All I want for Christmas are things that start with "p"

I'm at a time in my life when I want to pass things on.  I think psychologists refer to it as generativity.  All I know is that I'm driven by a strong desire to transmit, to give, to pass things on. 

I struggle to think of things that I want to receive, things that I desire 'just for me'.  I don't know if this a good or a bad thing.  I know I get heart sick of the consumerism which eats away at our society and causes so much damage to the planet.  At the same time I read about abundant mindsets and scarcity thinking and wonder, sometimes, if there's something 'behind' my undesiring frame of mind - but that doesn't get as far as changing the way that I feel.  I just don't have a wish list of stuff that I want.

Except - there are some things that I might ask for.  Things that I know will help me to do the things that I want to do, to coach the people that I want to coach, to write the things that I want to write, to make the impact that I want to make, to give the things that I want to give. 

I started jotting some of them down last night.  I had to smile at the way my mind works.  The first two just happened to start with "p" so I kept going to see what else would appear.  It turned into quite a neat list, all starting with "p" and a pretty fair statement of what would be on my learning wish list. 

And then I figured that it would be a good idea to share this list with you here, because I know this is a place full of people who can help me find these qualities, crack these puzzles, unlearn the things that hold me back, learn what I need to learn, discover the resources within me that will help me give what I want to give, to be who I want to be.

You might recognise some of my "p" list yourselves.  Perhaps you've got more you could add?  Mine includes:

Patience: developing a brand and a business takes time, which takes patience (daily doses, please)

Perspective: likewise I often feel the need to juggle perspectives, big picture and everyday detail, immediate priorities and long term objectives.  When I get stuck it's often because I'm looking at things from the wrong perspective for that task

Perseverance: learning to coach myself as well as others to keep taking the steps that will eventually get you up the mountain...

Possibility: holding onto a sense of what's possible - for me, for those I work with, for the world that we live in.

Potential: I see it (encourage it, nurture it) in others - I wonder if I need to do more to nurture, to fulfil my own?

Practicalities: I love getting to grips with new technology and new applications (and I never would have imagined myself saying that) but there's still so much I want to learn, not least the next step of creating a create a membership or subscription based teaching/learning environment on the web

Persuasiveness: Maybe this sounds funny coming from a writing coach but I know I can take my writing further - for greater impact, power and persuasion.

Power: I talk about people realising the power of their own words.  I need to realise mine too.  To learn how to toot, sweetly - and not to be afraid of where that takes me.

Passion: It goes hand in hand with impact, power and persuasion.    I see the fire-power in others, but I'm sometimes too hesitant or cautious to breathe it fully myself.

Present: No, not a present*, but learning to live more fully in the present.  Letting go of the past, the what ifs and the might have beens, and relishing what I have right here, right now.

* Well I wouldn't be a wordsmith without a little play on words now would I?  Oh, there's another one, Playfulness...

...but just as I like lists that start with one letter, I also like them to have a set number, like 5, 7, 10, or 12. 

But not 11. 

Unless you can help me get it up to 20?

---

Joanna Young is a writing coach based in Edinburgh, Scotland. 

She coaches people to write with confidence, to realize the power of their own words.  And whenever possible she tries to take her own medicine.

You can read more of Joanna's work at her Confident Writing blog.

Comments

[Greg Balanko-Dickson]

Great observations, I like how you can laugh at "how your mind works"...

Persistence: very similar to your pick, my favorite is perseverance. I like "persistence" because I like the definition of being "firm or obstinate" in the face of difficulty or opposition after taking action.

It is easy to model, copy, and mimic others and quite frankly, tired, worn out, and old. To be truly unique requires a steadfast commitment to a set of ideals, standards, and principles.

Principles: this is something I keep coming back to with my clients and my own life - "What are the principles that I am applying to the direction, decisions, and development of my business and self?"

In a world where fear, consumption, and war drives the economy and our personal lives - we need principles. Principles that we are willing to take a stand for and defend.

Pleasantness: is exhibiting pleasantness old fashioned? I like to think that the world will be a better place if we practice a little "excessive enjoyment and happiness".

People: In our throw away society we need to throw away throwing away. I think of Patch Adams who put people first and as a Doctor chose to treat the whole person.

Peace: of all the things we chase in society, peace seems the most elusive, perhaps because as consumers we have lost our way by supplanting our spiritual and personal needs with "stuff" and shopping activities.

Peace...

[Karen Wallace]

Joanna, I clicked onto JJL to see what was new, and started reading this without knowing the author. And I knew it was you by the second paragraph! It's that singing quality to your writing...

I love this list of P's and Greg has already added Peace... (and some other brilliant suggestions)

While I cannot think of any to add to the list right now, I know it will stick in my head all day, and who knows what will pop in there?

To me, the two most powerful (ha!) items on your list are Possibility and Passion. I like to hold a space for possibility, where the future lies before us like a glorious fruit, ripe, luscious and gorgeous - just waiting for us to take our first bite and savour the experience with all our senses. To have the mango juice dripping down our chin and know we are really living.

[Joanna Young]

Greg, thanks for sharing these additions, and putting so much thought into them. I will definitely be adding these to my list.

Joanna

[Joanna Young]

Karen, thank you so much for your feedback.

I love the metaphor you finished with.

"I like to hold a space for possibility, where the future lies before us like a glorious fruit, ripe, luscious and gorgeous - just waiting for us to take our first bite and savour the experience with all our senses."

I'm going to think about 2008 as a ripe mango!

Joanna

[Rosa Say]

Mmmm... there is a single mango in our refrigerator, the last of the season. After reading this it is destined to be my mid-morning snack!

Wonderful list going here Joanna, and your initial paragraphs explaining the why you wrote this truly resonated with me in several ways.

This in particular is something I so want to give all our readers here at JJL: You wrote,

"And then I figured that it would be a good idea to share this list with you here, because I know this is a place full of people who can help me find these qualities, crack these puzzles, unlearn the things that hold me back, learn what I need to learn, discover the resources within me that will help me give what I want to give, to be who I want to be."

If I were to add another P it would be for Partnership; one of my goals currently is to improve the ways I can collaborate with others, for my natural tendency is to do for myself. Learning factors into this at first, but there are several ways I can be letting go better.

The Hawaiian P I would add is for Pono, the value of rightness and balance (and it WILL be added soon - Pono will be my value of the month on Managing with Aloha Coaching for January!

[Joanna Young]

Rosa, thank you for those two great additions!

I'm interested in your comment on partnership - you are so talented in bringing people together, in facilitating learning, exchange, collaboration, inspiration... but I guess there must be something else in the mix that you know you need to learn (or unlearn) to get to where you want to be. I'm sure we'll all benefit from it as and when you do.

Joanna

[Steve Sherlock]

Joanna, I have a couple of P's to suggest:

Presence - the beginning of effort starts with the recognition and action of the self. Knowing oneself and how our actions, words, deeds, and yes, even lack of action creates our presence is the key for ultimate success.

Provincial - not in the negative sense of being restricted to a view point, but in the positive sense of knowing and utilizing the basic source of what the self can bring to the table. What is our real expertise? Building upon what comes natural should be less work.

Thanks for the opportunity!

[Joanna Young]

Steve, excellent contributions and that's me up to 20! Thanks.

Provincial is very interesting - I'm going to drop that one into my mental toaster and see what pops up!

Joanna