Tag Archive for 'Abundance Nationwide'

Michael Vav lead a rich discussion about his social experiments and social creativity in general. Thank you Michael for inspiring us! Besides being a dynamic social innovator, he’s also a personal coach, and these passions get meshed in highly creative ways. To learn more about Michael’s work, go here.

Here’s a few takeaways from the discussion Michael facilitated:

-You can flip the script. If an interaction is heading in a direction you don’t like, you have the power to shape it differently. You can improvise and experiment while remaining respectful.

-Resist autopilot. Acknowledge the power of the social now. Try something different in interaction to open up new possibilities, whether on the bus, on the street, at work, or in the bedroom with your partner. Infuse your interactions with life.

-From elaborate events to everyday encounters, there endless ways to exercise your social creativity. It doesn’t have to be a big deal. Each day holds endless possibilities. Look for them.

-Small talk can be a prelude to instrumentalizing the relationship or some form of judgment. Be aware. And do something more fun and humane.

-That in being able to receive help or gifts is important to making your visions into reality. And just as important as giving in creating an abundant society where generosity is encouraged.

When you reflect on these points, you can see how oppression and psychological pathologies can be reinforced by our interactions if we aren’t careful to do something different, and that opening up new patterns of social expression can lead to new possibilities. And at a minimum, we can liberate ourselves – and hopefully others – from boredom.

Big thanks also goes out to Bosco and Kim Connector for a great job facilitating the meeting, and for everyone who participated and brought yummy food. Please check out member announcements below. Lots of great skills, offers and chances to help.

Our next meeting is Thursday, August 21st. We’re featuring Chris Carlsson, a writer, editor, and community organizer. Chris will talk about his new book Nowtopia, and lead a discussion about how pirate programmers, outlaw bicyclists, and vacant lot gardeners “are taking back their time and technological know-how from the market and in small under-the-radar ways, are making life better right now.” And how these Nowtopians are laying “the foundation for a genuine movement of liberation from market life.” Details of the meeting to follow. Learn more about Chris and his new book here.

We hope to see you then.

–

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS

Name: Kim Connector
Passion: sf culture: art, music, fashion, food
Needs: need places, people and shops to visit in san francisco
Gifts: social skills, inimate knowledge of san francisco’s scene, organization and food
E-mail: thebrainpoolconnector [at] yahoo dot com

Name:Lucci
Passion:studying life and its dimensions, and communication my observations artistically and through dialog; and helping cultivate the social cohesiveness that allows each temperament, personality, and perspective to nurture and develop in their own determinations and life roles. Needs:visioning allies to develop a resourcing enterprise for parallel culture lifestyles.
Gifts: 501(c)3 sponsorship of social cohesiveness ventures, east bay development space and forums
E-mail:lucci [at] well dot com

Name: Bosco
Passion: science, music, the written word
Needs: an iphone
Gifts: a mirror of ideas
E-mail: apposite [at] gmail dot com

Name: Ray
Passion: Changing our model of leadership from Machiavelli to Gandhi & Martin Luther King. I’m a full time volunteer for the Green Party.
Needs: Web developer for political campaign sites, volunteers for www.marksanchez.org
Gifts: I speak html, c++, asm, Graphic design with Illustrator & InDesign. I’ve got postal mailing machines. If you want to run a small city, I can arrange that.

Name: Xander
Passion: Trple-bottom-line business, social enterprise, effectively utilizing technology to empower change
Needs: Passionate, talent, social-minded web developers, green business contacts
Gifts: Strategic Planning, Creative Visioning, Group Facilitation
E-mail: xanderpage [at] gmail dot com

Name: Don Cadora
Passion:awareness, travel, communication,foods.
Needs:Job, music connections, musicians.
Gifts:mediation, health, healing, writing, music, teaching.
E-mail: doncadora [at] gmail dot com

Name: Michael Vav
Passion: To inspire awareness through adventure.
Needs: Work. Part time. Full time. Clients. Participants. Freelance. In general, external structure of time and income.
Gifts: Professional coaching; team-building program design and facilitation; event production; writing/editing; project management
E-mail: coach [at] michaelvav dot com

Name: Emily Shurr
Passion: you guys
Needs: a ride to & from these meetings
Gifts: i will inspire you to weird new directions
E-mail: egshurr [at] yahoo dot com

Name: Allison Quaid
Passion: being in SF; creativity, sustainability, art
Needs:re-integrate in SF social scene
Gifts: art therapy and visioning
E-mail: aquaid [at] gmail dot com

Name: Suzi Chang
Passion:”being” the change, the Pink Revolution, Calling for a “Tea party” at the white house, sustainability,inspiration, empowerment,paradigm shifting, love,love,love activism, adventure…
Needs:fund raising, awareness raising, organizing,grant writing, web designer
Gifts:Photography,Crisis managing,styling,strategizing,creative/artistic direction,event production/management,hugging
E-mail:worldsuzi [at] gmail dot com

Name:carrie flemming
Passion: creating, learning, becoming, challenging injustice
Needs:a creative, challenging job that financially sustains me, excites me and creates the opportunity to learn and grow & folks to artistically collaborate with
Gifts: sensitivity & vision, collaborating, bringing together seemingly disparate ideas/elements
E-mail: flemmica [at] gmail dot com

Name:jessica Lilga
Passion: Being Self-sustainable by gardening-grow your own!, cooking, natural health & healthy living and.. enjoying life and finding things to appreciate!! Yeah yeah!
Needs:More direction on what type of business to start, with so many passions where do I focus?
Gifts:niceness, listening, yummy snacky things, gardening knowledge, connecting needs and others…

Name: Katrina Zavalney (Kachina Katrina*)
Passion: Sustainability, organizational Development, Community Organizing, fun*, lots of magic, and clowning!
Needs: website, blog, new e-mail address, long term job (consulting agency for OD with organizations and city government tagged with sustainability is best*), most things have just
fallen into place- including short-term job with Allison Quaid
Gifts:facilitation, networking, deep sustainability knowledge, tarot readings, organizational development, event coordination and production + greening events, community organizing, being
with people, adventuresome*
E-mail:katrina [at] uas dot coop

Name:Josh Wilson
Passion: Stories, narrative, music, bicycles, banjo
Needs: Philanthropy (strategies and implementation) for nonprofit project, arts and culture projects, workshop leaders and exhibitors for Expo for Independent Arts
Gifts: Big free local arts expo on Sept. 27 in Dolores Park!!! Free news at Newsdesk.org!!!! banjo!!!!
E-mail: joshua [at] artsandmedia dot net

Name: Pearl Lee
Passion: connecting with others
Needs: All kinds of job searching and/or career building advice/where to network with different people; C++, Java,
and multi-media help to finish my school projects
Gifts: organizational skills, bilingual – Chinese and English
E-mail: sf.buddies [at] gmail dot com

Name: Neal
Passion: culture and culture change, bringing people together to live into constructive narratives
Needs: to be OK with whatever is happening, whatever i do
Gifts: books, perspective, strategy skills, listening to you
E-mail: gorenflo [at] gmail dot com

Name: Andrea
Passion: Educating and empowering families and children to optimize their health and maximize their potential
Needs: a nap, a gardener, a lead on a burning man camp
Gifts: concrete thinking and planning for all you dreamers, medical advice
E-mail: rudominer [at] hotmail dot com

Thanks to everyone who made it happen, including our featured
facilitator dmenace, our host the SOMA Creativity Center, and everyone
who attended. It was an fun and uplifting time, as usual.

Dmenace gave a short motivational talk about the power of words and of
listening. The experience he shared came out of his years of training counselors who help folks with cognitive challenges, addictions, or both.

He followed up the talk with a group exercised where we broke into groups
of two and took turns talking about our passions and reflecting back what
was said. Then we took turns inspiring one another! The talk and exercise
was a perfect example of less is more. There were many powerful insights
that came out this simple listening and motivating exercise, and the great
discussion that followed.

Here are just a few of the things we learned:

-That listening well is a healing force, a powerful way to honor people, and
a great way to connect.

-It’s simple, but it can be hard! There can be lots of distractions including
“mind chatter.” Trusting yourself that you can listen well is foundational.
It helps to acknowledge the distractions without letting them overcome you.

-There are many ways to listen – with your rational mind, with your intuition,
with your emotions. Be conscious of your power to listen in different ways,
even during the same conversation. It will heighten you ability to understand the person and situation.

-Sometimes all that is required is to let what the person say wash over you.

-Talk about your talk. If you see an opportunity to improve the dialog, reflect back what is going on in the conversation and suggest to take it in another direction.
Or synthesize what is being said to raise understanding to a new level. Great ideas emerge from great dialogs.

-We have the power to help shape our conversational partners in a way that
they what, and beyond, if we listen, check for understanding, then take it
to the next level by inspiring them.

-The gift of your attention is one of the most valuable gifts you can give.
The ability to be present, to listen well is an important part of being a leader.

NEXT MEETING
Our next meeting is Thursday, June 19th. Emily and Lucci will be
facilitating the meeting. And we’re featuring David Gross.
Here’s a bit on David, in his words:

“In March, 2003, David Gross quit his $100,000/year job and has since
kept his income below the federal income tax line so that he would no
longer be paying for the Iraq War.

At first, he worried that this would mean a life of deprivation and
struggling to make ends meet. But he found that paradoxically, his life
became richer, fuller, and more fulfilling. True abundance, it turns out, has
more to do with being able to put 100% of your energy on the side of your
priorities and values than it has to do with having a big salary.

Gross will discuss some of what he has learned along the way, the theory
behind tax resistance, and how you can live an abundant life on a
below-the-tax-line income (even — especially! — here in San Francisco).”

We hope to see you then to continue creating culture and connection that
support us in our quests for fun, friendship, meaningful work, intellectual
stimulation, authentic connection, health, and happiness.

Also, please check out the cool goings on at the SOMA Creativity Center,
who host our meetings in their awesome space: http://www.somacreativitycenter.org

–

MEMBER ANNOUNCEMENTS – there’s some goodies below, so see if there is
anything you need that’s being offered, or that’s needed that you can offer.
Hint, someone is offering free massage.

Name:Kachina Katrina Zavalney*
Passion: Connecting people and organizations together to lead a more fullfilling life!
Needs:Creative theater outlets, where I can incorporate sustainability lessons.
Gifts:I just got into Grad School for Organizational Development & Psychology @ Sonoma
State University!Event Production, from coordinating to decorating, you name it I am there!!

Name: Revi Schlesinger
Passion: Leveraging myself for meaningful positive impact
Needs: Inspiration & Collaboration, Support spreading the word about Sustainability Emersion Experiences
Gifts: Creativity & Analytical Collaboration

Name: bosco
Passion:making things, recording of xxx,
Needs: pretty content with life at the moment
Gifts: technical advice, comp science

Name:martin
Passion:family, connection,
Needs:to have ideas on how to be more creative in life, to fulfill the need
Gifts:tech background, enterprise apps, spanish

Name: ray
Passion: chg model of leadership, switch to MLK model of leadership
Needs:writing a book about politics, going to writers conference, need to know how publishing world works
Gifts:knows tech things, programming languages, if you want to be on the city council i can arrange that

Name:lucci
Passion:following my purpose: expanding the cohesiveness of my society and environments in ways that align with my
personal nature; studying the genius that each of us represents in interpreting wisdom; how all these have a role in
cohesiveness
Needs:identify the alignement between this strategy and your interests and projects; formulating collaboration with a
significant design and conceptual aspects of projects
Gifts:east bay chapter of AL – and offshoot as a development tank where we start making direct connections aligned
with our temperaments and natures.

Name:kim
Passion:my work life balance – married and just launched business;
Needs/gifts:my personal connections; fashion concierge – Fashion Save – tours of the real SF design scene

Name:Mary
Passion: Helping people get excited and engaged in social change
Needs:People to collaborate to support independent artists and journalists. Need interns and volunteers
Gifts: Fundraising and non-profit management experience

Name: Sam
Passion: Constantly changing – my close friends and the environment this week
Needs: connections in SE Asia of any form, though I’m specifically looking for names of people and organizations
that I can volunteer or work with doing any form of work.
Gifts: going to SE Asia for 3 months and hoping to contribute to a community or an organization there

Name:Kim Connector
Passion: my new marriage and business
Needs: copywriting, help with the beginning stages of setting up a business,high end photographer
Gifts: fashion style consulting, social butterfly- lots going on, connections

Name: Flo Jayme
Passion:Connecting people to their bodies through massage therapy, fitness training & snowboard instruction
Needs: To build massage endurance after taking a five year break
Gifts: Offer massage/fitness consultation/snowboard instruction for free/donation (cover laundering & cost of oils lotion)

Name:Maritza
Passion:Changing western culture
Needs:database expertise – any level of knowledge is probably higer than mine!
Gifts:native spanish speaker – will spell check and edit your spanish document.

Name: Emily Shurr
Passion: Arts, Education, Psychology, Enlightened Team Dynamics
Needs: Job leads in nonprofit management; Book editing gigs
Gifts: Editing books, writing & editing, communications. Advising & working with nonprofit Boards to create positive
change in collaborative method.

Name:Pierre Riche
Passion: Artistic expression
Needs: Art sales management
Gifts: Artistic inspiration