The Tone Meister
Creating the environment for insights to happen is easier than it might seem. We are built to see things in a new way every day – to look with new eyes at situations and people and find something precious and new. One day you look at your house and you see all the repairs it needs – yet the next day it looks warm, welcoming and home. One day your spouse looks less handsome or beautiful than they once did, and the next, theirs is the face you love. This built in capability in our design allows us to apply it to our work- special projects – our sense of the spiritual and any time we feel stuck. The components are a relaxed state of openness garnered in any way that works for you- it doesn’t need to be elaborate. Next is a “feeling” tone of warmth, of ease, of well-being – that sense that we are all ok. Sometimes it’s as simple as putting something on the back burner.
Statistically it has been said that people have their best ideas in the shower – why is that …well you are relaxed and doing something that does not require thought – warm water on your face, nice smelling soap – gentle sound that water makes and presto you see something new about something you were previously pondering. Sometimes we remember where we left our keys – or what we need to do that day – or who we need to send a card to or give a call. We could call these memories but they carry that tone of new thought in a new way that has so much power and grace.
When I began my journey into working with poverty – it began with a luncheon where a national consultant was talking about why the behaviors we see in people who have never had enough are present, and necessary to their survival mentality. I was very relaxed…(enjoying a free lunch) …listening with some interest and I remember laughing at the way the speaker described something. Suddenly I was flooded with an insight – my mother grew up in poverty and she always did things that made me cringe – it was often a point of conflict for us and some hard words often followed. It never really smoothed out while she was alive. Mostly I was frustrated and not very understanding to be sure. As this speaker was sharing the “why” of these behaviors of people who came from poverty that I realized she was describing my mother. I didn’t have to “think” about it or analyze it – it arrived full on with tears of recognition and some great sadness that I never knew.
That insight blossomed into a passion and that passion turned into a change of career and focus – all from one moment in time where the conditions met the information – and transformation occurred without effort.
What did take effort was nurturing and trusting that insight – and that came from having my own personal tone meister…the person that fostered that insight and helped me turn it into an amazing journey. A tone meister keeps their eye on the beautiful, powerful, innovative – feeling tone – that warmth that flooded my understanding -. It was easy to do after I realized it – sometimes it is keeping rapport in place – sometimes it is keeping humor or lightness in the conversation – sometimes it is intently seeing the infinite possibilities in each person and situation…whatever it is – the key is to keep the vibration high until the person or the group can take the insight to the next level.
In organizations this is key to new product development, to staying the course in a certain action or direction when things get tough, when people are not getting along and the conflict is high, or to suddenly KNOW that Spirit is everywhere. The key is to provide the petri dish for the insight and then build that tone until completion. Often I have been privileged to serve as a tone meister for a client or to train one …each and every time as people get the hang of it – amazing things get back on track – new ideas begin to pop, conflicts ease and humor appears.
Try it this week – watch your own insight blossom about something – find a partner or situation that truly nurtures and nourishes it. Be prepared to be wowed.
