Skyline II-------Ohana

I learned so much in Hawaii. I learned that orchids by the roadside make a very pleasant driving experience.  I learned that orchids by the roadside make an even better stopping experience.  I learned that although lava moves slowly,  it engulfs and overcomes anything in its path. I learned that nature speaks to me as loudly as any sermon. I learned that I am a hearer of the muse. I learned that excellent customer service is its own reward. I learned that sometimes sand is green. And I learned the power of Ohana. According to Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia, "…ohana means family in an extended sense of the term including both blood-related or extended. It emphasizes that family and friends are bound together and members must cooperate and remember one another."   Marcel Schwantes lives on the 4th floor. He entered my building about 8 years ago on the 2nd floor, an acquaintance of an acquaintance. Over the years he has shown amazing generosity and respect for the vision, passion, and purpose of my life.   I openly share my past with anyone. It is, after all, a matter of public record. What's done is done, I cannot change it, nor can it be affected by strangers and acquaintances. I find that my daily trips to the 7th floor result in deeper and better and quicker conections on the 4th floor. My advisors live here. The ones I look to for guidance in steering my future.  I find that advisors are being drawn to me to teach lessons that equip every aspect of my journey.   I learned from Michelle Armstrong that I can rearrange my perception of past events and re-negotiate the beliefs that distilled from those events.  Armed with new beliefs and fresh perspective, it seems I have the power to change the view from the 6th floor. What an interesting idea! That I can rearrange my very building blocks.  That I can see old information with new eyes.   It's exhilarating to meet a stranger who goes directly to the 4th floor. I've known Tom Voccola for a month now, but already he has given me information that impacts my future. In his book, "The Accidental CEO," he introduces the idea of a 'game worth playing.' That resonates with my spirit. I don't just want to play any game well. I want to play a game that I had a hand in creating. A game that is, without question, worth playing.   It's fun moving up. That's the natural progression of relationship. The faster the move, the more thrilling.  1st to 6th in 60seconds,  that whirlwind romance we envy on the big screen. The stranger who invades your soulspace. Be careful not to let anyone higher than they were meant to go, no matter how thrilling the ride. Returning them to the right floor will be painful or impossible.   The 6th floor is a sacred space. Until a few years ago, I thought it was the top of the building. It's where my soul lives. Here I keep my heart. Here my spirit sheds defense, releases protection. I'll tell you more about that later.   I lean on the Ohana, not only to help me decode the messages that come down from 7th, but also for support and strength. I depend so heavily on the 4th floor. These are the ones I confide in, the ones to whom I admit weakness and weariness, these are the ones I count on to hold me accountable. Scott Wilson, phenomenal singer and songwriter, describes the 4th so perfectly in the opening of one of my favorite songs: This is the place I come to dwell…   Here are my warriors, in whose company I feel safe, even when I'm wounded. Many of them hold day passes to the 6th. Some of them have project-duration clearance.  2nd and 3rd floor advice would move someone new into the vacancy on 6th, but 4th floorers temper the wisdom from above with an intimate knowledge of my heart, and recommend instead that I allow daytime consultants to assist and supervise the remodel until it's ready for a new tenant.   For 10 years a woman lived with me on the 6th floor. I was a poor host. That's another story.   To be continued…

Skyline

Last night, driving home from Montebello with Irma and Chris, we rode the 10 freeway past downtown Los Angeles. What a beautiful skyline! Impressive buildings that seem rather imposing in the daytime, blend into a perfect mix against the backdrop of moonlit mountainscape. 

Lately I've imagined my life as a 7-story building. (No, there weren't any drugs involved.) First of all, I'm not made of glass but if I was, I would point out that the sleek, shiny surface belies a steel spine imbedded in  a concrete footprint designed to withstand the California shakes. Not indestructible, but certainly not fragile. 

My initial thoughts have not been so much about construction as about occupancy. Let me give you a tour...

Strangers live on the first floor. On a planet with a population over 6 billion, you must understand that the first floor is magnificently expansive. I see these people everyday and smile. Sometimes they smile back. There's a weird rule on the first floor about strangers not talking to each other. I don't always abide by the rules. If we don't talk, how will I invite you up to the second floor? It is my building, after all. Well, I don't own it, but  I'm the manager. 

Acquaintances live on the second floor. It's really a short climb up the stairwell from first to second. Look someone in the eye and smile. A conversation begins. You find out you have things in common. You begin to realize they're much like you in ways you might not observe at first glance. Next thing you know, they're on the list of familiar faces which bring to your eyes the light of recognition. Next time you see them, it's easier to rejoin the conversation in progress. 

This is where Azin lives. She's the beautiful lady at the cleaners, who went out of her way to have my favorite green shirt ready for an important workshop.

Many of my business relationships live on the first and second floors. The premise of networking, however, is that we would rather do business with our friends. My friends live on the third floor. 

From first to third you can take the stairs of ride the elevator. Have you ever met a stranger who went directly to friend? Ryan Penner did that to me. He just hopped out on the third floor and introduced himself. I had no choice but to let him stay. He brought all his stuff with him. There's a permanence about the third floor. In my building, we promote from within. Once you make it to the third floor, you've demonstrated a desire to move up. Friends seldom go back to being acquaintances or strangers. 

It happens, though. I guess it really comes down to the basis of the friendship. Sometimes acquaintances who know I like to do business with friends will hitch an elevator ride just to get high enough for a sales pitch. I say hitch a ride, because you need an access card to operate elevators or to open stairwell doors.

You can always visit or relocate to lower floors, but to access higher floors you must be accompanied by someone with appropriate clearance.

To apply for higher clearance, you may contact me directly. I live on the 6th floor. 

Hello! My name is Lennox.

To be continued...