u04a2: Meaning-Making Forums

Chenista Rae Straubel

BUS 4013: Prof Gregory Gotches

April 26, 2005

A sense of belonging, interconnectedness, passion that mammoths

desire, purpose, direction, and meaning; elusive terms, foundational truths,

prevalent hope, intense faith; a wholeness, a completeness, a knowing, knowing,

knowing that exceeds rationale and explanation. In our relentless search for

perfection and acceptance, we fail to become, to blossom, or to be formed by the

presence of form itself. Why do we seek to make things where there is nothing

rather than to allow things to unfold and then to become aware of what they are

without making them into something they are not meant to be? Why do seek to

control (comfort, ease, complacency, repetition, predictability) rather than

freedom (change, opportunity, tension, raw energy)?

Adopting the heart and mind of child, excited daily in the newness of life

unfolding, in awe over its splendor without expecting it to be anything more than

what is wonderful and magnificent in this moment – we think “ah, to be young

again.” That child lives within each of us, repressed often by expectations,

demands, wants, and strife – universal blessing blockers. “What woe has fallen

over my Candyland Kingdom?” asks the Princess. “Yes” comes the reply, “your

favorite pet the Gumdrop Dragon has been stolen from his cage in the

courtyard!” exclaims the Prince. The cage in the courtyard represents our heart
(and everyone has one). The Gumdrop Dragon are the hopes and dreams of the

child that lives within each of us; robbed of our dreams by expectations and

notions, we live sultry lives forsaking our dreams, pushing hopes to the back

burner, accepting a life mediocrity because of fear. The fear is that when we

reach the courtyard (our heart), we will find it’s too late to reclaim our latent

desires and thus we lose all our final hope – the child within us dies. In fear, we

stagnate and settle, we never reach our potentials, and we never invite the

Gumdrop Dragon into our courtyard.

Like love, living is a decision. What we do with our decision becomes

commitment or passion depending upon the depth of wholeness, completeness,

and connectedness we feel in the decision. We become the decision when our

mission creates the vision and our vision creates purpose which blossoms into

meaning that gives our feet direction. As we focus, the plan unfolds and our

footsteps are ordered effortlessly, guided by a higher principle. We proceed,

cautiously at first as we feel the raw energy of the fear itself. We move within the

fear and find that befriending it gives us courage. Inquisitive we move closer and

we smile, “ah, this is what it’s like to be young again!” “Yes!” the fear cries back.

We learn to trust the edge and to gain a foothold in the unknown. We must be

willing to forsake all that is known in the hopes of finding something better

knowing that there are no guarantees, warranties, expectations, and NO

exceptions. We move within the dance of life and become one with our fears.

We accept ourselves. We love, perhaps for the first time – because we do it

consciously, it was our decision and we take ownership of it. Empowering! We

nurture and protect our decision – we are learning. We are learning with our

heart.

This is so in all things. The material world is nothing more than a

manifestation of a spiritual reality. The interconnectedness is seeded by

personal values that define how we want to behave toward each other, how we

show our customers and suppliers that we value them, and how we value the

organization or community as a whole. Values are statements of truth in what we

are to become. They reflect that we are integrated within a system, that we

serve a greater purpose with unyielding truth and childlike faith. As individuals

within a system define their values, they develop a connectedness with others

within the system, and the organizational values become apparent and

transparent. We have meaning unfolding. We risk transparency, we learn

acceptance. We enter into a new sense of wholeness. We no longer fear who

we are.

From our value perspectives, we precision mission and purpose. Why are

these values important to us, to our suppliers, to our customers, to each other,

and finally to the organization? Developing personal mission and purpose

statements helps individuals within a system connect to each other, to know each

other’s “core competencies” from which we birth organizational core

competencies. We exchange, we grow, we learn, and we create an

organizational mission and purpose that reflects what is important and why it is

important. We birth respect and integrity.

 Vision, mission, and purpose births truths that become self-evident:

Strategy. These self-evident truths are broadly defined approaches that create

focus and group synergies that energize the mission and drive the vision. Goals

and actions flow from these strategies, empowering individuals and teams within

the systems to pursue excellence through personal leadership and potential. As

we blossom individually, so does the system – nothing happens by chance or

coincidence – the Gumdrop Dragon is perhaps returned to the courtyard, yet

unleashed and safe without being caged. The system is liberated and no longer

fears the edge (change) but rather embraces it as opportunity with a new found

wonder, childlike, not afraid to admit that it does not know – but extending an

invitation to learn.

Competitive advantage is birthed during these processes as a natural

phenomenon of a system evolving. Capacity exceeds boundaries – everyone

grows and yearns in the growing pains, helping each other through the

experience. Through the exploration of the boundaries and the sharing of the

experiences, corporate culture evolves into a boundaryless system of inquiry and

possibilities, wonder and excitement. Involvement evolves and grows and the

process comes full circle only to move into a higher and more rewarding

dimension. “Yes,” says the Prince, “tis good to be young at heart.”

If there is struggle, the system is not unfolding naturally – something is

causing resistance. Victory is sweeter when burdens are turned into blessings

and this is accomplished by mere thoughts and perceptions. Interconnectedness

births natural support groups within systems and from these groups, individuals
seek and share perceptions in anticipation of finding new meanings, greater

truths, and revelation. Freedom knows the birthing pains from which we learn

what we are made of, what we can do, who we are, and through which we gain

identity by constantly redefining our self-evident truths (the heart of our own

motivations). We applaud the system – we have arrived and the cycle begins

anew. The Gumdrop Dragon thanks you – he knows rest and peace. He is

home.