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Allow the gravity of your intention work with you, for you.

One morning, a master asked his student to fill a small wooden bucket of water as quickly as he could for their morning tea. The student hurried out to the well, placed the bucket on a small platform on the ground under the spigot and began to lever the pump’s handle. Since the pump was old and rusted, it required two hands and took several minutes before giving any water. By the end of these few minutes, the student was working furiously, exasperated at the amount of effort required for such a small bucket of water and mindful his master was waiting.

Finally, the well began to sputter and spit as water rose to the top of the pump. The student continued to work the pump and the water burst forth with such force it arched over the bucket and landed on the stony, uneven ground beyond. Crying out in frustration, the student tried to slow the water’s flow by closing the pump halfway, however as soon as he stopped working the handle, the pump sealed itself and the water slowed to a trickle. When the student then tried lifting the handle halfway, there wasn’t enough force to produce any water.

Watching this, the master said, “If you work the pump halfway, your results are ineffective. Similarly, if you work the pump too intensely, your efforts may give much fruit, but still you may miss the mark. Try lifting the handle all the way, then pause and see what happens.”

“Master, I lifted the handle all the way and the water flew past the bucket!” the student replied.

The master simply looked on, saying nothing. The student turned back to the pump and followed the master’s instructions, lifting the pump’s handle all the way as before, but waiting after each lift. As it had before, the water flew past the bucket, but as the stream ran down, much of the water fell into the bucket. Pleased, the student pushed the lever down and raised it again to the same effect.

After several such cycles, the bucket was full. Closing the pump, the student walked the full bucket of water over the master. The master said, “Often, in our seeking to fill our days with as much as we can, we may find our efforts offering little fulfillment. If we periodically take time to replenish ourselves, bringing balance to intense activity, we accomplish more than if we move through our days at full speed or with half-spirited effort.”

“The important part is to decide your direction, move in that direction with clarity and allow the gravity of your intention to work with you, for you.”

See, not with the eyes, but with the heart.

One day, two flower merchants set up shop next to one another. They opened for business on the same day, carried the same lovely selection of aromatic flowers, and maintained similar prices for their marvelous plants. Both merchants took great care with raising their plants and both were kind and courteous to their customers. In fact, their stores appeared to be equal in every way.

At first, the merchants even received equal traffic through their shops, but–as time went on–the first merchant’s shop became more popular among the people. The second merchant noticed this and became concerned. One particularly slow day, he decided to look into the matter. As he stepped out his door to visit his neighbor, he passed one of his regular customers leaving the first merchant’s shop carrying their weekly purchase of flowers. In disbelief, the second merchant hurried into the next store.

Indeed, the store was teeming with customers. The second merchant noticed his competitor wasn’t taking the money himself, as he always did. The first merchant was out among the aisles, talking with his customers. To his amazement, the second merchant watched as the first would chat at great length with the customers and even would occasionally talk to the flowers themselves! The second merchant prided himself on being a serious store owner and could not understand this leisurely approach to running a shop. Yet this behavior seemed to be working for the first merchant, as his thriving store would attest.

When the second merchant could stand it no longer, he approached the first and politely asked to interrupt the conversation. The first merchant smiled, handed his customers to one of his clerks, and turned his attention to his exasperated neighbor.

The second merchant asked, “Brother, I am your humble student. Our stores are nearly the same in all ways, yet your results are doubling while mine are halving. I do not understand.”

“Brother,” the first merchant said, “We are the same in most ways, this is true. The difference lies in what we see with our hearts. You see your store as a store, your plants as plants, and your customers as customers. I see my store as a beloved home and my cherished friends are my customers, clerks and plants, all present to be adored. In that way, we are very, very different.”

Why should you tell your story? Who are you to tell others how you feel and why you feel it? Who are you to tell others about the life experiences that have brought you to this point? Indeed, who are we to believe we

1. have a message of value for others,
2. worthy of being shared, and
3. compelling enough that others would want to hear it?

The audacity! Who are we? Why do we matter? Why does any of it matter?

Jesus Christ is recorded as saying, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my people, so you do unto me.” The Golden Rule is to treat others as you would ask to be treated (which assumes you want to be treated well!) Begin, then, with the question, “How do I want to be treated?” Not sure how to answer that? Think about a time when you felt elevated as a result of your interaction with another. Ask yourself, “When have I felt the most loved, accepted, nurtured, safe, inspired, encouraged or supported?”

Exercise

Complete the following sentence: “I have felt the most ________ (positive adjective) when ____________________________________________________________ (positive event, interaction, condition). Discuss your experience.

This is what the whole Metamora effort is all about. One of the Metamora Group’s prime reasons for being is to inspire, educate and entertain people while establishing the idea we’re all in this together. The Metamora Group is a collection of individuals and organizations who are tuning into their responsibility to uphold Metamora’s simple, concise mission statement: Elevate humanity. One of the ways the Metamora Group seeks to accomplish this is to bring people together (fostering a connected community) through live events. These live events focus on a myriad of topics including physical wellness, spiritual health, emotional growth and financial well-being. At the very core of this effort is the focus on providing a platform whereby people are called to get up and share their stories and their passions with the ultimate goal of elevating their audience. It is through the sharing of our stories and experiences that we come to learn how very similar we are to one another. It is through sharing our stories that we come to realize we’re really quite normal after all. Further, it is through the sharing of our stories (and then supporting those stories with action) that we inspire true, lasting change in the world.

Now, when I say “our stories”, I’m not saying you have to talk about yourself. Your stories may be derived from your own life experience, certainly, but you have much more to pull from than that. Tell us about the thing that keeps you up at night thinking. Tell us about the stories that mean something to you and then tell us why they mean something to you. Finally, tell us why those stories mean something to us. Stories are repeatable. There are layers of meaning within stories. Ever heard the adage “facts tell, stories sell”? Facts and statistics can be used to reinforce your point, but they will seldom make your point for you.

Okay, so now that you’ve determined what your passion is… wait… have you? If you had to get up and give a presentation tomorrow and the only requirement for the presentation was that you had to leave people with a greater sense of awareness and empowerment, what would you talk about? On what would you expand their awareness and how would you help them realize they were part of the solution? How would you move them to action? Move their minds and they’ll forget you tomorrow, but move their hearts and their minds will follow.

Exercise

Tomorrow is your last day on Earth. You will be leaving on a long trip and will be out of touch until you return, 50 years hence. You have been told by a trustworthy source there is one person who especially needs to receive encouragement from your before you leave. Who is that person? What do you say to them? Anyone want to share their answer?

Why this exercise works: If you cannot be around to shepherd, counsel, enable or otherwise influence another, you are forced to let go and believe they will be able to find their own way. The most you can do, therefore, is to release your attachment to their outcome and offer them the encouragement to seek their own growth and happiness. How do you do this then? What do you say? How do you say it? Finally, what if it was more than one person you were charged with inspiring? What if it was one hundred? One thousand? One million?

As you begin to solidify your message, you begin to craft the answer to “So what?” Assuming we want to hold true to the high mission of elevating humanity, how do you do this? Again, we return to stories for the answer.

Tell others why you feel the way you do about your passion of choice. Were there experiences that lead you to the views you now hold? What events helped for your current concerns? Why do you fell like others want or need to know about your topic? What happens if you remain reticent and choose not to say or do anything?

“Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change.”
~Ebenezer Scrooge, in the Charles Dickens classic, “A Christmas Story”

Can one person make a difference? Ask Gandhi. Ask Martin Luther King, Jr. Ask Jesus of Nazareth. Gandhi said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” You want to see change then? Begin living the change. Begin leading the change. Begin with one person; you. Then lead by your example.

Realize then, you have something to offer the world. You don’t have to worry about being particularly eloquent, but you do have to consider whether you’re doing your part with the gifts you’ve been given. I’ve heard sagacious speakers state that really, all we ever need to do is just be. That’s it. If we just be, we will have done enough. I understand and agree with the sentiment of being okay with yourself regardless of your personal results. I disagree, however, with the notion that we are okay to do nothing to improve ourselves and the lives of those around us. I would like to conclude this with a story most of you have heard before.

The Servants and the Talents

A rich man who was going on a long journey called his three servants together. He told them they would be caretakers of his property while he was gone. The master had carefully assessed the natural abilities of each servant. He gave five talents to one servant, two to another, and one to the third—to each according to his ability. The master then left on his journey.

The servants went forth into a world open to enterprise and investment. The servant who had received five talents went into business and made five more. The servant who received two made two more. But the servant who received one hid the master’s property in a hole in the ground.

The master returned to settle his accounts. The servant who had received five talents came forth. “My lord,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents; see, I have made five more!”

“Well done, good and faithful servant!” the master responded. “You have been faithful over a little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your lord!”

Then the servant who had been given two talents approached the master. “My lord,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have made two talents more!” The master praised the servant in a like manner.

Then the one who had been given one talent approached his master. “My lord,” he said, “I knew you to be a hard man; you reap where you have not sown, and gather where you have not scattered; and being afraid I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours!”

The master’s response was swift and harsh: “You wicked and indolent slave! You were aware that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered; you ought for that reason to have invested my money with the bankers; then, on my return, I should have received my own with interest.”

The master ordered that the talent be taken away from the lazy servant and given to the one with the ten talents. “For to every one who possesses not,” said the master, “even that which he has shall be taken away. Cast that useless slave into the outer darkness; there shall be weeping and the grinding of teeth!”

What do we do with the gifts and hearts we’ve been given? Do we hide them or do we risk the investment of putting them out into the world? What does Christ say will happen if we choose the latter?

Know your passion.
Share your passion.
Ask yourself everyday, “What will I do today to elevate humanity?”

You are you, no matter when or who.

One day, a little water droplet awoke to find herself surrounded by the great blue Ocean, reaching out from her as far as her eyes could see. At first, she delighted in exploring all the sights, sounds and sensations the Ocean had to offer, but after a time she became restless.

The droplet went to the Sun and said, “Sun, I would like to become a Cloud. I wish to soar the sky and be adored by all the World.”

The Sun said, “Imagine soaring the sky and you will be.”

So the droplet climbed to the top of her Ocean, closed her eyes and thought soaring thoughts. When she looked again, she was flying high in the sky. She looked down at the great blue Ocean and asked, “Sun, what is the Ocean made of?”

“Water,” Sun replied.

The droplet seemed satisfied with this and enjoyed soaring the sky and being adored by all the World. After a time, however, she became restless.

She went to the North Wind and said, “North Wind, I would like to become Rain. I wish to fall to the Earth and bring life to all the World.”

North Wind said, “Imagine falling to the Earth and you will be.”

So the droplet climbed to the bottom of her Cloud, closed her eyes and thought falling thoughts. When she looked again, she was falling to the Earth. As she fell, the droplet looked up at her Cloud and asked, “North Wind, what are Clouds made of?”

“Water,” said North Wind.

“Oh,” said the droplet, a little confused now.

Once she landed upon the Earth, however, she busied herself with bringing life to all the World and forgot about what the Sun and North Wind had said. She was quite happy for a time, but—after a while—the droplet became restless.

She went to the River and said, “River, I would like to know who I am. I have been the Ocean, and the Clouds, and the Rain and now I even bring life to all the World, but I still don’t know what I am supposed to be.”

River said “Follow me.”

The droplet joined River and soon found herself returned to the Ocean. The droplet was dismayed by this and cried, “River! I don’t understand! I have already been the Ocean!”

River said, “When you were Ocean, you wanted to be Cloud.
When you were Cloud, you wanted to be Rain.
When you were Rain, you brought life to all the World and yet,
you still became restless and wondered what you were to do.
Know you are Water and—in being Water—you are the Ocean, the Cloud, the River and the Rain.”

And, from that moment forward, the little droplet knew she was Water and felt peace, no matter what she decided to be.

Speakers’ speaker, John Childers, talks about the three ways we represent ourselves when we speak publicly. The first way, he says, is to present ourselves as the Expert. This usually means we’ve been in our field for a while and we have amassed a body of knowledge and experience from which to speak and teach. This is the role most people think of when they think about a public speaker.

When I first considered public speaking as a profession, I immediately discounted myself on the thought I was not an expert at speaking about God or spiritual matters. I had 16 years of web design and online marketing experience and if you had asked me to teach a full day seminar on that subject, I could have gotten up, formulated the curriculum and delivered a workshop right there on the spot. After 16 years in that industry, I could speak easily about web design, content management systems, search engine marketing and optimization. But to hold a 20-minute lecture on God and matters of the spirit? I didn’t feel terribly well-equipped, even though I was fairly comfortable in my relationship with God.

Fortunately, “Expert” is only one of the three roles John discusses.

The next way is to present yourself and your message through the Reporter. The Reporter–just as it sounds–studies other sources of information and inspiration and reports out on them. I am speaking to you now primarily through the Reporter role. Upon studying John Childers’ material, something resonated with me and now I am bringing that material to you in the hope it will help you in your own life. It is my desire you will be able to connect with what I’m saying and use it to find your own voice (if you’re in the process of discovering it, as I imagine I will always be.)

By being a Reporter, you shine the light on someone else’s work, giving credit where credit is due, while bringing a deeper level of substance and credibility to your own message (providing you’ve chosen your source well.) Additionally, you remove some of the burden of having to “know it all” and you share that mantle with your sources. Don’t feel like you’re an expert on something? Share the spotlight with someone you feel has something expert to say and bring that value to your audience.

The third role in speaking is that of the Student. When you speak as a Student, you place yourself at the same level as everyone else around you. You share your experience and your ideas, but you do so in a very open, humble way. This role is less used to lead your listeners to a particular conclusion or insight, and more to share, intimate and normalize. When you approach as a Student, you say to your audience, “Hey, I’m making my way, just like you. Here is what I’ve seen.” I feel the Student role is, by far, the most intimate of the roles we take on.

So, there we have it; three roles: Expert, Reporter and Student.

When you speak, do you pick one role and stay in it? No, not usually. You’ll find most people will move very fluidly from one to the next. We use these roles without thinking, and we do it whether we’re before an audience or having a one-on-one conversation.

When I first learned about these different ways to present our ideas to others, I was relieved. I found it was easier for me to get started presenting spiritual material through the Student role. This allowed me to remove myself from the pressure of the Expert’s spotlight and humbly approach my audience as one of them. I still try to bring that humility to my audience when I talk, as I 1.) am quite aware I don’t know it all, and 2.) I feel the speaker-audience relationship is a sacred thing. You have sought me out or allowed me into your experience for however much time we have together and for that I am always honored. I love my audiences and I see them as a reflection of myself and I, a mirror back to them. I believe we would not be here, together, if it were not a part of the Divine Plan.

One final thought: I think it’s possible to whittle this list of three roles down into one. It feels like it may be possible–even preferable–to dissolve the Expert and Reporter roles into the Student. After all, if we approach our audience with humility and an earnest intent to serve by bringing value and insight, I believe the natural result of that research, self-analysis and preparation will organically lend to the easy expression of the Expert and Reporter roles. For me, that originates from working and speaking from the Student.