There are two kinds of aloneness. Aloneness that we hold onto, and aloneness we let go of.

The bottom line is that renaissance souls inspire us with their diverse interests and passions. They invite us by example to define “being alive” as having a life rich in multiple possibilities.

The renaissance souls I know are as interested and fluent in politics and technology as they are in food, the arts, and friendships. A nap on any given day can be as good use of time as running fast in the blogsphere. They are unrestricted in their interests and varied in their passions. They define focus in the eastern way of broad awareness rather than in the western way of narrow focus.

The world will always be a better place populated at the edge of social ecosystems with their species.

Reading “The Renaissance Soul” by Margaret Lobenstine where she describes the 5 signs that you may be a renaissance soul:

1. The ability to become excited by many things at once, often accompanied by difficulty choosing
2. A love of new challenge; once challenges are mastered, easily bored
3. A fear of being trapped in the same career or activity for life
4. A pattern of quick, sometimes unsatisfying flings with many hobbies
5. A successful career that has left you bored or restless

The key to success as a renaissance soul: Give yourself freedom to pursue multiple interests, trusting that multiple paths can create richer possibilities in the future.

Picked up a wonderful book by David Richo, “The Five Things We Cannot Change … and the Happiness We Find by Embracing Them.”

It’s a meditation on the 5 givens of life - the basis for our transformation.

1. Everything changes and ends
2. Things do not always go according to plan
3. Life is not always fair
4. Pain is part of life
5. People are not loving and loyal all the time

Otto Scharmer points out that the root of the word leadership is to die, to let go of the known, the old world, and to cross this threshold to allow that which wants to emerge in us. It is letting go of the voice of judgment, cynicism, and fear in order to let come that which flows from our source.

I was reminded today of a Tibetan teacher’s admonitions about understanding our emotional buttons - the one’s “other people push.” Her suggested inquiry to make the whole process more conscious: Why do I maintain these buttons? They are the buttons of expectations that make everyone wrong, deficient, and blame-worthy.

The realization is that after all, they only endure if we allow them to. It is our responsibility. Graced are the relationships in which this is clear.

When you feed your dogs, they think you’re God; when you feed your cats, they think they’re God.

It’s interesting to notice those moments when we feel fairly certain that we are the center of the universe. The natural antidote is gratitude - in as many directions as we can imagine … Happy thanksgiving!

People in these parts talk about “what we should do as a region” with issues like education and the economy. The talk becomes most animated to the degree that no one knows what leaders have passion for. In some cases, they are administrators who lack passion for vision. In other cases, they are non-transparent about their goals. In any case, people need to step up and energize the conversation.

In conversation today with brilliant life coach, Joelle, reminded me of the passion for learning that so many of us have on so many levels. A passion for learning is a passion for making life interesting, or at least noticing the intrinsically interesting nature of life.

This simple perspective transforms every single thing in our life with the question: What can I use this opportunity to learn … explore, discover, experiment with, practice, master … ?

This is what it means to live a fearless life!