Heart, Mind and Soul: Resolving the Conflicts Between Them

We've all heard it before. Follow your passion. Love What You Do and Do What You Love.

Who wouldn't want that?

There are three main attractors for everything in life: Heart, Mind and Soul. When we follow our passion, we need to remember to engage all three and listen to them, or we will increase our chances of failure.

Heart

We all do it. We follow our hearts. We can't help it. We fall in love and once in love, so many things lose clarity. Reason is the first to go. We discount the value of our inner voice questioning our decision, and we focus on the joy our heart choice will bring.

Mind

When we leave our decisions and choices to the mind, however, and ignore all else, we can caught in either a spiral of uncertainty over the right choice or a dogged determination to make something work that has very little if any life left in it. We press on because we know we are right.

Soul

Of the three motivational forces, the soul may be the most difficult to discern. How do we know when our soul is calling us? It may feel like the heart is doing the pulling or pushing, but a call to the soul can take us to places our heart may not think of going.

Putting all Three in Play

It is a rare occasion when all three are in synch, when the heart's choice makes sense to the mind and fills the soul as well. But when that happens, it can be a force greater than any other.

But what if the forces are not in agreement?

In our Education for mInistry class, we learned a process for dealing with those problems that put us at odds with our own wants, needs and callings. It is a process of internal conflict resolution known as Theological Reflection (TR for short), but the topic or problem doesn't need to be theological for it to work.

The main requirement, though, is that you do this in the company of others. That is the key to finding your way through any situation, because it brings other voices into the conversation, allowing us to hear our own voice more clearly.

When we are challenged, we take one of two paths. Either we stand and fight, or we shut down and become quiet. Theological Reflection gives us an alternative path, to rethink our position by going down a different path to find a new way of approaching the problem.

How it Works

We begin with our statement of the conflict. In this case, we have the three forces in opposition to each other and we don;t know what to do.

Each person in the group (from 6 to 12) then tries to come up with a metaphor that describes the type of conflict. An example might be, "I feel like I'm between a rock and a hard place," or "I'm like a dog chasing his own tail," or "I feel trapped in a maze."

Now here comes the twist. The group picks which metaphor they want to explore more deeply, leaving the original problem or conflict behind.

Why do they do that?

Because we get stuck on the details of one or more aspects of the real issue when we try to be objective. We find ourselves digging in and arming ourselves for battle to defend our cause. But when we change the picture, we are more open to hear a variety of perspectives.

Don't worry, we will come back to the problem at hand, but for now, we are exploring.

We then look for examples of this type of conflict (the metaphor) in the world today. Is it like looking for peace in the Middle East for example? Or perhaps it is like the Supreme court decisions of the past week.

We do the same "reflection" on the metaphor with our own personal beliefs, our history and our traditions, until we have gained some insight into one or more clues to how this type of conflict can be dealt with in our own hearts, minds and souls.

The Final Step

We end the process with a simple question. What did you learn from this and what will you do differently going forward.

Why it Works

The reason this approach works and works well is mutual respect. All the members of the group listen without judgment. We offer our perspectives as personal statements, rather than as general ones. When we do that, we are heard, and we hear others.

The beauty of the process is it becomes second nature. After we do this a few times, we learn that we can simulate the other voices in our heads when we are facing a decision alone. And we can quickly go through the steps, shifting from emotion to reason to spiritual engagement without over valuing one over the others.

Where to Learn More

I learned about TRs in a four year course called Education for Ministry. I am currently a mentor of an ongoing class that runs from September through June each year. It is a four year program of study and discussion, the curriculum for which is created by The University of the South at Sewanee in Tennessee.

But Theological Reflection is a process that is well known in theological circles. Yes, it has its roots in theology, but it is a tool for all to use and it is a must for those dealing with issues that touch the heart, challenge the mind, and move the soul.

So, when you start a business, make a change in your life, or find yourself at odds, think about aligning your three motivational forces, heart, mind and soul, and see where it takes y ou. I am sure it will be one amazing ride.

Story Bored? Go Interactive and Non-linear

Do you find long drawn-out stories a bore?

Like most things these days, stories are getting smaller and that means they need to be succinct. The days of the epic are far behind us in this digital age, at least when it comes to getting airplay, and isn;t that what it is all about?

But what do you do when your story is just too complex to tell in a snippet?

The answer may be to tell the story in a non-linear way. Or, not to tell the story at all, but let folks interact with your story the way they want to experience it. Give them a roadmap to a series of short and even shorter sub-stories that they can sample at their own pace, finding those morsels that they are most interested in, without the long, boring narrative.

The buzz words around this approach include non-linear and interactive, and they come in a variety of flavors.

Non-linear Storytelling

The simplest way to describe this form is to say what it is not. Clearly, it is not linear, and linear simply means the story flows form beginning to end with mounting suspense or interest, culminating in a climax and ending that leaves you feeling like yo had a full meal, dessert included.

When you mix that sequence up, you are talking "non-linear" or not in a straight line. Now, how storytellers do that is what makes this form so interesting. Dream sequences, flashbacks, flash-forwards, and even getting into the mind of the character are all techniques filmmakers and novelists have used. But these can be confusing for some, so let's add another layer, interactivity.

Interactive Storytelling

As the name implies, interactivity involves the viewer or reader in the process of building and experiencing the story.

When we think of interactivity, though, we might think we are talking about ebooks. While they may engage the audience in a series of options on each page, most interactive ebooks follow an overall liner format, whereas the reader/viewer moves from page to page in sequence.

Now, suppose we mix that up a bit. Imagine a mind map of choices, branching off one or more central themes, each with its own short experience. Imagine combining these two types into one.

Non-linear Interactive Storytelling

As we have seen in recent years, television viewers have changed the way they choose to watch their favorite programs, from binge watching, spending hours plowing through an entire season of episodes, to recording and watching only the scenes and episodes they want.

Many of our favorite shows, including the reality types, include a host of characters. Some we like and want to know more about, while others? Yeah, we can do without them. Perhaps we fast forward through those scenes. We might want to go back later and replay what we missed, but we might also just forget it altogether.

Imagine we could follow the thread of one character, or one topic without having to watch, or even know about the others. And imagine we can go back at any time and follow those other paths as well. That's what we mean by interactive and non-linear.

Going Non-linear and Interactive

We are fully immersed in this dynamic interactive approach to telling our clients' stories. One tool we are using is Klynt 3.0. (Check out the sample above and on the Klynt site.)

Klynt is a tool for storytellers, a way of creating an experience for the viewer/reader. It runs on Windows and MAC operating systems and it allows the creator the ability to layer video, text, images, on the screen and develop links to other story components. You can preview your results in a browser and export to a web-ready folder that can be loaded onto your website via FTP.

But the tool doesn't determine the experience; the creative mind using the tool does that, and that's where the opportunity lies. Creating a meaningful experience in a multi-path environment like Klynt requires just as much planning and editing as linear storytelling, if not more. Each snippet of information needs to stand alone, and yet make sense when linked to others.

Some storytellers are not comfortable handing over the reigns to the audience, letting the viewer decide what is important in the story and what is not, so developing one's storylines on such platform takes practice and planning.

The good news is there is help available on the Klynt site with tutorials and webinars.

So, check it out, and start thinking non-linearly and interactively. We are. We believe it is a great way to engage, educate and entertain.

What do you think?

More to come...

Why Your Website May Not Matter (It's all in the workflow)

A friend of mine has a great website. It is well designed, easy to read, with clear, understandable content, nice photos and a catalog with e-commerce capabilities. He even has a proven client base.

So, why are they not using it?

Why are they phoning in orders and sending him emails rather than placing them on the site?

WORKFLOW MATTERS

What matters most in the overall design of your website and marketing platform is your ordering process. If the process is too complicated, or it lacks the necessary functionality, you may have visitors, but they won't be customers.

If you are like my friend and are lucky enough to get orders directly, the answer to your problem may be staring you in the face. The orders you get are clues to what may not be working on your site. So, let's break down this test case and see what we mean. We will start with the types of orders that come in.

Types of Orders Received

Phone in Orders - When a customer or sales rep calls with an order rather than placing on your site, there is a reason. Don't try to guess what that reason is. Ask, "Why did you call rather than enter it on the site?" The answers may and should surprise you. If they don't surprise you, shame on you for not doing something about them before. Some of the possible reasons are:
1. The minimum order quantity may be prohibitive and the rep wants to talk with you about it.
2. Color or size options may be clear.
3. There may be a need for a rush order for a special client.
4. Availability may be questioned.
Email Orders - Unlike orders by phone, email orders require access to the Internet, so the rep or customer could have visited the site instead of taking the time to write an email. If it is easier to email, what are the possible reasons?
1. The site may be overly complicated.
2. The email may be generated by their own order processing system.
3. The website may not be easy to navigate on a smartphone or tablet.
4. The customer may not know the site URL or that it exists at all.
Fax or Paper Orders - This could be an indication that the customer does not use the Internet, or is not comfortable placing orders that way.

Follow the Process

Once we know the reason, it seems simple enough to make changes to our site, but before we do, we should consider the overall ordering process. What will make the order flow smoothly? What can the rep do while in the store or with the customer? What can a customer do easily from a smartphone or tablet?

Form follows function, so it is important to begin with the functionality, the ordering process itself, and everything else will fall into place.

Customers may not want to log in before selecting their merchandise. Sales reps may want to have flexibility around order quantities. When you analyze your orders and the reasons behind them, you may find there are potential sales hidden in them that are being lost.

So, before you spend a dime on redesigning your site, check with your customers and sales reps. They know why they don't use the site. Going through the expense of fixing what isn't broken and leaving broken what is will only make you angry and less profitable.

Happy New Year!

Is Anybody Out There? (or How Do We Get Them to Promote You?)

Staying on top of technology changes is hard work. Understanding how to apply those changes is even harder.

I had a conversation recently with a totally unscientific sampling of middle school, high school and college students, all of whom use smart phones as constant companions. I asked a simple question. Whom do you connect with?

The answer was unanimous. Friends.

Then I asked what they share with their friends and the answer, also unanimous, was pictures. After a brief pause, a few added, videos, too. In fact, a favorite pastime seems to be trolling for fun pictures and videos to share in the hope of getting comments back.

This is the medium of communication for this generation. Forget texting, and emails are so old school! Pictures and short (really short) videos are in. (Does anyone say something is in anymore?)

So what is a marketer to do? If the growing market of digitally savvy consumers has created micro-network circles of communication, and they only communicate with pictures and videos, how do we get a message to them?

The answer may be that we don't.

In order to get our message to be picked up and go viral through their networks, we need to have them find us and get infected.

One way to do this is to turn our message into an event, the way one of our client's did. Her message on teaching children to share was originally aimed at parents. As a family therapist, that makes sense, but the break-away thinking here works much more elegantly.

Jeanne Rollins created a character, Gracie, who feels she has to do everything herself. In the musical, and the accompanying children's book, Gracie learns the hard way that being "Greedy" with the tasks of throwing a birthday party for her friend Gina can have dire consequences.

The musical, "Greedy Gracie Shares the Happy," premiered in November, just before Thanksgiving at the Westchester Sandbox Theater and parents and kids left each performance humming and singing the tunes, carrying the message in the lyrics.

True to form, Jeanne followed her own advice. The production was a totally shared event. While Jeanne wrote the story and the lyrics to the songs, she relied on the amazing talents of Marshall Toppo for the music and Jason Summers for direction and choreography. The book was also a collaboration with illustrations by Kathleen Jordan.

What Jeanne has done with Gracie is to shift her strategy. She doesn't wait for people to find her. She finds ways to go to them.

The other thing that Jeanne is doing that helps her grow her following is to put her message everywhere she can imagine, including her website, Facebook pages, Twitter, even on local store shelves with her line of note cards.

So, you might say all this is hard work and you would be right. Fun, but exhausting at times. Ask Jeanne. But she loves what she does and that makes it all worthwhile. She never stops.

The lessons we can take away from this are:

Stay on top of what is changing in the market and in technology.
Discover how your market audience communicates.
Focus your resources on the right strategies.
Don't be afraid to try multiple strategies.
Never give up.

Is anybody out there?

Yes! But they may not be looking for you, so you need to go out and find them!