies we can choose see it as an opportunity to lighten the load - by letting go of people or things that are no longer in alignment with our current priorities. By starting over fresh, adding back only the needed apps, documents or contacts, we can more consciously create a simple, clean pathway forward in the future.

In the case of my friend's new iPhone, she attempted to restore the phone to a previous version - to a version that was comparable to the muddy melted slush. Prior to the crash, she had actually been talking about having too many apps and photos on the phone and the need to lighten up. Now with a brand new device, she actually has the opportunity to begin again with a blank slate - mindfully choosing to install just the items which currently match her current needs. 

As we finish out the old year and welcome the new, I wish my friend success in beginning with her new phone - in finding fresh way forward.  And success to us all as we strive to be more mindful with our technologies in the coming year and beyond!

Images courtesy of Pixabay:  www.pixabay.com 

Spaniel & Master: Tuned Out or Tuned In?

The Story

A few weeks ago I passed a man and is dog going in the opposite direction - twice - on the circuitous path! I don't know about you, but any time I see the same thing more than once it puts me on notice to take a bit of a deeper look. So I investigated the imagery available from this early morning scene with bit more care.

It was a beautiful, unlikely, and sparkly morning. Having been cold the past few nights, this morning the air was much warmer and the leaves were giving off a last brilliant show of color to match! The clouds were fluffy and feathers like against the brilliant blue sky. The man and his dog I mentioned appeared to be out for their daily morning ritual walk. The man was dressed casually, a ball cap pulled down low over his dark sunglasses. He also had earbuds in, apparently listening to something on the phone or iPod stowed away in his pocket.

His dog, a black and white spaniel, was tucked neatly at his master's side - the halti and leash appeared almost unnecessary because of the dog's responsiveness to his master's every movement.  The dog trotted along, bouncing beside his master! With every step the dog seemed to express a joyful gliding focus - reminder to me about being fully present in the beauty of the moment.

The Technology

With the holiday less than a week away, many of us are undoubtedly working overtime to purchase gifts, wrap, decorate, bake, or send cards to loved ones. Its likely that for many of us, our technologies feel just as much of a burden. How many of us are thinking about a few days off for Christmas or New Years as the time when we will finally get caught up with our backlog of emails, or cleaning out our inbox or files saved on the desktop? Or as the time when we will weed out the plethora of apps bogging down the memory of our smartphone?

Image courtesy of:  www.pewinternet.org

It seems that nearly all of us have some sort of technology at this point. The Pew Internet and American Life project shows that as of October this year, 91% of adults over 18 have a cell phone.  The full article on mobile device ownership of other devices can be found by following the link above. Suffice it to say -  as Americans we have a lot of technology in our pockets. Much of it is likely be in use at some point during the holidays.

As we head in to Christmas and New Years, I wonder how many of us will crash on the couch for a few days, completely exhausted - not only from over activity, but from the strain of our daily technology use. Certainly a movie, watched together with family has the potential to bring us together. But how many of us though, will use our technologies to escape over the holidays? How many of us will rely on our technologies, new or old, to mindlessly tune out rather than tune in, because of a desire to avoid family conflicts or just from sheer exhaustion?

Connections

I can see plenty of connections to the man walking his dog, and our use of technology over the holidays. My first bit of advice to us all is: "Take off the hat and dark sun glasses." Who are we hiding from really? The holidays can actually provide us with a great opportunity to become mindful in the ways in which our technologies help us to avoid seeing things or being seen. I suggest we take a break from our technologies and really look at our family and friends - and allow them to see us as who we truly are.

Image courtesy of :  www.pixabay.com

My second connection and recommendation is: "Turn off the iPod."  During the holidays as we work to give our full attention to those we love, we will want to work on listening.  Our iPods keep us tuned out. When was the last time you really listened to someone talking to you, or felt that someone you love was really listening to you? My final bit of advice to you - and to myself is:  "Notice your dog, get up, get out and enjoy the clouds and the sunshine!"  With such hectic schedules, its critical to our health and mental state to get out often for fresh air and exercise.  Those with dogs are lucky, they already have the ready made reminder of being fully present in nature!

In this holiday season, magic and beauty abound, if we only pause to notice.  From a pristine snowfall at sunrise, to the sweetness of homemade cookies. From the joyful voices of children opening gifts, to the cozy warmth of a pre-dawn bed - the season abounds with chances to be fully present to the senses. I wish for you all some time to truly unplug and reconnect with your family, friends, and loved ones.  Many blessings for a mindful New Year!

Crow Calls: Is Anyone Listening?

The Story

It was very cold out this morning. So cold in fact, I thought about not taking a my usual morning walk. But something tugged on me, urging me up and out. And so and I bundled up and headed out into the brisk morning air.  

Are you certain that no one is listening?

About three-quarters of the way through my jaunt I heard a crow calling directly overhead. I stopped and looked up into the early morning sky to see a single crow. The crow was sitting very close to the top of the tree, cawing every so often. As he vocalized his morning message I listened carefully - there appeared to be no other responses in return - that no one was listening to his message.

I found myself listening more intently to the calls. Each caw, sounded to my ears to be virtually the same as the other before it. I then found myself counting the calls, listening for a pattern. This led me to some thinking about the importance of the number of caws, the shape and length of each call, the lack of response from another crow. I then wondered about the possible message this particular crow was sending to various listeners in its vicinity.

The Technology

A few years ago I had a chance to collaborate with a young high school student while she was working on her college applications. As she looked at various universities, she identified a particular program which matched her particular vision for how she would like to work as an adult. The program also offered generous scholarship opportunities for a select few students, which would help my friend to afford the costs of the education she hoped to acquire.

The trail left behind sends a message about you.

As we worked on refining her application letter, to truly convey her unique skills and passions, we also talked about the concept of digital footprints.The equivalent of the trail left behind on the Internet, allowing others to see where you have been, the review of student's digital footprints are increasingly becoming part of the college admission review processes.  

While looking at ways to clean up her image (her Tweets and Facebook posts were much far more benign than many teens nowadays)  we also talked about more mindful posting. We first took time to look at the scholarship applications and then at her selected program's online presence. We talked about her current online image and how it compared to the kind of student that the program illustrated in its promotional materials. We wrapped up the conversation with some brainstorming about how to market her skills and achievements, related to the mission of the scholarship program.

Connections

Twitter, and its proliferation of short (40 words or less) and instantaneous messaging to a broad audience seems to have a logical connection both parts of today's metaphor - beyond the immediate the bird connections. Many of us use Twitter as a mechanism to "call out" to one another without knowing if anyone in particular is listening at all. I would caution that the assumption so many make that: "no one cares or that no one is really listening," is not only lacking mindfulness, it can create unintentional limitations to what is possible. 

Create a mindful reflection of who you are.

My high school friend started her clean-up process by eliminating superfluous and random Tweets - the ones that were of a more personal nature. She then created a mental image of the adult she'd like to become and we identified some strategies for Tweeting from that point forward with that image in mind.  I believe she began to realize, as I have in my own mindful exploration of technology tools, that the total sum of your Tweets (or any other digital musings for that matter) can come to define (or potentially misrepresent) you as a person, to the myriad of others who are watching and listening. 

The crow of my morning walk illustrated to me the importance of consciously monitoring the number, frequency, duration, content, and patterns in our use of tools such as Twitter. Even if we "don't speak crow," I belive we can each become more mindful of the messages we are sending and the image others create of us, by regularly reviewing our digital footprints.  By beginning to clean up messages which either define us two narrowly or inappropriately and creating a mental image of where we would like to go, we may each create a more mindful reflection of who we are through our use of social media tools.

Images courtesy of Pixabay:  www.pixabay.com

Airplane & Crow: Many Ways of Viewing

The Story

Every so often the local airport changes its typical flight patterns, rerouting planes on their final landing pass over my neighborhood. Picture this: one afternoon I heard the rumble before I actually saw the low flying jet. Looking towards the sound, I was greeted by a plane in a landing pattern, combined with the additional image of a crow, that visually appeared only slightly smaller and to be following the plane.

Image courtesy of: http://catbirdcraft.blogspot.com

The two images - plane and crow - were not particularly unusual in and of themselves. What was remarkable however, was the combination of the two forms sharing the same space and moment in time and appearing related because of proximity and relative size. The plane, at its higher altitude appeared to be leading the pair as it turned from the east to the south on its approach to the airport. The crow, appearing to be nearly the same size as the plane because of its lower altitude, was also traveling in an easterly flight pattern.

Frozen in time for a brief moment, the two appeared to me to be flying in formation. Man-made, technological flight was metaphorically leading the very natural elements which previously inspired its creation. The deep connections available in exploring the combination of these two images have stirred my imagination. I have, and will continue to explore their interaction, allowing many personal metaphorical translations to unfold.

The Technology

On the heels of last week's post, I've continued thinking more about mindfully unplugging, the notion of taking digital sabbaths, and more deeply about bringing awareness to our relationship to technology. I discovered a new book by author Alex Soojung-Kim Pang entitled "The Distraction Addiction." While the title appears to disdain the use of technology, the book's message does not match its cover. Alex's academic efforts to promote the notion of "Contemplative Computing" are remarkably broad, and very compatible with my own interests in encouraging "Mindful Technology" use.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia

I've noticed over the years, a propensity for writers and scholars to create models to explain the complex relationships formed between technology and its users.  One model used to describe the adoption of technology employs the broad categories of: innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards. An adapted model uses the same terms and adds in the additional notion of a chasm between the early adopters and early majority.  Commonly used by groups who strategize ways to launch new products or initiatives, these models are potentially a challenge because of the value judgements inherent to their chosen labels.

And then there the plethora of terms such as: luddite, geek, digital native, and digital immigrant, which seek to describe or categorize the identifying characteristics of technology users.  Blogger Liz Walter has penned an interesting post about "New Words in Technology" describing the way in which technology is constantly inspiring the creation of new language to attempt to describe it. In choosing singular words to describe concepts, we risk potentially judging or alienating whole groups of people. I wonder if we've somehow missed the point.

Connections

In the example of the plane and the crow I have found many ways to personally describe connections. I can imagine one as the leader the other a follower. I can also can compare the two by acknowledging their attributes - one being man-made, the other being alive. In the metaphorical image, because of its unusual juxtaposition, there are no singular labels to describe the two and relationships between. The connections are complex and had to be constructed from my prior knowledge. My interpretations of the metaphor are not the only possibilities. I wonder how you as the reader engage with the image - what connections are created in viewing the crow and plane as a metaphor for your relationship to and with technology?

Image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com

The roots of the innovation adoption lifecycle model may have arisen from a similar need to my own. Perhaps from the author's desire to describe and share his perceptions of technological experiences - or perhaps to encapsulate those discovered by collecting data - with others. In thinking about the plane/crow metaphor, juxtaposed with the cycle of innovation model, I see an important caution for us all. All too often we get overly excited with our created models - promoting them as a singular truth versus encouraging dialogue. In looking at the plane/crow metaphor I found myself unable to settle on a single message as turned the image around in different ways. Each time I looked, I gained insight into additional truth to be uncovered. As I examined the relationships between the pair, in relative size, flight position, direction, composition, relationship, etc, I gained new insights on our relationship to and with technology.  I was unable to see the image as a singular descriptor of how things are.

Technology is here to stay and I believe that our relationships will continue to evolve in connection to our tools.  I also believe that images as metaphors can provide us with a more robust method for viewing ourselves and the worlds of others. They provide us with a chance to see the connections with new eyes, and to engage with others in a dialogue about the relationships. Models, on the other hand, seem to encourage us to agree in a singular way upon how things are. I advocate for the mindful use of image as metaphor - allowing us to individually and collective turn images over in our minds. Examining and sharing the co-created connections from various viewpoints, we'll grow far more than we ever could by just adopting a singular way of thinking.

Red Tailed Hawk: Choosing Your Perch

The Story

the "highest perch"

Down the street from my home is a small neighborhood tennis court. One morning I noticed a large red tailed hawk take off from the corner of the fence that surrounds the court. I enjoy watching birds of all types, especially hawks, so I stepped off of the main road and headed down a gravel access path to get a closer look at the bird.

He had flown to a nearby tree, to a limb approximately 40 feet from the ground. As I stood there the hawk flew up to a higher perch and then a few moments later to a limb a bit higher. Over the course of these three upward movements, he increased his vantage point by approximately 20-30 feet.  

The red tail sat on this top limb for a few moments before flying even further back into the wintry woods to the top of an oak that still held its leaves. As I stood and watched, the hawk settled into its highest perch. We stood in silence for many moments before I turned to complete my morning constitution, allowing him to return to his unobserved business of the day.

The Technology

social networking platforms

They are so common today, it may surprise you to know that the most commonly used social media platforms have been around for less than 10 years! Facebook was launched in 2004 (its predecessor MySpace launched in 2003), Twitter in 2006,  LinkedIn in 2002, and Instagram and Pinterest in 2010. In education, and in for-profit and non-profit sectors, many are exploring the potential that each tool has to create connection, promote ideas, and convey meaning to others on a global scale.

As hardware has evolved from larger desktop machines to laptops and hand-held devices, our interface platforms have adapted to fit as well. We have moved from the use of licensed software based applications, to web-based tools and now to mobile apps. Tools which once served a singular purpose are now multifaceted devices.

The pace at which technology has changed is exponential. Keeping up with devices and applications can, even for the most techno-savvy at heart, feel daunting. Mindful investigation and selection of tools and social media platforms, paired with a strategic plan of use (or non-use), can help you to find your way.

Connections

"Mindful Technology" Pinterest board

Seeing the red tailed hawk reminded me of some of the personal processes I've used in exploring and choosing social media.  I have intentionally taken my time to explore each platform, its vantage points, locating appropriate uses before committing to use them. One mechanism I am currently using to help me to gather and evaluate new platforms and their purposes is a Mindful Technology board on Pinterest. It allows me to curate info-graphics, articles, and other resources related to new technologies, their potentials, and uses - sharing them in a web-based, visual manner. The resources there may help your process as well.

I have also identified three potential "vantage points" (from the red tailed hawk metaphor) which can support a balanced understanding of social media. The first is "on the move."  Related to the hawk's movement from the fence to the first tree, it represents our use of social media to communicate with others while we are in transit from one place to another.  All of the social media platforms mentioned above now have applications (apps) which can be used on a tablet or smartphone to share brief updates. Its up to us to decide if we will check our social media while out and about, or wait until we are at a stationary location. The second metaphorical comparison we can make is that of "levels."  Related to the hawk's movement up the same tree to a higher vantage point, we have the ability to choose to utilize social media at low, medium or high levels. I believe it is important to recognize a propensity to be "sucked in" by our technologies and to make a mindful choices about how much time and energy we will devote each day.  Finally, the metaphor of "deep cover" relates to the hawk's choice to retreat to the tree where leaves were still present, providing camouflage.  With the preponderance of technology available to us nearly every place we go, I believe it is critical for us to make choices related to intentional unplugging.

For those interested in the notion of unplugging, you may enjoy visiting the National Day of Unplugging website. Not all agree with the movement towards creating "digital sabbaths." My thoughts are always return to the idea of mindfulness - to the noticing of our use of technology, to deciding where we might like to change, and finally to making informed responses from that place of knowing. Good luck with your own mindful explorations of social media!

Social media image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com

The Three Feeders: One Size Does Not Fit All

The Story

"who's who" of the bird community

My personal workspace faces the front of our home, overlooking the driveway and the woods beyond.  This morning I spent some time observing birds coming and going from the various bird feeders we have installed below.  The scene was "convention like" - a veritable "who's who" of the bird community in attendance.

At the long and narrow nyjer seed feeder we had visitors such as the house finch, gold finches, and a bold chickadee who was unafraid to hang upside down by his feet to feast on the tiny seeds.  The larger mixed-seed feeder hosted a tufted titmouse, some nuthatches, and a cardinal or two.  Finally, the suet cake boasted the arrival of two distinct species of woodpecker - the red-headed and hairy varieties.

Even the ground was a gathering spot for consuming scattered seeds.  Many of the aerial visitors, while waiting their turn at the feeders, dropped down below to forage for dropped morsels.  A few even dropped down to crack open the seeds they had collected above.  A chipmunk and a mourning dove, too large to sit on the perches of any of the feeders, took advantage of the busy activity above as well, munching on the leftovers.

The Technology

A common question appears to be coming up in my consulting work lately.  Many clients ask me to advise them about the potential benefits and drawbacks of purchasing and utlizing smartphones, tablets, and laptops.  It seems that many already possess these three categories of technology, without a grounded sense of when they are best utilized - for what purposes.

Dell's interactive infographic

One way I begin to advise clients is by describing the features or liabilities of the particular technology  that can facilitate thinking, allowing them to begin to recognize potential of teach tool. With clients, I also stress the importance of knowing your purpose in any particular endeavor.  That is, what do you hope to accomplish while using a device? By identifying goals, then reviewing each device's potential uses and recognizing its' limitations, you too can begin to identify for yourself the best tool for each situation. Dell has created an interesting interactive info-graphic which may help understanding of the potential of each device.

In general, I believe that relative size does have a lot to do with the tool's capacity and use.  For instance I have found that:

Laptops are: the most full featured, the most powerful, while also being the heaviest of our portable tools.
Tablets are: not as full featured as a laptop, slightly less powerful, while being better when it comes to speed of use, weight, and portablility.
Smartphones are: a bit less robust than the tablet, substantially less powerful the others, but much smaller and the most portable of all devices.

Connections

Just as various birds prefer different kinds of seeds, and the feeders that distribute the seeds come in sizes appropriate to the particular bird's size and habits of feeding - our technologies have parallel sizes and benefits.  Knowing which kind of "bird" you are and which "bird feeder" your situation dictates, will help you to select the appropriate tool to meet your goals.

Big Birds = Suet Feeder = Use a Laptop: 
"Big Bird" uses are the times when you need to create content.  Be it drafting a document, editing a webpage, or responding to a lengthy email, your laptop is the suet feeder in your tool set.  Like suet, it will provide you with a wide range of "mixed seeds" and "fat" to bind your work together.  It will offer you the fullest range of features to support your needs.  The "Big Bird" option will let you do just about everything all of the other tools will - with the exception of making a traditional phone call.

Medium Birds = Medium Feeder = Use a Tablet:  
"Medium Bird" uses are the times when you need speed, lightness, and touchscreen ability.  Like the medium bird feeder, it provides many of the same options that your laptop will, however its not quite as useful in creating content.  Your tablet won't have traditional "Office" tools for creating documents, spreadsheets, or PowerPointss - but it can allow you to create those items up in the cloud.  Your "Medium Feature" option will allow you to quickly display web-based content with others, play games, and access email and calendars in a nearly immediate and portable manner.

Small Birds = Small Feeder = Use a Smartphone: 
"Small Bird" uses are the times when you need to locate quick answers and make responses in an immediate, mobile manner.  Like the small feeder, your Smartphone is very specific in its tasks - and it does tend to attract a particular kind of "bird." Its small screen size requires excellent vision (or the patience to pinch the screen to enlarge text).  Your "Small Bird" option is truly best for those tasks which are brief, on the fly, and don't require in-depth review or response of text based materials.

my laptop, tablet, and smartphone in action

Ground Scavengers = All Feeders May be Needed = Bring All Your Tools:  
There are some days when you just won't know which technology is best.  On those days, you may want to behave like the larger ground-scavenging creatures, bringing along all of your devices.  In these cases, much like the ground scavengers, you'll have the ability to meet any situation with the appropriate response and support.  Your "All Feeders" option will work best when you don't mind carrying all of your tools in order to be able to choose from your arsenal.  "All Feeders" options also allow you to use multiple tools in interesting, overlapping ways - or to share a device with someone who hasn't brought one along.

As you continue to explore the potential and use of your particular devices, I recommend you ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What do I hope to achieve today with my work?
• What types of access to the internet, documents, or programs am I likely to have or need?
• What tool feels like the best solution for my perceived needs?
• Will I be most successful as a "Big Bird," "Medium Bird," "Small Bird," or "Ground Scavenger"?

I'd love to hear about your experiences with these bird metaphors.  I'd also love hear your thoughts about which tools you prefer to take with you in your particular situations.  Please share your ideas and questions in the comments section below.

Thanks to Sean Seningen of 6 Hours Inc. for the photo of my 3 devices!

Spider & Yellow Jacket: Sharing Creativity vs. Spreading Pain

The Story

As I have started framing the shape of my new business venture, Mindful Technology Consultants, I have enjoyed talking with those I meet along the way. A few weeks ago I had coffee with a business coach I'd met at a regional networking lunch. Just setting out on her own journey, we shared the joys and challenges in getting clear about our individual paths. We also talked about our personal vision, mission, and the potentials for earning a living doing what calls our hearts.

We also shared bits of individual lives, our past experiences, and the challenges which had propelled us both into finding a new way of working. I shared a bit about my technology use and explorations with devices, utilizing my iPhone to capture her business card and my iPad to take notes about our chat. Our conversation, while touching on difficult lessons learned, remained very positive - aiming at a sharing of our solutions rather than descending into a complaint-and-blame-fest.

As we sat outdoors enjoying our drinks in the late autumn sunshine (we both noted the rare gift), we were visited by two insects. A yellow jacket appeared and buzzed back and forth between us, eventually leaving us alone, flying away as we did nothing to aggravate it. At one point my companion also noticed a small spider crawling up the lapel of my jacket. I gently lifted the spider down to the ground, releasing it to go about its business of adventure - perhaps to the task of creating a new web.

The Technology 

I've been thinking a lot about the way we use technology to communicate in written form. In particular, I've looked at the way in which the immediacy of technological tools makes it so easy to send off messages and responses without fully thinking through the situation or about an appropriate response.  The advent of email, texting, Facebook and Twitter have offered us the two-edged-sword-opportunity to communicate in written form in both positive and negative ways.

I'm sure we've all had the experience of receiving an email written in all capital letters, which according to "nettiquite" guides is considered to be yelling.  Whether intentional or accidental, these communications do have the tendency to to put us on the defensive - to prompt hasty and sometimes negative responses in return.  Perhaps you've also had the experience of reading a Tweet or Facebook post where someone shares a brief snippet about a global violation of civil liberties, the impact of a natural disaster, or a story of personal tragedy.  Are you aware of the ways that those communications made you feel?  What was your response?

In exploring technology with teachers for the past ten years, I have sometimes charged full steam ahead with my recommendations on tools and methods.  In the past few years, however, I've found myself slowing down.  As I've come to recognize the potential of technology to help or harm, I've become more cautious about how I use technology, looking at my purpose and motivation.  As often as I can, I now seek to use technology as a means to create possibility, to share potential, to increase positive outcomes in the world.

Connections

Seeing the yellow jacket and the spider helped me to remember the two sides of the technology coin.  In many mindfulness circles, awareness of breath is used to help quiet the mind.  Slowing down, quieting the inner dialogue, and breathing have helped me to become more aware of what I am doing and saying with technology - creating more positive webs of influence.  Breathing has also allowed me to become more reflective - to notice when I've stung someone, spreading anger or pain, allowing me to take responsibility for my actions.

I learned this awareness practice most profoundly from observing the lived embodiment of the principles in an accomplished mentor.  She had the unique ability to share her wisdom and learning about difficult situations in ways that offered only the nugget of the story, minus the pain and drama of her past lived situations.  She was so effective at sharing only her positive learning outcomes, that for a time I mistakenly thought she actually never had any pain, challenge, or difficulty come into her life!  I can still recall her method of picking out the high points and positives from my long complaining emails  - urging me to focus on what was good, what I could accomplish, and where I was growing.

My mentor's simple modeling of what Buddhists call "right speech" and "right action" have had a tremendous impact on me, my learning, and the path of work I aim to follow.  In showing me how to share my stories in positive ways through her right use of email, she has inspired me to do the same with all my uses of technology.  Engaging the metaphor of yellow-jacket and spider is a potent reminder for me - a call to creating possibility (as in the spider who weaves its web) as opposed to spreading pain (as in the yellow-jacket stinks those who irritate it).

Who has shown you the best ways to utilize your technologies to create possibility?  What lessons have you learned that we all could benefit from hearing?  Can you share the nugget of your story minus the pain?  We all look forward to your responses, your wisdom, and the ensuing discussion!

Images courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com

Story of the Worms: Questioning Our Motivations

The Story

After a long period of rain in my area, I noticed that many worms had found their way into the road.  This isn't a particularly unusual phenomena, as worms often vacate their holes when they become flooded with water.  The rain has the effect of push worms to move beyond their comfort zone into new territory.

I've noticed that several things happened to the worms who left the safety of their holes. Some were picked off right away by the early birds while others headed out across sidewalks and roads, searching for higher and drier ground. In both cases, the worms moved beyond their burrows into unknown territory.

Of those who ventured forth, some ultimately made it safely to a new destination - others were not so fortunate. Some got stranded in the road or walkways and were crushed by cars or human feet. While a few got stuck where they were, drying out when the sun came out, eliminating the moisture they needed to move forward.

The Technology

I stopped at a local restaurant the other evening to have some dinner. As I waited for my meal to arrive I noticed two gentlemen sitting together at the bar talking technology over a beer. The younger man was emphatically describing to the older  man why he needed to open a Twitter account. The bartender also jumped into the conversation, sharing his understanding of the tool and how it could help the older man to be on top all sorts of details before they even made it into the news headlines. A couple of times the older gentleman looked in my general direction. His eyes seemed to be pleading for someone to rescue him from what appeared to be an uncomfortable situation.

I don't know what ended up happening to the older man - whether he went home and created a Twitter account for himself or not.  However, I have spent some time thinking about the various potential directions he could have taken.  I imagine he may end up like any one of the worms I've seen in the road lately, as a direct result of the younger men pushing him so strenuously to move beyond his comfort zone.

If the older gentleman just goes ahead and sets up an account because the younger men said he needed to, he may end up getting picked off, stranded, run over, or even dried out.  Those technological outcomes may come as a result of setting up an account and doing nothing with it, using it to share random facts that merely consume time and energy, using it in ways that diminish his ability to think for himself, or even encouraging the narrowing of his current belief systems.

Connections

Seeing the worms in their various stages and then the older gentleman being pressured to use a popular technology have gotten me thinking about mindful influence when it comes to technology. In our own excitement about a new tool or technology I believe we may share in ways that make others feel as though they should want to use the technologies too. I believe it is important to question our motivations as well.

The young men, in their exuberance about Twitter and its ability to provide instantaneous connection appeared to need validation of their own skill while missing the needs of older man unaware of his discomfort. Certainly the older man was also part of the equation.  He is just as responsible for stating clearly what he cares about, what he's interested in, and what he will and will not do. I suggest, however, that in our sharing technology we act more mindfully, asking questions of ourselves and those we seek to support.

Perhaps we might begin by asking:

• Why am I offering this particular tool?
• What are its strengths and weaknesses?
• Have I asked questions of the person I am helping?
• What does the person I am helping want or need? 
• Do they actually want my help?
• What is my personal motivation?
• What responsibility do I have beyond sharing the tool?

Can you think of any other questions we might ask to help us keep from stranding those we seek to support - like the worms on a rainy day?  How else might you determine how best to help, and then continue to support those whom you feel called to lead?  

Question mark image courtesy of Pixabay: http://pixabay.com