Synchronicity

What a night! Let me back up to earlier in the night to shed light onto the build up of how the evening gave me the synchronicity revealed to me.

I'm at dinner with Laurie, Melissa, and John talking about TV shows and the focus group. The role of director is coming into full swing. We start generating ideas for a TV show immediately as a group. I begin to jump in as director seeing how we can set up the cameras, getting enough coverage, and carrying our storyline through. The TV show is born out of making tea with love and sharing it with my closest friends, Laurie and Melissa. Stories are shared. We all grow together.

John takes off and we stay behind to create the next week for the group.

We talk about seeing the sign posts along the way. We three bring up many times about how the synchronicity shows the signs more and more when you see the cycles and have that awareness of the cycles. Lately, I've been extremely connected to what is happening around me and the pieces fitting together. The awareness to these is like building a muscle. I will let the pieces speak for themselves as the evening progresses.

Keep in mind the role of director in work, social, and relationships.

I'm driving back home from Cosmic Cafe, heading down Ross. I wonder what Nader is up to, just as I'm passing his home. I could really go for hanging out at some place social tonight. Dialing Nader now. I hear a noisy background. "Where are you?", I ask. "Angelika, you should come down." "Do I need a pass?" "Yeah, go to work and grab one." "Ok, see you soon."

Two passes left for the Dallas International Film Festival. I grab number 26. Off to the Angelika for the opening gala.

Tall, beautiful people everywhere. The women look amazing. There's Nader, Justin, and friends. I just want to talk to some of these women, yet I don't see an opening or enough pull. I'm in a observing mood. One woman I'm drawn to with dark curly hair and tall. I continue to steal glances. If only she would step away from that guy she's hanging out with right now. They look like friends. I'm not seeing an opening.

Justin discusses big plans of unleashing our creative ideas out. We are all super talented guys ready to contribute.

Party is dying down. We grab our Target gift bag on our way out.

While rummaging through the bag, Nader grabs a coupon out. "Paciugo!", Nader excitingly says to himself. I drop Nader off.

I'm home now. Not really tired. Nader mentioned "Lost" at the party. I could go for "Lost" and some vanilla ice cream. I haven't had PLAIN vanilla ice cream in ages. It's Haagen-Dazs "Five" Vanilla Bean. 5 ingredients: Milk, Cream, Sugar, Eggs, Vanilla Bean.

"Lost" is about Desmond and Penny. It's about finding true love.

Time for bed. Where's my iPhone charger? I don't see it laying around. It must be in my coat. Nope. Car. Nope. I grab the Target gift bag. Let's see what is in here.

1. Dallas International Film Festival notepad, wrapped in a Target "Art for All". I don't think much of this, now.
2. Paciugo coupon. I just had my ice cream. Interesting this shows up.
3. Exhale coupon that says "Take the Time to Exhale". I've been meaning to go to a spa. I find it interesting about the 'breathing' connection to "Exhale".
4. Studio Movie Grill coupon. I love movies. (Director pops in my head)
5. Next, a card at the top saying "Don't miss the chance to experience these authors, artists, and musicians in person!" Oh, I wonder if I would like to see any, as I scan down the list. David Sadaris, yes. Ira Glass! Oh YES! Now wait a minute. I was telling Laurie and Melissa a story about Ira earlier tonight about radio and TV that I heard on Radio Lab. Interesting again.
6. Postcard for a 14 day free trial to match.com Ok, now I know I creating the 'casting call' for the leading lady in my life and now this? Wow! Coincidence? Keep reading.
7. Postcard for "El Creative", which says in big bold letters: "Unmatched Quality" and under that "Fresh Ideas Produced Daily" "100% Satisfaction Guaranteed". One, El Creative is right across from where Nader lives. Which I went by twice tonight. Two, how it points at fresh ideas. Three, the word "quality" jumps at me, pointing at quality in relationships, work, and my life. This is starting to get interesting, but I'm not fully enrolled.
8. Dallas Modern Magazine. Top tag lines on the cover: "Men of Style 2010" (I think I could be on the list). "Dallas' Most Dapper Dudes" (Nader and I of course). "Ben Stiller Gets Serious?" Whoa! This puts the breaks on for me and I get chills. I'm writing a script right now where I've been saying Ben is the lead role. Here is where I see all the connections. Ben, my script, opening gala night at the film festival, being the role of director, social, ideas, beauty, women, TV, radio, blank slate.
9. Light bulb. This might as well be the 'bright idea'. Don't ignore the sign posts!
10. Nectarine Mint anti-bacteria hand gel. ??? I can't even make a meaning out of this one. I will leave this one to Laurie.
11. Vitamin Water - XXX acai-blueberry-pomegranate. I see this just as something to take care of my health. I suppose that is what the hand gel is for too.
12. Target pen, printed on the pen "Expect More. Pay Less."

Here is the quick of the evening to sum it all up. This is all just stream of consciousness.

TV. Sign posts. Nader. Movies. Director. Love. Vanilla Ice Cream. Ben Stiller. Screenplay. Romance. Well Being. Ideas. Creative. Groups. Quality. TV. Radio. Breathe. Style. Wealth. Social. Time for myself. Expect More. Pay Less.

In synchronicity,

Mark Thielen

Break the pattern

Mark posting on our blog today.

Laurie and I are writing down chapter eight of the book we are writing, "Alright, What's Next?". We are both in a space where we are reinventing ourselves and the role in our lives. No matter who's talking we are both saying the same thing, the details are different. We both want to take our roles to the next level. There is a stagnant feeling in the air and we are unsure on how to get things moving.

We decided to stop. Wait a minute! Let's share what is really going on inside of our heads right now. Our stories in our heads is what drives our actions and the choices we are making.

Why are we not taking on the new role?
My role, director of films. Laurie's role, creative consultant. We are stuck with one foot in our old roles and one foot in the new roles. My old role is animator. Laurie's old role is make up artist.

We have to look between the lines to see what is really going on. Laurie listens to my story and then I hear Laurie's story, for HOURS. I want to be directing right now, but the opportunities are not showing up. Why isn't anyone giving me a directing job? What should I do around animating and creating something at work? Are they connected? Where is the answer? Laurie is doing make up jobs and mentioning being a creative consultant. The economy died in the entertainment industry. She wakes up every morning saying, "how can I create a successful business overnight?" She just keeps staying in action and moving forward, waiting for something to open up. Sounds just like what I'm waiting for too.

Hang on, is this what we really want to create? What are we committed to?

All these old stories are too disempowering. How can we be a leader in the community operating on top of all of this disempowerment when we are just settling for our stories? We need to get back to the heart of it all.

First we have to stop focusing on ourselves. All we hear from each other's stories is that we are so focused on ourselves. It's not about us.

Next, how can we make a contribution to the world?

On a side note, I just got distracted on ambient sounds. Laurie jumps in to keep me on track, and then notices that I'm creating a world. It's obvious I would bring up ambiance in this context.

We both take a stand on creating who each of us will be in the new roles and the contribution we will have to the world. Laurie is creative consultant. Mark is director of films. Once we establish this, a huge shift happens. The stories we've been listening to need to be thrown out. A new storyline needs to be created for the new roles. We forgot that we are the author of our life. We are the writer, director, producer, and actor in our own story. The story called life.

Creation begins.

The storyline gets created for the new roles. New choices are made from this role we are standing in right now. We begin to light up and see each other as the role while the story is being generated. I'm directing films that have people's voices being heard. These voices are the treasures in the world waiting to be discovered and the film shines the light upon these people.

Laurie is generating leaders in the beauty, spa, and entertainment industries. She is turning businesses around in a heart beat having huge successes result from the presence of her consulting. People are empowered. She is helping businesses reinvent themselves and take it to the next level. Massive overnight successes.

Now that we have these great stories of what we look like as the role, how do we keep it going? Every time we see ourselves disempowered, the word of the day, we need to break the pattern. When we break the pattern we create a shift in our minds to take on the new role. Our break, situps. Thirty situps. Yes, we will be doing situps when our new role is put on the backburner because our minds thought something around disempowering ourselves. We are either going to show up as powerful leaders or have abs of steel.