AWARENESS

Posted on March 3, 2024

This is a snapshot of a 51-year, self-awareness journey to uncover the what’s, how’s, and why’s of the true self and life’s behaviors and experiences: simply awareness of how one chooses to “show-up” in life via the personality, character, and mentality. “Once upon a time” of the awareness trek started during a pre-meeting walk with a new boss in a state-of-the-art, two-piece aluminum can manufacturing plant in Golden, Colorado.

Grateful for four years at West Point; eight years in the Army, including promotions to Major, military decorations, and two years of combat during the Vietnam War; three civilian jobs; and a wife with a child on-the-way, it was good fortune to land a Purchasing Manager position (1973) with Coors Container Company. During a walk in the pounding can plant, the new boss commented that unless the author began to manage his stress, evolving life would be hectic and stressful. This comment unleashed a life-long challenge and opportunity to look under the rug and uncover the “stuff” that makes this human being tick. The first tee and green were to read I’m OK, You’re OK: Practical Guide to Self-Analysis (Thomas A. Harris, 1967, NY, NY: Harper Collins) and to attend (1974) an “I’m OK, You’re OK” seminar at the Mountain States Employers Council, Denver, Colorado. The unfolded curriculum vitae (plus approximately $93,000 for the awareness search) includes five educational degrees and 27 years of assorted corporate leadership positions; targeted academic courses and seminars; study abroad and retreats; club, committee, and panel participation; group memberships, workshops, and associations; teaching and public speaking endeavors; published books and unpublished papers; and the student journey of living, family, reading, piano, writing, golf, experiencing, seeing, and learning continues. Here are some discoveries:

  • Life is an accumulation of our stories.
  • Golf is a guru and can be fun and simple.
  • Be grateful and say “thank-you” every day: life is a gift and priceless treasure.
  • Simple is on the other side of complexity: keep looking for it.
  • Commit to integral health, wellness, and well-being: program the subconscious to be perfectly healthy; and exercise the physical body, subtle body (felt energies), and causal body (resting). Integral Life Practice inspires uncovering the existing treasure of insights, methods, and practices for cultivating a more enlightened life. (Wilber, et al, 2008, Boston, MA: Integral)
  • Meditation (concentration and awareness) offers visibility of how one chooses to show-up via the personality, character, and mentality. Meditation fixes nothing: it helps uncover the watcher and offers insight into how one behaves. Simply be a good personal sentinel.
  • The subconscious is 90% of who we are: learn how to program it, re-program it, and trust it.
  • Create solid core of virtues: gratefulness, compassion, trust-hope, courage, honesty, integrity, and prudence. Other guiding values: generosity, discipline, patience, effort, knowledge, and wisdom.
  • A great code of conduct: I will not lie, cheat, or steal nor tolerate those amongst us who do.
  • 100% responsibility: life happens because of me, not to me. Accept responsibility and determine what needs to be done to move forward: no blaming, lying, defying, or denying.
  • Be objective, not self-serving, and make decisions in the best interests of the organization or folks served.
  • Look for “what” and not “who.”
  • Manage by agreement: agree on “what” will be accomplished by “when.” If the “what” and/or “when” cannot be accomplished, re-negotiate prior to “when” arrives.
  • Walk the talk.
  • Some folks wonder what happened, some folks watch what happens; and some folks make things happen.
  • Be a “lifter” of others: inspire, encourage, support, be bubbly, and help.
  • The spouse, kids, and grandkids are the best gurus: be open and listen to the messages.
  • I am silent self alone: just sit, be with triggers, listen to mind chatter, and be a good sentinel.
  • Become master of Self, integral life practice, mind”full”ness (conscious, subconscious, and superconscious), awareness, and self-restraint.
  • A nice goal: master of authentic Self and model the way as a person, in relationships, socially, institutionally, culturally, and by helping others and caring about others. Put quality, common good, and authenticity in all one is and all one does.
  • Self-restraint is a learned skill.
  • Leadership is an earned, influence relationship skill.
  • There are two types of power: earned and position.
  • Communication skill is fourfold: intrapersonal, interpersonal, person-to-persons, and mass media.
  • Mindfulness and awareness differentiate folks.
  • Anti-racism is a must have quality of character, personality, and mentally.
  • Racism has very deep pillars that have evolved for 600 plus years.
  • Be open to learn and grow.
  • Political party sorting creates division, distraction, chaos, and hate.
  • Fool-proof business plan: create a vison; accurately assess current reality; and prepare gap closers that move reality closer to the vision.
  • Five master skills for leaders: delegation that avoids monkeys and gorillas; project management; team building; selection of quality folks; and completed staff work.
  • Let the boss know about “screw-ups” before he-she learns about them from others.
  • Customers are king.
  • Emotions and projections: own them; sit in the flames of them; and just be with the anger, pride, attachment, ignorance, jealousy, envy, and fear. Face everything and fear nothing.
  • Transcend and include to create unity.
  • Just go to the breath; and breathe deep, frequently.
  • Be aware of the fruits of energy psychology.
  • Go deep into personal genealogy and your inner journey since conception.
  • The root of happiness is peace-of-mind; and the root of suffering is desire, thirst.
  • The foundation of genuine purpose and connection is compassion.
  • Love is an assortment of causal energies with an essence beyond words.
  • When you keep hitting a wall take a different direction.

And the self-awareness journey continues, simply a student of life, living, golf, and evolution!

 

 

 

 

PRIDE

Posted on February 25, 2024

Wow! Today, it feels like “I am proud to be an American” is an experience of the past. The question is, why? For some reason the energy winds are escaping the pride sails. Daily, growing, evolving, exploding, and competing media remind of polarized political hate fests and circuses, government non-action, corruption, pay-offs, conspiracy, gun violence, killings, rage, boarder activity, foreign balloon sightings, home-grown terrorism, wars in Ukraine and Israel, unnatural deaths, drums of competing political candidates and parties, et al. Perhaps this is nothing more than being witness to eight decades of change and the associated transition from endings of positive memories and mind chatter ramblings about disappointing new beginnings. Maybe this is just awareness of the perceived negative captured by the media and not witness to the good in the world. The ticket to the daily media circus can get tiresome!! As a relative newcomer-eight years-to the political arena it has become a shock to the system that is depressing and the result has been declining pride in the America that formerly held beacons of hope, quality, common good, authenticity, and virtue. Where are the virtues? Where are the values? Where are guiding principles? Where is the leadership!

As far as family history has been traced the Devores were French Huguenots who left Alsace Lorraine, traveled to England, became indentured servants, sailed to Nova Scotia and eventually America. The journey in America records through Cumberland Gap, initially settling in Southeastern Ohio, and finally, Defiance County, in Northwestern Ohio.

Was born in Defiance, Ohio and was raised in the small town, farm community of Sherwood-500 folks, 13 miles West of Defiance. A wonderful life was to unfold. Some highlights are as follows:

  • Went from the birth hospital to the home Dad built in Sherwood.
  • Dad owned and operated a hardware store. Started working in the store when 10 years old: pushing a broom, waiting on customers, cleaning weapons, taking inventory, burning trash, selling paint, rope, and Christmas trees, unpacking merchandise, cutting window glass, cutting pipe threads, setting up electric trains in the front window during the Holiday Season, etc.
  • Grew up in the Catholic Church, altar boy starting at five, and continuing through college at West Point. An early trauma for Dad, brother Dan, and I was the death of Mom: Dan was 10 and I was 15.
  • Grandma and Grandpa lived on a 180-acre farm and raised corn, wheat, and soybeans. Spent many days on the farm with its sulfur water, cistern water in the kitchen sink, outdoor toilet, two barns, a silo, chicken coop, corn crib, manure pile, and horse slaughter shed.
  • Lifetime student, 27 years of American academia: Sherwood-Delaware through eighth grade, Defiance High School, United States Military Academy, University of Denver (MBA and Doctor of Philosophy, Human Communications), Naropa University (MA Religious Studies and Study Abroad), and with son, Doug, Golf Academy of America (Associate of Business, Golf Management and Teaching).
  • Military service: infantry officer, airborne school, ranger school, decorated, Fort Benning, Fort Carson, Fort Lewis, Fort Bragg, and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. Eight years of service included two years of combat during the Vietnam War.
  • Fantastic family then and now: lots of nurturing, high regard, fondness, and admiration…parents, grandparents, cousins, spouse, kids, grandkids, and great grandkids.
  • Civilian career as executive with Adolph Coors Company, Coors Container Company, Coors Brewing Company, American Business Advisors, and Telluride Ski and Golf Company.

It feels like the most significant change during the decades has been access to information and the type of information received, then as a small-town kid versus now as a retiree. In 1949 our family owned the first television in Sherwood-lots of test patterns, fine tuning of the set, loved Hopalong Cassidy, and I have vivid memories of helping Dad put a television antennae on the roof of the house. There was the Sherwood-Chronicle, the Defiance-Cresent News, the Toledo Blade, books, Life Magazine, The Saturday Evening Post, schoolteachers, the priest, nuns, family, farm and town folks, and great neighbors.

 

Simply, the deterioration of pride in the world seems to be directly tied to today’s plethora of media information and the type of information that is available. There is so much information that it can be distracting and anxiety generating searching for what fits in one’s world at a particular moment in time. It feels like life is just more complicated today than it was when I was growing up, learning, reflecting, and evolving awareness of similarities and differences in a complex world. Gratefulness is at the top of the virtues list.

 

CONSPIRACY

Posted on February 18, 2024

If you are planning to vote in the November 2024 Presidential Election, Stuart Stevens The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy is a simple, must read. My experience of the book is that Stevens is objective, not self-serving, and offers his work as helping Americans make sound decisions when voting this November.

Stevens contends,

The inescapable truth is that there is now only one pro-democratic party in American politics, and that’s the Democratic Party. The Republican Party has proven there is no line that can be crossed, no principle shattered, that will force the party to return to decency. If you are unwilling to hold the man accountable who sent the mob to kill you and your colleagues, what other possible transgression could merit a response…The only hope for the Republican Party is for it to suffer crushing defeat after crushing defeat so that it is forced to confront its failure. Then maybe, just maybe, it will begin to change and return to some semblance of a normal center-right party in a democratic civil society…America is so much more than a place on a map with a flag. We must fight not because we know we will emerge triumphant but fight because not to fight is to give up. And if we do that, we no longer deserve to call ourselves Americans. (223-224)

Having been raised in a small town in Northwestern Ohio, taught to embrace learning experiences, spending eight years in the military service, including two years of combat, and grateful for friends, family, and civilian careers, it is painful to reflect on America of past life and America today…and Stevens displays the contrast on each page. Some examples:

  • Culture of fear and hate vs trust, hope, and compassion.
  • Gun violence and cruelty vs virtues, values, guiding principles, and sane education and use of weapons.
  • Home grown terrorism is OK vs transcending and including others.
  • Money and power vs voting to make a difference.
  • Existence for a few vs the many.
  • Ego vs true self and individual and collective authenticity.
  • Autocracy vs democracy.
  • Destruction vs building for tomorrow.
  • Voting obstacles vs voting encouragement.
  • White supremacy and racism vs “We the people…”

Today we are on the brink of evolving from: By the people…For the people…Of the people…to: By a few…For a few…Of a few.

As Stevens offers,

We must fight not because we know we will emerge triumphant but fight because not to fight is to give up. And if we do that, we no longer deserve to call ourselves Americans.

 If you plan to vote this November, request that you read The Conspiracy to End America: Five Ways My Old Party is Driving Our Democracy to Autocracy.

PARTNERSHIP

Posted on February 11, 2024

Saying “hello” to the authentic self feels like evolution-in-process. Today it feels like the true self is like an inverted teepee that started growing in Mom’s womb, and is still growing, developing, and evolving, moment-to-moment. When the true self is responding, absent reacting to the tugs of either mind chatter, fear, triggers, attachment style, sensual experiences, physical sensations, presented self, spiritual vibes, religion, or a combination of two or more of the noted tugs, the true self can respond and behave with authenticity. Moreover, actual thoughts, words, language, actions, and behaviors are in sync with each other. An alternative is to show up as the ego, the “people pleasing” mode, the thoughts, words-language, and actions-behaviors that surface based on what is expected of us or based on social or peer pressure. This is living the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered— Mom, Dad, Gma, Gpa, teachers, monks, imams, priests, nuns, rabbis, coaches, mentors, ministers, therapists, military buddies, military brass, professors, classmates, neighbors, bosses, spouses, kids, etc. These programs are the result of our grooming since before birth simply because the conscious mind has been programming the subconscious mind to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered.

The challenge and opportunity are to be the true self and motor along in life as the authentic self. Being able to be present and witness ourselves in action-mindfulness and awareness meditation-is critical to growing awareness of tugs between how we show up in the world and how one desires to show up in the world for ourselves and others. Evolving from witnessed behaviors emerge tiny steps for love of self, learning communication with one another beyond the unhealthy and healthy ego, loving others, and bringing to life the mysterious collective intelligence that lives between and among us, but is not specific to any of us. With passionate intention, 100% responsibility, facing everything and fearing nothing, and action one can evolve into being a good partner who enjoys partnership and collectives.

Andrew Cohen contends,

One of the remarkable discoveries made in many years of practicing a contemporary spiritual path is that enlightened awareness can not only come alive in the interior of an individual-as a ‘Higher I’-but also in the interior of a collective-as a ‘Higher we.’ When this mysterious new kind of enlightenment emerges, it expresses itself in the space between us-and it effectively becomes the intersubjective experience of the whole group. (Manifest Nirvana: A Sanctuary for 21st Century Spiritual Explorers, 1)

Christian Larson’s message in The Great Within is clear: our sickness, disease, illness, health, wellness, and wellbeing are reflections of the language we live in; and since birth the conscious mind (5% of who we are) has been programming the subconscious mind (95% of who we are) to live the actions, words, thoughts, and emotions others have offered. These programs are the result of our past thinking and our tomorrows the result of our present thinking. We have been our mental parents, and we shall be our own mental children. All that a person does and brings to pass is a gesture of thought. What one thinks and passionately or lazily passes along to the body as a “must do” or “should do” is what one gets. The challenge is to close the gap between the authentic self, the language of integrity, and the others’ self that we have chosen to create because of what others have offered and we have chosen. The opportunity is to tell the truth.

As a perfectionist-reformer, know it all, who fears rejection, has targeted having everything right, and has rejected the imperfect for eight decades, recognizing and admitting reality about the presented self is process and invites a bunch of mind chatter. The stir of inner chaos, tantrums, avoidance, and stress is paralyzing and distracting, and generates and reinforces suffering, sickness, disease, and illness.

Yes! We are thinking, personality, character, and wellness reflections of the language we live in. Let’s live in the language of the authentic self! Close the gap between the authentic self and the represented self, the healthy ego, and the unhealthy ego. Simply one step at a time. The vision offers authentic joy, a manner of traveling with strategies as follows:

-Quality, common good, authenticity, and virtue in all we are and all we do.

-Simply model the way as a person, in relationships, socially, institutionally, culturally, and by passionately caring about and helping others.

-Meditate for healthy partnership of the conscious and subconscious minds and for mindfulness, awareness, and self-restraint.

Some Resources

  • Evolutionary Enlightenment, Andrew Cohen.
  • Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself: How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One, Joe Dispenza.
  • Becoming Supernatural: How Common People are Doing the Uncommon, Joe Dispenza.
  • The Great Within, Christian Larsen.
  • How Attachment Styles Work, LearnWell Books.

 

 

 

 

ELECTION 2024

Posted on February 3, 2024

As the “run-up” to the 2024 Presidential election unfolds; and as we witness the dark divide becoming wider, deeper, and darker, contrasting candidates for political positions can bear fruit for American democracy. It appears the critical decision is to select candidates who can best close the gap between current reality and a desired vision for freedom in America.

How one chooses to “show-up” in the world can be critiqued by research, examination, and witnessing talents, skills, habits, virtues, identities, and experiences; making observations; and scrutinizing character, personality, mentality, and interests. Former President Donald J. Trump offers an excellent example of necessary candidate homework.

Research, Examination, and Witnessing[1]

A track record of business and government failures and absolute chaotic disasters: most consequential president in history; puppet of Vladimir Putin; foreign policy bullying, badgering, and destroying; has abandoned allies; personal business endeavors with several bankruptcies; North Korean nuclear weapons stockpile doubled; pandemic management and leadership non-existent (dereliction of duty resulting in an estimated 250,000 American deaths; and passed buck off to governors who became blame targets); enlisted foreign interference in elections (Russia and China); several obstruction of justice charges; numerous lawsuits; two impeachments; accepts payoffs for positions; and has numerous Trump party cronies—Lindsay Graham, Mike Johnson, Steve Bannon, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Kevin McCarthy, Josh Hawley, Marjorie Taylor Greene, et al—who are lost souls in search of a tribe and chief. Zero leadership: no decisions made based on strategy, makes decisions on how he feels at the time; can handle small projects and sign executive orders; not able to lead projects large in scope. Orchestrated overthrow of 2020 election, bypassed Constitutional order, and directed a violent insurrection to support a coup against the Vice President and Congress. Immigration policy is inhumane and selection of judges and environmental deregulations may be legacy.  As Bernie Sanders has eloquently noted, “Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfs.”

Observations

Donald J. Trump is a genius at networking and using the media to recruit, retain, and fire, at will, addicted surrogates, circles of friends, admirers, celebrity hangers-on, and wannabes who savor and long for safety and security sought by bonding together and identifying with a tribe to persevere and protect against outsiders. Allegiance and admiration are given to the chief and clan. Mystical signs, conspiracy, trading cards, and desires of powerful spirit beings must be followed for the continued safety and well-being of the tribe. Four years of behaviors revealed the following:

  • A cheat, a liar, a fraud, a bully, a predator, a con man.
  • Racist, incendiary, casts hate, disruptive, name caller, and divisive, mentally unfit for political office.
  • Repeatedly has disparaged the intelligence of service members: Americans who die in war are “losers” and “suckers.”
  • Tax cuts were a corporate “boondoggle.”
  • Vision for country merely to fix what his administration undermined, agitated, deconstructed, or destroyed during his time in office. Examples: intelligence, FBI, CIA, U.S. Postal Service, voting integrity, CDC, and Supreme Court.
  • Continued stoking of fear, celebrity, and brand building; and show-photo opportunity is the foundation for his rhetoric.
  • Staff selection of addicted surrogates was a disaster and revolving door; and demanded loyalty even if unethical.
  • Surrounded by fixers and “yes men”; encourages rivalries and thrives on personal attacks.
  • Protected by political party sorted, partisan, power worldview associates of the Federal government institution he and his cronies chose to deconstruct and destroy.
  • Conspiracist and guilty of political cowardice, blaming, passing the buck, and dereliction of duty; shirked constitutionally mandated duty and rewards misconduct.
  • Sexist, multiple lawsuits, and misconduct.
  • Racist: a person who shows or feels discrimination or prejudice against people of other races, or who believes that a particular race is superior to another.
  • Dishonest, arrogant, and narcissist; uses position and financial power for personal gain.
  • Creates martyr, irrelevance, and distractions; misleads, boasts, is egotistical, blamelessness of self, never wrong, and anxious to criticize.
  • People mistakes.
  • Lies, denies, blames, and spins; egotistical and self-serving; unqualified for the position and did not grow into the job because he could not.

Character, Personality, Mentality, and Interests.

  • Low-functioning includes persons who “… do not exhibit polished and polite behaviors as a mask for their manipulations…may lack the education or interpersonal skills to control and deceive. Instead, they might use threats, coercion, or intimidation to achieve their desired outcome.” (Source: Dr. Timothy J. Legg, “What Is a High-Functioning Sociopath?”, 5-28-2019, https://www.healthline.com, 1-3.)
  • Narcissistic sociopath: one form of antisocial personality disorder and is the result of environmental factors such as a child or teen’s upbringing in a negative household that resulted in physical abuse, emotional abuse, or childhood trauma. (Sources: Mary L. Trump, Too Much and Never Enough, 2020, Simon & Schuster; https://psychcentral.com, Dr. John M. Grohol, “Differences Between a Psychopath vs Sociopath,” 5-20-2020, 1-5; Dr. Tarra Bates-Duford, “Psychopath vs Sociopath: 16 Key Differences,” 9-7-2018, 1-3; https://www.health.com, Rosie McCall, “9 Ways to Spot a Sociopath,” 10-4-2019, 1-7.
  • Gangster, corrupt, and behaves as if above the law.
  • A stale breath of death, hate, narcissism, chaos, fear, conspiracy, norm erosion, “dark,” institutional deconstruction, and neo-facism.

Partisan politics is a dangerous duel of limited and partial truths; and binds party sorted folks to fixed, literal or otherwise limiting beliefs and frames of minds. The trans-rational paradox is quite clear: a fresh breath of hope, empathy, virtues, core values and guiding principles, trustworthiness, leadership, “light,” inspiration, and democracy. W. Edwards Deming remarked, “If a person is not performing as expected, it is probably because they are miscast for the job.” The United States needs a constitutional provision that authorizes the Cabinet, with consent of the Vice President, to declare a sitting president unfit for office.

Pick political leaders who have mastered the authentic self and model the way as persons, in relationships, institutionally, socially, culturally, by caring for and helping others, and putting quality, common good, compassion, and virtue in all he-she is and does. America needs them today and for the evolving future of this great democratic Nation.

[1] Resources list is available with email request to JohnDeVore@aol.com

COLD PRICKLIES

Posted on January 30, 2024

A quick and dirty assessment of current reality offers that “We the people” have allowed politicians to abdicate responsibility for America’s democracy and to ignore a political revolution that led to the current, manifest consequence, “cold pricklies” administration. The painful results:  foundational core values, morals, codes of ethics and guiding principles are eroding; historic institutions are being deconstructed; and America has devolved from a democracy to a veiled aristocracy.

As the 2024 election nears, “We the people” have work to do to facilitate the election of leaders who inspire, rally, offer hope and energize folks to climb aboard the American train and actively participate in the evolution of a desired American global character, one step at a time. A nice place to start is to create a vision, of a desired future state. Here are some ideas.

INSPIRATION and EXCELLENCE through VISION and CORE VALUES

We have a clear, easily understood statement of the desired future state of America for Americans.

We have core values, codes of ethics and guiding principles manifesting morals that are life protecting and life enhancing; and that guide right or wrong behavior.

CHARACTER DRIVEN, INNOVATIVE LEADERSHIP

We have leaders who are objective, not self-serving and make decisions that are in the best interests of people served.

We have leaders who create trust-based influence relationships and accept the 100% responsibility commitment.

We have leaders who transcend, include and unify differences and diverse strengths.

INVOLVED, PARTICIPATING, EMPOWERED PEOPLE

We know that when our people put the conscious and subconscious minds to work on an issue, a solution will be found.

We recognize that people are our greatest asset.

We put quality in all we are and all we do: we are the “best of the best.”

We are good leaders and followers, empowered to make a difference and committed to active participation in evolving America’s desired future state.

TEAM ORIENTED RELATIONSHIPS and COALITIONS

We are leaders in quality relationships and strengthen alliances around the world.

We build diverse coalitions and make “equal” equal.

QUALITY ENVIRONMENTS and CULTURES

We have cultures and working environments that are challenging, exciting and fun.

We lead global environmental preservation and improvement coalitions.

PROACTIVE, LEADING EDGE SYSTEMS and INSTITUTIONS

We build proactive, simple systems and processes that are affordable and can cope with the expected and unexpected.

We have institutions that are second to none.

We have a military and space force that are well-trained, pro-active and ready.

We have respected, proactive systems that control the flow of information, methods of communication and conduct within the nation.

We have political parties and political leaders who are our democracy’s gatekeepers and are committed to improve our democracy.

We know how to win a war of competing global visions that include cyber information; space; and under water.

We have an infrastructure that satisfies current and evolving needs.

We have an economy that is thriving for all.

FLEXIBLE STRUCTURES

We have flexible structures that have qualified staff and that are dynamic and aligned to meet strategic objectives and respond to changing internal and external environments.

We are now able to develop policy strategies, followed by detailed planning of goals, objectives and action plans, that move us from current reality toward the vision. A few policy strategies might include election security, comprehensive immigration reform, affordable healthcare, free education and leading edge curricula reform, foreign relations, environmental control, taxation, economy, tariffs, financial viability, media and judicial system and processes. Let’s move from a current reality of “cold pricklies” to a desired future state of “warm fuzzies” for all Americans.

 

 

 

FORGOT MY PANTS

Posted on January 21, 2024

It was February 1973. The new boss and I were walking in the Coors Container Company aluminum can manufacturing plant. As this good Army soldier had been instructed when walking with a superior, I was walking one step to the left and one step to the rear. Above the noise in the can plant, the boss adamantly motioned with his left hand and arm and beckoned, “Come-up here and walk beside me; and next week start a program to manage your stress!” This relaxation journey, intended to quiet the busy, perfectionist mind, remains a work-in-progress! The purpose of this blog is to share a recent “ah-ha” moment of this golfer’s pursuit of tools to manage the distraction and interference of the “inner roommate” on and off the golf course.

As a self-proclaimed student of the genius of Fred Shoemaker’s work (Extraordinary Golf: The Art of the Possible and Extraordinary Putting: Transforming the Whole Game), a cherished comment he makes, “If the point of golf is only about being good at golf, then much of the value that the game can provide gets missed.” (Extraordinary Putting, 37). Perhaps his “dose of therapy” will shed some light on why I forgot my pants.

Shoemaker offers a nice formula for distraction, or interference: SELF + INTERFERENCE = DIFFERENCE (Extraordinary Putting, 44). Having experienced that playing golf offers oodles of distraction, chaos and messages, recent efforts have been to “think” in the THINK BOX (Nilsson & Marriot, Every Shot Must Have a Purpose, 28-32) and “play” in the PLAY BOX (Ibid), with particular intent in the PLAY BOX to set up, go to the breath to quiet the mind, connect with the target, focus on the ball and on an out-breath “pull the trigger.” This has been a tough assignment because mental distraction-interference has consistently invaded my PLAY BOX; and seventy years of playing this fantastic game is offering that continued practice will reduce the distracting, “inner roommate,” swing thought chatter.

How does the “DIFFERENCE” show up? It manifests as thoughts, behavior and speech. The best witness when John’s “DIFFERENCE” is present is my wife. She comments, “Not a fun partner, judgmental, stressed, impatient, intolerant, Grumpy Old Cat…” And there is more! Shoemaker remarks, “Just two shots from insanity.”

Yes, I forgot my pants. It was a cold, 10 degree, December day in Colorado. My wife, our son, his wife and their kids were climbing into the car for a short ride to the bus stop for travel to the Christmas Parade of Lights in Denver. Before getting into the car, the temperature offered that long underwear would really feel warm and cozy during the Parade. I returned to the house, slipped the pants off, pulled-on the long underwear and returned to the car, discovering that my pants were missing. Interference had invaded and grandpa offered everyone a great big laugh…Ho, Ho, Ho. Yes, golf has a great deal more to offer than tips and the score: “A future where golfers experience that hitting a piece of rubber with a stick in a big park has added great richness to human life.” (Extraordinary Putting, 171) If allowed to invade, interference can certainly ruin an intended beautiful golf shot, lead to forgotten pants and provide good laughs for family. Life and golf are real gifts!

 

 

 

 

SIMPLE, FUN GOLF

Posted on January 13, 2024

Ever since teeing up that first golf ball with Mom and Dad at the age of eight, golf has been a patient life coach; and as the years have sped by, the sport continues to coach and counsel. Recent experiences have offered that if open and psychologically ready for the infinite messages, “simple” in golf and life can be discovered beyond sport and life’s complexities.

Christian D. Larson’s message is clear: we are reflections—thinking, personality, and character—of the language in which we live. (The Great Within) As Abel Leighton Allen contends, “Our todays are the result of our past thinking, our tomorrows the result of our present thinking. We have been our mental parents, and we shall be our own mental children.” How would Woody and Birdy Ball, Golf as Guru (www.johnedwindevore.com), use this taste of philosophy to improve the golf game?

  • Search for a meditation coach and launch daily meditation. During ritual on every shot this will facilitate quieting the mind and offer a spiritual experience of becoming one with the environment, the club, the ball, and the target.
  • Become aware, understand, work with, and trust the well-programmed subconscious mind to perform. A place to start is with an easy read of The Great Within: Unleashing the Power of Your Subconscious Mind (Christian D. Larson, 2012, Crowell). Larson offers, “While directing attention upon the subconscious, the idea that is to be impressed should be clearly discerned in mind and an effort should be made to feel the soul of that idea.” (3)
  • Commit to an integral health, wellness, and wellbeing process, simply a balanced cardiovascular, mental, emotional, and physical training program that works for you. Some guides: Yoga for Golfers (Katherine Roberts), The Ultimate Guide to Weight Training for Golf, Third Edition (Sportsworkout.com), and Integral Life Practice: A 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening (Wilber, Patten, Leonard & Morelli, 2008, Boston, Massachusetts: Integral).
  • Select a coach who is a good listener and will work with you to accomplish your golf goals, not his or hers. Good coach-student chemistry is a must.
  • Have equipment that fits and feels good; and make sure those clubs sound good at impact.
  • Immaculate set-up: grip, aim, POSTURE, and stance. As the body goes, so goes the mind; as the mind goes, so goes the body. Posture, posture, posture!
  • Two putts per green maximum; hit the greens in regulation; and make ups and downs.
  • Stay curious and open to learn from infinite sources about the integral, evolving individual, subjective inner game; the individual, objective outer game; the collective, subjective inner game; and the collective, objective outer game. For an introduction to the integral concept see Integral Life Practice: A 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, pages 27-39.
  • Play happy golf! Enjoy the journey as you create and participate in the evolution of consciousness and culture.

As Birdy offers, “Yes! We are thinking, personality, virtue, and character reflections of the language we live in. Let’s live in the language of the authentic self we desire, not the swing thoughts, chastisement, and whims of the monkey mind that keep us mired two shots from insanity.”

ENERGY PSYCHOLOGY

Posted on December 31, 2023

Through work with an energy psychology and energy healing coach the author has realized that John would have been a better child, teenager, student, parent, partner, subordinate, soldier, and leader if the 50-year self-awareness and self-development commitment had included coaching for “digging deep” into inner, buried, repressed subconscious aspects of the self. Selected literature would refer to these subconscious aspects as shadow,

… the dark side of the psyche-those aspects of ourselves that we’ve split off, rejected, denied, hidden from ourselves, projected onto others, or otherwise disowned. In the language of psychotherapy, the shadow is referred to as the ‘repressed unconscious’-repressed because we’ve pushed or ‘pressed’ it out of our awareness, and unconscious because we’re not aware of it! [Integral Life Practice: A 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston: Integral, 41]

The “dig deeper” coaching for authentic John and little John has led to a wish that this challenge, opportunity, coaching, and learning to “dig deeper” had begun 60 + years ago! Moreover, it offers that young adults who are considering partnership, becoming parents, having kids, and raising kids may benefit from energy psychology coaching mentally, physically, spiritually, energetically, and emotionally. The vison is that the world is exponentially, positively evolving for generations to come because our parenting is improving.

Steve McIntosh contends,

Although America is plagued with abundant problems and challenges, most of these problems have pragmatic solutions that are within our power to implement. Almost none of these solutions, however, can be realized within our current political environment. Our frustrated, stymied, stalemated, and hyperpolarized political process is stuck in its tracks, and this gridlocked condition is now beginning to cause our social regression. Hyperpolarization is really the mother of all our problems because very few of the serious challenges we face can be adequately addressed until we ameliorate the fractious and frozen state of our body politic. [Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself. 2020. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House, xiii]

The only way to effectively solve this ugly problem is to evolve our collective human condition. A judgement is that polarization can be traced back to programmed subconscious issues with our parents, our parents’ issues with their parents, their ancestors, etc., etc. Folks who are considering parenting need to resolve personal issues and relationship issues before they choose partners, opt to have children, and become parents. Choosing otherwise, the mental-emotional loop will continue, and the predictable result will be more polarization.

An opinion is that student curricula need to include the opportunity and challenge to begin to resolve personal parental relationship issues with energy psychology coaching. Energy psychology coaching can help an individual begin to identify, perk, and experience personal parental issues and coach the person through resolving the issues by uncovering and being present with the issues while at the same time learning self-restraint and “how to” tactfully coach others. The result will be better leaders and parents if the choice is to have children.

Long-term, while training future leaders for America, institutions can also be leaders in beginning to solve the polarization issue and support evolution of our collective human condition. It simply must begin with how our leaders are trained and kids are raised. The goal is authenticity and expressing love, gratitude, hope, trust, common good, and compassion felt in the heart as well as speaking truth and personally empowering reality through verbal and non-verbal language and energy. Lots of warm fuzzies, compassion, common good, virtue, and loving cold pricklies!

If you are anxious to get started, find a meditation instructor, and learn to meditate. If you are ready to “dig deep” into that shadow, look for an energy psychology coach who is a good fit, while at the same time passionately committing to a balance of physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health, wellness, and wellbeing. Some literature that may be of interest: Developmental Politics: How America Can Grow into a Better Version of Itself. 2020. St. Paul, Minnesota: Paragon House; Integral Life Practice: A 21st Century Blueprint for Physical Health, Emotional Balance, Mental Clarity, and Spiritual Awakening, Wilber, Patten, Leonard, and Morelli, 2008, Boston: Integral; and Dr. Joe Dispenza, You Are the Placebo; Evolve Your Brain; Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself; and Becoming Supernatural; Alone to Alive: Logosynthesis and the Energy of Beliefs, Dr. Willem Lammers, 2012,  Bristol House, Bad Ragaz, Switzerland. In closing, a “make new stuff stick” process that really works for the author is allowing the new learning to perk [write about it, reflect on it, think about it, listen to the mind chatter about it, chat with others about it, sleep with it, etc.], and “simply sit” with it to experience it. It has been routine for the author to be open to receive new material and quickly move on having the new learning not stick. Along the way is important to remember to take good care of yourself because one cannot love others absent love of self. Have a good 2024!!

 

 

 

WOODY and BIRDY BALL

Posted on December 16, 2023

Golf, entertainment, fun and creative, these are just a few of the words that capture the spirit and story of Woody and Birdy Ball, the caretakers of readers who take the opportunity to experience the journey of Golf as Guru: Mind”full”ness, Awareness and Self-Restraint.

Our culture today has become driven by entertainment through media frenzies, predominantly inspired by television and social media. As the manuscript for Golf as Guru was being completed and a publisher being selected, the inspiration arose to have the book be entertaining for a reader. Thus, were born the spirits of Woody and Birdy Ball, the two golf ball characters to be discovered on the cover and at the beginning of each chapter as one enjoys the journey through the book.

Woody and Birdy were born around a table at a Mesa, Arizona Starbucks. Project participants were my dear wife, Cindy; Aubree Garrett, Graphic Designer and Illustrator (aubreeshae.com); and the author. After business and creative vision dialogue, Cindy and I turned Aubree loose to create Woody and Birdy. Initially, since she was not a golfer, it was challenging for her to create golf ball characters who were dressed like golfers and in golfing motion; however, once we gave birth to Woody Ball and Birdy Ball, Aubree was off to the races while at the same time maintaining a full class schedule and working. Weekly, as each illustration arrived, Cindy and I would grab the computer and excitedly view each illustration, fist pump, celebrate and be entertained. It was a fun project; and our hope is that you will enjoy the journey of Woody and Birdy Ball as much as we have. You will quickly note that on the cover of Golf as Guru are Woody and Birdy riding their magic carpet to The World Golf Hall of Fame, St. Augustine, Florida. Enjoy!!