Annelies M. Gentile, MA, ACC
Consultant | Facilitator | Process Artist | Author | Speaker
Since last we connected, I've coached executive leaders in government to entrepreneurs in salons, facilitated a business development workshop for artists, presented to rooms full of professionals, spent copious hours editing my book, facilitated art in the garden, taught English to refugee families, and spent time with family and friends. What have YOU been up to? I want to know! Email or call me. Let me know what's good in your world.
LATE SUMMER :: Cultivating Integrity :: Element of Earth
Each season I provide inspiring nuggets of wisdom through my newsletter which includes invitations to upcoming events. My goal is to help YOU better cope with life and learn how to cultivate success through mindfulness and creativity. Seasonal teachings come through both my personal and professional experiences and the Chinese Five Elements philosophy of Wu Xing (wŭ ching) and Tao, among other philosophies and sciences which highlight and explore unique nature-based ways to understand the processes of change. In addition, each newsletter aims to help you create a mindful mindset and provide resources to build resiliency in the face of personal, professional and cultural change. Find this newsletter useful? Be the gift that keeps giving, share it with a friend! Want to hear more? Invite me to speak at your next conference, place of business, networking or civic groups. Enjoy!
One of the ways I help professionals become better leaders in life and at work is to help them cope and manage change. We cannot separate the human condition from our work life. They're inseparable. When we try to separate our humanity from the tasks, lists and linear roles of the work-world we harden ourselves and become hard towards others. What's more useful is understanding how to integrate our humanity into all expressions of life, even at work. As life gives us a variety of challenges to cope with, exploring problem-solving through nature is not only interesting and inspiring, it's also a unique way to better understand our own nature.
According to Eastern tradition of Tao, there are five elements expressed through five seasons each represented by an element, color and emotional characteristics. Here's a simplified explanation.
• Spring : Wood : Green : Creativity : Anger
• Summer : Fire : Red : Connectivity : Joy
• Late Summer : Earth : Yellow : Integrity : Gratitude
• Autumn : Metal : White : Acknowledgement : Grief
The season of late summer is related to the element of EARTH which feeds and inspires generosity, thoughtfulness, harvesting, nurturing, and integrity. It's also represented by the color yellow and soothing, sweet sounds. Think of earth as metaphor. Just like our own earth we live upon has qualities of holding, supporting, transforming, giving and receiving, we too can consider putting these qualities first at this time. Think of now as an opportunity to ground.
Let's explore just one earth/late summer quality; integrity. Integrity is defined as having a strong moral character, the practice of being honest, truthful and ethical. Integrity also means to be whole and undivided. Think earth. It's one whole thing although made up of many varied parts just like us.
So how do we cultivate integrity? We need to remember we're all connected. Everywhere we turn we're reminded of how fractioned we can be, pitting sides against sides. But the bigger truth is we are ONE. Even when it feels like we are broken apart by anger and fear, we are still ONE. Do what you can, where you can to remind yourself and others how deeply connected we all are.
Look Within
To integrate the element of EARTH in your life and work, explore these questions.
- How well do you receive compliments, support or even criticism from others?
- In what ways do you take care (or not take care) of yourself and others?
- What might be transforming in you at this time?
- Even abundance can be overwhelming. How do you know when enough is enough?
Update on my new book
From Chaos to Calm :: Leading Change from the Inside Out is slowly slowly emerging! I will be publishing with Write Way Publishing by October of this year! Here's a sneak peek from PART 4 "Portal to Peace"...
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"After I quit Broadway, I took up blacksmithing in the mountains of North Carolina, my home state since 1985. To me, this made sense. Go home, go somewhere beautiful, immerse in nature and creative activities, and have a normal schedule to replace my erratic eighteen-hour days in the dark halls of a theater or film production. I was around new faces, people who didn’t know me or need anything perfect from me, and most importantly, I’d stepped far away from the lost and lonely feeling I felt inside when I was in New York. Leaving my career for the unknown was scary. Yet something about a creative immersion in nature made me feel exhilarated and hopeful that somehow this would all make sense one day. In uncertainty, there is hope, a portal to peace. What a fascinating experience I would come to discover! Not only was working with the element of metal fun, it was healing and strangely—familiar! The rustic environment of the craft school was a healing salve on my soul. I slid right into my new world and discovered similarities to my former career immediately even though they were nothing alike on the surface. I found working the medium of metal to be comparable to working with hair. Like hair, metal was affected by heat as it changed shape, easily stretched by manipulation in a vulnerable state. Like hair, metal was affected by water, sloughed off rusty shingles like the shingled follicles on hair strands. I also noticed how similarly I moved my body to manipulate the metal with how I moved when I used brushes and blow dryers to shape and form hair, physically swaying back and forth gently like a pendulum keeping balance. I became aware of nature’s symbiotic relationship between matter and heat, tenacity and stress, rigidity and movement, overworked and just enough, chaos and calm. Too much heat and the metal melted beyond repair; too little, and it wouldn’t budge. I was learning to move and listen to the give and take of nature. I was learning the language of the Five Elements through the making of art while learning the nature of my own self through the process of creativity. I had found my own hinge, a portal to peace which led me to my own truth. It was here in this experience of venturing deep into my creative process that a door quietly opened. I began to learn the embodiment of resiliency. It was here where the concept of observing the minutia between a world of too much-ness (chaos) and a world of just enough-ness (calm) and peace was first incubated. Through creativity, I was learning to see and feel the formula for a sustainable life."
[Excerpt from From Chaos to Calm :: Leading Change From the Inside Out, PART 4 "Portal to Peace"]
Want me to hear more? Invite me to speak and/or facilitate a workshop on resiliency, creativity and coping with change. Moving through change has never been so interesting! Contact Annelies
I help professionals navigate change. If you're an executive or entrepreneur facing transition, consider working one-on-one with me or bring me in to your place of business to work with your team to address priority issues, fuel goals and sharpen mindset. Immersions are custom designed to suite your needs, time and budget. Immerse yourself over one full-day, a few days, six months or more. Local and destination experiences are available. Design your transformation. Contact Annelies
Custom designed business development seminars for small businesses from 3-25 employees, staff and management. Trainings include variations on skills to improve communication, develop empathy, leadership, collaboration, change management, stress reduction, resiliency and conflict resolution. Learn more
Wisdom Circle is a facilitated 6-month mastermind group designed to help you gain mastery over your mindset alongside other professionals. Bi-weekly meetings, accountability partnerships and coaching support helps serious professionals, like you, to define yourself, grow your business, fuel goals, catalyze ideas, gain traction, direction, community and peace of mind from personal and professional accomplishments. READ MORE
Last Saturday of every month 10AM-1PM
$38 includes Lunch & Workshop READ MORE HERE
Come explore an art-FULL experience at one of Raleigh's best kept secrets, the Well Fed Community Garden owned by Irregardless Cafe. Join us for Art in the Garden and enjoy the simplicities of life; creativity, community and cuisine. Experience the good life through an outdoor (plein-air) guided watercolor class with Annelies followed by a vegetarian farm-to-table picnic lunch from Irregardless Cafe. REGISTER HERE for SEP 29
Well Fed Community Garden
1321 Athens Dr, Raleigh, NC 27606
Contact Annelies
Email: annelies@conduitforchange.com
Website: www.conduitforchange.com
Phone: 919-345-8396