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The Slippery Art of TIMING
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 Timing is a frighteningly powerful feat, producing everything from divine to disastrous results. And it’s critical to almost everything we do: merging in traffic, passing the ball, asking for a raise, cooking a meal, closing the deal, catching a plane or Ark, delivering the punch line, winning the Gold, even popping the question.
Masters of timing seem to fall into 2 main categories: (1) animals who move instinctively, and (2) we humans who have to practice, practice, practice. It’s about more than justwhen, it’s also about how much.
Like Goldilocks, we have to learn what’s too much and what’s too little and what’s just right. But wait, is it about being lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time or about meticulously planning every detail? Dare I ask, do we actually have any control or is it all just done with mirrors?
One thing’s for sure, there’s a big difference between Timing and Time. Time, as in chronological time (from the Greekkhronos), is about “sequence or order of occurrence”. It offers endless opportunities to stay in line, hurry up, wait, worry, do it quick, and feel behind schedule.
Timing lives in a parallel universe: Kairos time which means “the right or opportune moment”. It can appear to be effortless, when actually it’s the artful application of effort (not too much, not too little).
Take the timing chain in a car, it synchronizes the sparking of the plugs with the movement of the pistons so that together they produce power. Without it, all those parts would be moving but no power would be created. Much like us when we rush around trying too hard and ultimately produce exhaustion rather than fruitful results.
We gain mastery in the art of timing by (drum roll, please) being present. And we do that by dropping deeper into the moment and let our senses inform us. With practice, we find the sweet spot. Listen to that engine purr.
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Create rituals in your life as a way of jumping off the hamster wheel and fully entering the moment you are in. Rituals differ greatly from habits, because they bring us more present and conscious rather than operating mechanically by rote.
It can be as simple as lighting a candle in gratitude, getting up from your desk every hour to go breathe fresh air (be sure to unlock the chain around your leg so you don’t trip), greeting your dear ones with full eye contact, or blessing the drivers on the road with you. It’s not the length of time, it’s the depth.
Anything that interrupts the habitual is necessary mischief. It’s a way to reclaim and refocus your energy. As the poet Hafiz says“Leave the familiar for a while…..make a new water-mark on your excitement and love.”
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GREAT WAYS TO PRACTICE
There’s still time to join the Embodied Abundance telecourse which starts Jan 20th. It’s all about living in flow – that’s timing at its best. And there’s no commute time.
The Resilience Workshop on Feb 6th is for anyone who wants to be at their best under pressure. Gee, I wonder who has pressure in their lives.
How would you like to Be an Offer They Can’t Refuse? A new tele-coaching group begins Feb 3rd for people who want to fire up their effectiveness and contribution.
And all the other good offers in the right column are just waiting to be taken advantage of, so please consider how they can serve your purposes. Click any of the links for full details.
WARNING: participating in any of these may induce greater ease, connection, and effectiveness. And fun!
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MORE NEWS
In honor of making the most of time,
I am adding 2 new features.
RSS for the monthly newsletter
subscribe at top right or on the website.
And
Every couple weeks, I’ll be sending out an
Audio Message that will be S*H*O*R*T 
(always under 2 minutes)
because I know how
precious your time is!
Use them like your personal
Refresh button.
You can listen with just 1 click and get right on with your day.
And they’ll be easy to forward on to others
if you think they’re worth it.
I’ve included it here so you can check it out, I’d love your feedback. And tell me topics you’d like me to address. Contact Victoria
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We’re fools whether we dance or not, so we might as well dance.” ~Japanese Proverb
Watch this short commercial for a charming way to show a product’s virtues. ooo la la
“The most revolutionary act one can commit is to be publicly happy.” ~Patch Adams, M.D.
Watch this 2 minute video of the very talented actress Amy Walker (from Whidbey Island!) demonstrating flexibility!
“Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is know which ones to keep.” ~Scott Adams
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WAYS TO PLAY
AT THE TOP OF YOUR GAME
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Free Audio – Centering Practice lead by
Victoria Castle (please excuse technical difficulties, a new one is coming soon!)
The Trance of Scarcity Free Group Study Guide
is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution Agreement – which permits use for non-commercial purposes with no alterations.
 Hot Women for a Cool Planet – We are global citizens who choose to unite our wisdom and care in service of our shared future. Join women from 19 countries, take the Hot Woman Pledge.
Take the Vitality Survey
And find out how much life your are actually living!
Listen to Victoria’s playful interviewwith Jennifer Louden in the Comfort Café.
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Written and edited by Victoria Castle. © 2010 all rights reserved.
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WELCOME!
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| Victoria Castle
Maker of Mischief
as needed
Leadership coach, speaker, author of The Trance of Scarcity, artist, humorist,blah, blah, blah
Contact Victoria
Subscribe via RSS
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EVENTS
EMBODIED ABUNDANCE TELECOURSE
starts Wed, Jan 20th
call in
from anywhere
RESILIENCE WORKSHOP
Sat, Feb 6th
Whidbey Island, WA
(more)
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| TELE_COACHING
GROUPS
find the group that
best suits you -
(more)
CONSCIOUS
MONEY
SPEAKERS
SERIES
(Victoria is featured
on March 15th)
(more)
WOMEN’S
RETREAT ON THE
SACRED ISLE OF
IONA, SCOTLAND
MAY 2010
(more)
LEADERSHIP
COACHING WITH
VICTORIA
I partner with people who are not willing to settle for a shrunken life. Quite the opposite, they want to make their greatest contribution right in the midst of all this anxiety and chaos.
The focus of our work together is cultivating their capacity to achieve great things whileenriching their aliveness, fulfillment, connection, and joy.
And if you’re an over-responsible, over-committed, over-achieving woman who’s ready for more sanity and pleasure in your life, check out ALPHA WOMEN. Coaching with someone who intimately knows this terrain and has accessed freedom might be just the thing to help you reclaim your juicy life.
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Quick Links
About our Masthead
What does a picture of the Grand Tetons have to do with Necessary Mischief?
Well, they represent ferocious aliveness, they’re inspiring, beautiful, challenging, and their geological formation was a variation of the norm. They kind of erupted. Who knew mountains could play
outside the box?
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Take a 2 Minute Audio Recess with Victoria and recharge your batteries! (listen)
Unleash Your Inner Genius
Costa Rica Retreat
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Contact Victoria:
Victoria@necessarymischief.com