Trademarking your Diamonds

One of Norman Mailer’s books is called “The Spooky Art”. He was referring to the art of writing. He named it “spooky” as there were many elements to the process that were beyond his rational understanding. It is a worthwhile read for any aspiring writer, full of deep insights into the writing process. However, what I remember most from the book was his principle for working with one’s experiences.

He said that people should not tell their own stories verbatim. They should work with the diamond of their collective experience and shine the light of their consciousness through it to create a myriad of potential stories. As such, any one feeling or insight can create multiple avenues for exploration, can be the seed of a thousand adventures.

Leaving this thought with you for a moment, let me now turn to the world of business, particularly that sub-group of coaches, workshop leaders and other therapists who plough the barren wastelands of the corporate world with tired donkeys and the dry seeds of their utopian visions. It is a sub-group or loosely connected tribe that I know well (often championing collaboration with one hand then punching each other with the tight fist of competition with the other). Indeed I have shaped several of my own products and ploughed that field, too. Such a tribe exists as there is a hunger among millions to know themselves better and to have the power to control and shape their futures. And this hunger creates the huge diversity of offerings from people who set up shop to share their knowledge and satiate that hunger.

Yet I question the process and the activity and whether we can ever fully satisfy the hunger of another. We can perhaps provide one or two meals, but we can never fully satisfy another human being. I believe that task is handed to the “Unknown”. Only this mysterious being can truly educate us into our full humanity.

In other words, we can try and sell each other the diamonds of our experience. We can add a “TM” to it, provide a long list of satisfied customers and spin words until people are convinced that buying our diamond will help them create a new life.

I don’t believe it.

Yes, you can buy another diamond, shine your consciousness through it and have a good time. You may even become a little bit more enlightened.

But I’d much prefer you to dig deep to find your own…

Then polish it

polish it

polish it.