FOCUS: Cycles DISCIPLINES: Mental Models, Systems Thinking, Personal Mastery Corn and grain, corn and grain, All that falls shall rise again. — Harvest Chant THOUGHTS Cycles give me comfort. A cycle is defined as: “any complete round or series of events or phenomena that repeat again and again.” So when the economy is down, patience is helpful. If you gasp at the new short skirts that are becoming fashionable, know that eventually all fashions die….and then resurface. When my children were growing up and going through various delightful and difficult stages, I was sometimes sad and sometimes glad, knowing no stage would last. There are retail sales cycles – learn them and you know to buy white goods in January. Grocery stores have a 12 week cycle of sales, going through a number of categories and then repeating. There are virtuous cycles, such as when the stock market is going up and up, and there are vicious cycles, like being in a relationship full of blame and self-justification. A SYSTEMS PERSPECTIVE A systems perspective helps us understand cycles….and the fact that most of them eventually end. A cycle often changes course or stops when it is disturbed, when something in the repetition is different. And so the cycle of appreciating house values has stopped with this huge change in the mortgage picture. And in difficult relationships, awareness and forgiveness can stop the cycle of resentment and retaliation. SEASONS Right now I am acutely aware of the cycle of seasons. Henry Ward Beecher said, “Every green thing loves to die in bright colors.” Although I know the cycle and should expect it, I am startled to wake up and find that summer is over and fall has come. I love the way indigenous cultures view fall. Fall is the time for accepting all that is and bowing deeply to it, then letting go what no longer serves, ending a cycle. COACHING QUESTIONS: Where are you in the various cycles of your life? Where would patience be the best response? Where might you want to disrupt a cycle? What can you accept and bow to deeply? What can you let go of that no longer serves? INVITATIONS: Please join me for a 45-minute telegathering to explore how we can understand and live our cycles well. Call Thursday, Nov. 6, at noon Eastern (11:00 a.m. Central, 10:00 a.m. MT, 9:00 a.m. Pacific) 1-623-218-1094 PIN 968#. No need to register…just call at that time! I am often asked how to access past issues of Fresh Views. They are all archived at http://lists.webvalence.com/sites/freshviews/. There are 9 years worth there. Enjoy! Reach me: 1-888-907-HOPE (4673)or e-mail sharon@hopellc.com. I am a personal and executive coach and would be happy to offer you a complimentary coaching session by phone. Each month FRESH VIEWS focuses on a single topic, relates it to one of the five disciplines of a learning community, and offers a coaching tip and a follow-up telegathering. Please forward it to friends and colleagues. My purpose in writing FRESH VIEWS is to nurture, prod and encourage readers to think and talk about these topics with their families, friends and colleagues. Mine is only one view. Multiple conversations may deliver us to insights only hinted at here. Such a process sustains the vitality of learning relationships, learning families, learning organizations and learning communities. Sharon Eakes | 720 Maple Lane | Sewickley, PA 15143