Peek Performance

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Peek Performance

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Charlotte learned a mental trick when she was very young. She learned how to look ahead and see herself in a future state of existence, meaning that if she could concentrate on what she wanted to be and see it in her mind’s eye, she would eventually become what she imagined. When she arrived, she bubbled with gratitude and cried.

And more…

Have you ever had that feeling of exultation and joy of realizing a dream come true? The moment that the car on your vision board was parked in your garage. The time a glance across the room sparked an enduring relationship. The moment when the stars aligned and your life exploded with abundance. And my favorite: The absolute surge of adrenaline and goosebumps you get when you realize that everything you ever wanted had always been in reach and that what “things” you got in life paled in comparison to who you had become, who you actually ARE in life. That’s why Charlotte cried with tears of gratitude. She understood the power of self-awakening.

Here’s the epiphany and its essence is found in a Japanese Proverb: “Vision without action is a daydream and action without vision is a nightmare.” What Charlotte discovered, and is within each of us to tap into, is that living with purpose – having a clear vision for our life – turns every action into a steppingstone, bringing us closer and closer to becoming whatever it is we choose to become. Our purpose, vision, raison d’être, dharma, or whatever we choose to call it, sets our GPS and activates our autopilot so that we live with intention all the time. This creates the power to transform, transcend and transport us to a place and time where dreams literally come true.

This is a state I call “Peek Performance.” It’s a mindset that lets us look ahead, peek if you will, into our own future. When we are clear and focused on our purpose, anything we put our attention to has greater relevance. Our actions and how we perform in life become a reflection of who we are and how we see ourselves. And when our internal vision is aligned with our actions, we connect the cosmic dots. Living in peek performance is the key to creating a fulfilling life’s story and it starts by identifying one’s purpose, not just why we are here, but why we want to be here. Find your “why” and you’ll find your “way.”

The Final Thought: When what we tell ourselves about who we are becomes true we’ve arrived.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

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by: Gary Szenderski

The Search for Solace

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Carl struggled with the waves of negativity that seemed to pour into his psyche on a daily basis. He tried to ignore the news, the social media feeds, and the sometimes-serious complaining about the state of the world overheard in checkout lines. He looked to escape the noise, find a respite, and calm his weary heart. He found refuge within.

And more…

Sometimes it seems that the world is spiritually bankrupt, often barren of joy and full of doubt. Not a great place to be, yet here we are. But as Alexander Pope famously said in 1734: “Hope springs eternal.” And with it a chance to escape today’s ennui and find a moment of inspiration and peace of mind. Today, Hope and its big sister Faith are alive and well as we find ourselves in the midst of Passover and Easter. These very holy days are not only filled with ritual, prayer and history but they celebrate a new life where God wins and we’re all able to tap into the power of peace, and fellowship – a time and space where true solace can be found.

All of us need a way to escape the burdens of life and distress and each of us follows our own path to find what Carl from our story desperately needed. He eventually went inside himself to calm his own inner turbulence. Like Carl, when we find ourselves stuck with bad news all around us it’s hard to just turn it off. In fact, we can’t. We’re encased in an onslaught of negative news and distress where social media is playing with our minds, feeding us untruths, products that don’t work, and digital traps that steal our identity, money and sense of self. Whew! Sorry. I didn’t intend to be so negative but wow it’s hard to ignore.

That being said, fortunately, we have a gift from our Creator which gives us the ability to change the narrative for ourselves. It’s called free will and it’s the most powerful tool known to man. It enables us to choose not only what we experience but how we absorb it into our psyche. We get to decide how “things” good or bad will affect us. It’s not so much ignoring things as it is filtering and categorizing them. Our free will is designed to help us take charge of how we see our world and put a positive spin on whatever needs to be spun. This whole paragraph is my spin on how to frame the moments of our life in such a way that fits with who we are, not who we’re told to be. When we access our power to be the master of our thoughts, we gain the upper hand. We emerge from the darkness, and we create our own sanctuary. A place where solace can be found and we’re in charge of what happens next.

The Final Thought: Prayer, meditation, mantras and ritual open a channel to the unknown where we can connect to our source and ask for what our heart seeks. It’s the fertile ground where all things are possible and we’re in the driver’s seat.   

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

Szenzone – Stories of life and the power to change yours – is sent via email by request and is published weekly or thereabouts. For back issues or to receive this publication directly please email garys@szen.us  © Gary Szenderski 2025 All Rights Reserved. Gary is an author, branding specialist and teaches at the University of California in Irvine. He specializes in helping people and organizations navigate change – if you or your company needs assistance contact Gary directly.  Gary resides in Southern California and welcomes your comments.

Luck of the Roll

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by: Gary Szenderski Luck of the Roll My New York Adventure Part 2 Recap: On my very first trip to New York via Philadelphia, I had hitchhiked and arrived with very little money, no clue of the culture and after one night staying at the YMCA realized something about New York that I would carry […]

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When Things Go Bad

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by: Gary Szenderski
From the Book of Szen

When Things Go Bad

“So, I’m down and so I’m out but so are many others. So I feel like trying to hide my head ‘neath these covers.” *

Sometimes things come at us and we feel helpless and simply want to hide. We wonder what we did to deserve the bad times and how in the world we will survive. It’s just one thing after another in waves of disappointment and fear and even the strongest of us lose faith. And of course, when we lose faith, we lose everything.

For example… a father was taking his two young girls to school. He had to stop on the way to buy some gas. He looked in his wallet and saw seven dollars – five and two ones. The ones would go to his daughters for lunch, and his last five dollars would go into the tank. As he watched the gas pump counting out the last pennies he possessed, he looked at the car he was driving (a very old Oldsmobile with no air conditioning, power steering or radio and bald tires to boot) and wondered how in the world he would be able to take care of his children. Business was horrible and the rent was late. The click of the pump brought him back to the present and he had to hurry to get the kids to school on time. He jumped into the car and sped off, but he had neglected to take the hose out of the gas tank and pulled it right out of the pump, dragging it behind the car as a metaphor for his own personal nadir. He wanted to cry…

“But I’ll keep my head up high although I’m kind of tired. My gal just up and left last week, and Friday I got fired. I know it’s kind of funny, but things can’t get worse than now.” *

Bad things can happen to good people. Negative things can happen to positive people. And unexpected things can happen to people that plan. Such is life and often the yin and yang of our existence treat and exposes all of us to situations that beat us up, bring us down and zap all remnants of positive energy right out of our psyche. How we react in these situations determines to what extent we can be controlled by what’s going on “outside” versus what we know to be true about ourselves on the “inside.” We could lose money, love, and people in our lives and begin to feel that somehow, we deserve the bad luck and that it’s entirely our fault. We also know the pain of not being able to help someone we care about navigate through difficult times, perhaps we even have first-hand experience: Be it divorce, family death, illness, job loss or whatever, it often feels like the pain, stress and sorrow will never end.

However, even though we may slip into an ennui of pity and desperation, we can’t forget that the engine inside of us is still beating with a force of will that is legendary. The same willpower that creates heroes from POW’s and inspiration from darkness works inside each of us to bring us through the challenges we face. An inner sanctum of positive power is available to help us succeed in the midst of defeat and thrive amongst the barren landscapes we sometimes face. Not my law; God’s law.

I’ve been told and I believe that life is meant for living and even when my chips are low, there’s still some left for giving.” *

In the face of a mental, physical, financial or emotional meltdown, here are two things to remember:

1. You are not alone. You may feel like you want to be alone or maybe that no one understands or cares, but that is shortsighted and just plain poor thinking. There are people in your life that care and can help, even if it’s just listening to your plight. Invite them into a dialog with your inner and truer self and you’ll be surprised at the positive outcomes you can create.

2. Seriously, you are not alone. ‘Nuff said.

* Lyrics from the song entitled “Cycles” performed by Frank Sinatra.

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The Final Thought: If any of you are reading this, feeling like you’re on an island and want to talk, please respond to this email and we’ll have a chat. I’m all ears.

Trick Ending

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by: Gary Szenderski

From the Book of Szen

Trick Ending

Years ago, before marriage and children, I had the opportunity to plan my own vacations. For me, going someplace nice was typically the most expensive thing I would do during the year. And so, as my income grew I tended to go farther and farther from home, and until I moved to California my starting point was Toledo Ohio.

One thing about vacations is that it assumes one is making money at a job and has to come back to work in a specified amount of time. During the years when I was only working part time, going to school, vacation trips I could afford tended to be close and reachable by car. And in that part of the country there were lots of options depending on the time of year. Winter vacations were most often in Vermont, Blue Mountain in Canada or upstate New York for the ski season. Summertime respites included trips to Montreal or Toronto, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C.  I later discovered the beauty of flying stand-by. Toledo to Chicago was $13 and New York was $21 one way.

My first real expensive get-a-way experience was to the island of Martinique. It’s located in the French West Indies less than 100 miles off the coast of Venezuela. A friend of mine suggested the trip because there was a Club Med located on the island. He sold me on the benefits of the Club Med – one price for everything – concept, the warm climate and of course the women. So, in the middle of a dark and gloomy Ohio December we flew Air France from New York to a French island and gathering spot for those getting away from the cold Northern United States. The vacation, or should I say party, started on the plane.  Once there, the party continued but with demonstrably less clothing. A bathing suit was all you needed.

There were lots of activities to enjoy and after perusing the list of options, I opted for water skiing because I had never done it before and figured that it would be a nice opening line when I got back – Hey, I just got back from a ski trip.

I guess a lot of other people had the same idea. When I got to the docks, there was a line of water-skiing enthusiasts waiting for one of the three speed boats that would whisk us onto the surface of the Caribbean Sea. The instructors were French speaking but one could easily follow the grunts and hand signals. As I watched people get up and go, I noticed a lot of posturing. The guys were showing off, and the women were pretending not to notice. As each boat returned, I observed that the skier would simply let go of the rope and slowly sink into the warm buoyant water. 

My attempt at being cool lasted only a quick second after I jumped into the water. I floundered trying to get my skis up and straight while holding the rope. The instructor kept on signaling for me to lean back farther and get more of my weight to my backside so I would not just flip forward and be dragged headfirst out to sea. I finally got it and got up the first time.

It felt great but after the third crash and burn my arms felt like they had been pulled out of their sockets and then imperfectly screwed back in like a jar whose lid isn’t quite straight and tight. As we made our approach to the dock, I made a valiant attempt to at least look like I knew what I was doing and tried to calculate my landing to emulate the softly sinking style I’d seen earlier. At the perfect moment right in front of everyone I let go.

Imagine a cartwheel on water. Three complete revolutions abruptly stopped by the dock itself. As I sunk beneath the dock, embarrassed and groggy I felt a funny stinging sensation. A jellyfish had attached itself to my leg. They carried me from the dock to the Doc.

That night at dinner I enjoyed my newfound notoriety. Word had spread about the guy that had crashed into the dock and caught a jellyfish with his leg while submerged with one ski on. Most people were sympathetic except for the driver of the boat that wanted to know what happened to the other ski.

Gary

From the Book of Szen

Impromptu Living

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by: Gary Szenderski

Impromptu Living

The Power of Now

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Frank was keenly aware of the nature of storytelling. He understood its power to influence others; to create lasting memories and to change the way he saw life. Humans are wired to tell and absorb stories, and Frank knew that getting the story right, would make a profound difference in what would happen next. He retreated into meditation and smiled.

And more…

Over the last few months, I’ve been attempting an impromptu lifestyle, trying to be more open, non-judging, less rigid by practicing the discipline of meditation and being grounded in the now. Like Frank in our story, I’ve experienced many smiles that result from the peace and clarity that meditation provides. So, this gets said, and as a sort of disclaimer, I’m not an experienced Guru, sitting in a lotus position all day expecting to levitate anytime soon. I’m not even sure I’m doing it right, but I am seeking the higher aspirations and outcomes that can evolve from reaching a higher frequency of thought and consciousness. In other words, I’m connecting the dots in my life with new patterns and stories not yet been told but surely felt.

 

In my work and in teaching I’ve discovered that our own individual story is always in a state of flux. In fact, we all will craft stories to explain past events and rationale so that our actions make sense, albeit in a past tense perspective. This is a very orderly and human way to function. What we say should match what we do and vice versa. And that’s great for reliving and explaining the past but does little to change our future. The future doesn’t know what our story to tell will be because we haven’t lived it yet. The only place to write that next chapter is now because the present is the only fertile place where true change can occur. And that’s, in my view, the power of meditation, and why Frank and I are smiling.

 

I don’t know about you, but for me, even though I feel blessed, there are some things still missing in my life and some dreams yet to be realized. Meditation enables us to connect to the quantum mechanical field where all things are possible and serendipity resides. In a sense, it’s a wishing well backed by scientific method and placed in time and space where we can release our dreams and desires, trusting that the universe will make it happen somehow. It’s a sure bet we can’t do it alone and that’s why we’re created to be able to access a greater power that can orchestrate an infinite number of events and opportunities to give us what we seek.

 

So far, I’ve noticed a difference in how events and people have been entering my life lately and I’m surprised pleasantly that practicing being impromptu and unrehearsed – not forcing a point of view but being open to the possibilities – brings out more of the real me. It’s still a work in progress but I like where this story’s headed.

 

The Final Thought: If we knew we wouldn’t fail, what would we do? The answer is the central plot line for a new story, one that only we can write.

 

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

 

Szenzone – Stories of life and the power to change yours – is sent via email by request and is published weekly or thereabouts. For back issues or to receive this publication directly please email garys@szen.us  © Gary Szenderski 2025 All Rights Reserved. Gary is an author, branding specialist and teaches at the University of California in Irvine. He specializes in helping people and organizations navigate change – if you or your company needs assistance contact Gary directly.  Gary resides in Southern California and welcomes your comments.

 

 

Reinventing Ourselves

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By: Gary Szenderski

Reinventing Ourselves

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

For as long as Debbie could remember, she had approached her job and her life with great purpose and process. She knew what she wanted to do, and she had a way to get it done. This formula had served her well but lately she was feeling bored and suddenly recalled the famous quote: “The less routine, the more life.”

And more…

The quote that Debbie recalled in our story comes from Amos Bronson Alcott, a 19th century American educator, writer, and philosopher. The subject of routine is interesting to me because on one hand by doing the same thing over and over and repeating a formula or process it allows us to accomplish more. Being repetitive and following a game plan typically translates into being more efficient. I know that all of us have our routines and perhaps we don’t even think about them too much and so we tend to simply be going through the motions. After some time, the brain wires itself so that we can actually become unconscious of what we’re doing. This frees up space in our mind to think about other stuff as we methodically join in with the generations of multi-taskers all around us.

On the other hand, what are we missing? Good question. I guess the simple answer is opportunity. Whenever we replace one mode of operation or disengage from a habit, we’ve formed we open the door of change. This door is incredibly wide with lots to explore once we enter. Change is the driving force of reinvention and the catalyst of personal growth. Without change we can’t grow. This is our nature and if we set out to try something new, different, or even scary we activate our inner compass, and this allows our heart’s desire to emerge and come into focus. Focus is what gives us our sense of purpose. Focus energizes. Focus clarifies. Focus activates. Focus sets the GPS toward our future.

When is the best time for us to recalibrate, repurpose, reprogram, and reinvent our life? The simple answer is anytime we’re ready. For me, that time is now.

The Final Thought: When we embrace change, we embrace the unknown, but we activate an internal guidance system that removes the fear and replaces it with courage.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com

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Thank you for being a loyal reader. Below are links on how to learn more about my books and how to create positive change in our lives. For previous postings and information and book reviews go to www.szenzone.com Other links to reach me appear below. Stories of life and the power to change yours – is sent via email by request and is published weekly or thereabouts. © Gary Szenderski 2026 All Rights Reserved. Gary is an author, branding specialist and teaches at the University of California in Irvine. He specializes in helping people and organizations navigate change – if you or your company needs assistance contact Gary directly. Gary resides in Southern California and welcomes your comments.To subscribe for free, email me at gary@bookofszen.com

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Our Lens

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by: Gary Szenderski

Our Lens

A World in Focus

The lens that we see our world unfold through has a great many settings. From close-up, i.e. being in the weeds, to long shot, the big picture as in “bird’s eye view. Depending on what we want to see, we make the appropriate changes in our personal lens to enhance our perspective on whatever the current subject is. For example, a general will position themselves high above the battlefield so as to see the whole of the engagement, to better direct the troops where they are needed and to also see the enemy’s position and its strategy. The actual battle however can often only be won in the trenches where a high degree of close-in focus is required.

I think these are pretty good metaphors for living life, as life can sometimes be a battle. For many of us we tend to gravitate to one view over the other as our personal default because we find comfort in a particular point of view. We all have experienced encounters with people that prefer to be “in the weeds” where micromanaging and myopia reign and also others that like the view from the clouds where life isn’t quite as messy. And of course, there are many who can slide between the two effortlessly choosing the right frame of reference for the task at hand. It’s all very subjective and is the foundation for what we choose to believe.

I share all of this because I’ve been practicing both ways of thinking to better understand how to craft a new mantra for the next chapter of my life and have been searching for an anthem that can encapsulate my own personal vision. My source for this exercise includes personal observation, reading and my favorite – music. In a Zen-like way which emphasizes enlightenment by means of meditation and direct intuitive insights I’ve gravitated to a brief melodic stanza from my long-time favorite, Dan Fogelberg in a song called Nether Lands. It goes like this:

High on this mountain, the clouds down below, I’m feeling so strong and alive. From this rocky perch, I’ll continue to search for the wind and the snow and the sky. I want a lover, I want some friends, and I want to live in the sun, and I want to do all the things that I never have done.

Find a story, or a song or a person that helps you find and connect to your inner voice, the voice that believes that anything is possible, the voice that believes in you and always has.

The Final Thought: When we believe that something is real, it is. When we believe that something is true, it is. When we believe we can accomplish miracles, we will.

No Guarantees

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No Guarantees

To Risk is to Live

I used to believe that knowing the outcomes of my actions or inactions was a real positive. Being able to predict what will happen next eliminates risk and gives us an advantage when it comes to making decisions. Knowing, in advance, the results of our decisions is a good thing; or so I thought. Now I’m discovering that just the opposite is a good thing too. How I came to this change of heart was by observing patterns in life. The time we wake, the initial built in habits of starting a day and the way we brush our teeth and a million other things we do are pretty much the same every day; and we wonder where life’s excitement has gone.

 

The reason we get so comfortable and predictable is we don’t like change and our routine serves us well. We’ve trained our brains to instinctively go through the motions of living and pull us along for the ride. As I get older and hopefully wiser, I understand that this man-made insulation keeps us safe. However, being safe means being unafraid and to be unafraid means we’ve eliminated fear from our daily diet. No fear in this context does not mean fearless; it means fearful. The difference between the two feelings is about as pronounced as living life vs. showing up for it.

 

To risk is to live. When we put ourselves on the line, not knowing what will happen, we invite emotions that bring us alive. This is the state of happiness we were created to enjoy. I’m not suggesting we all go out and start bungee jumping and taking chances. I’m suggesting we mix up the day. Start with the premise that something great will happen to us and then spend the rest of the day looking for it. There are no guarantees on what we might discover, but rest assured we will be alive and ready for the moment when it does. These new “magic” moments come to us through the courtesy of our own humaneness. We are designed to create and have the DNA to thrive, not just survive. It’s up to us. When we ask ourselves the question of just how much life do we want to feel, the right answer is all of it.

 

The Final Thought: “If you knew you would not fail, what would you do?” How much love we need and how much we’d be willing to share is an equation that’s always in flux and depends solely on our own heart’s yearning. Take the step that your heart is begging you to take and let the fun begin.

 

 

Self-Talk

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Self-Talk

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Wendy had read all of the books on positive thinking and was excited to test out what she learned. She shared her new internal mantra with friends and wrote positive thoughts of affirmation which she posted around the house reminding her that good fortune was within reach. Wendy was excited for what would happen next and waited. But nothing happened.

And more…

If we were told by someone that we trusted – and knew that they were serious- and that they were going to send us on an all expenses paid vacation of our dreams, we’d be very excited, wouldn’t we? We would get happy in anticipation and physiologically respond ahead of the actual experience. We might even get giddy as we plan on what to wear and how many pounds to lose before the trip. This happens because our internal self begins to reflect what we truly believe and accept as true and we react accordingly to those truth-centered feelings ahead of the actual event because we know it really is going to happen.

Writing about the quantum field, Dr. Joe Dispenza says in his book Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself that this is how positive synaptic connections are made in each of us when we believe something to be true. Like a placebo works, he posits that we can train ourselves to act, think and feel even if there is no physical evidence. There are many documented examples of the placebo effect, meaning that we begin to act as if the pill we take is bringing about the desired outcome because we’ve convinced ourselves that the placebo is working. We act and feel as if it is, because it’s real to us. He calls it tapping into our quantum mind, and it has enormous power to bring us whatever we desire. There is only one thing that can stop us: us.

Self-talk is magical when it’s positive and we believe. It’s also disruptive and dream killing when we have doubts, or are anxious, worry too much or overanalyze. Our inner voice influences and is influenced by our actions. Nothing happened for Wendy in our story because she failed to act as if what she believed would/could really happen. Action, directed by our inner vision, sets the quantum field in motion which draws our goals to us like a magnet. Acting as if our dream has already happened creates an internal sense of gratitude which becomes the instigator of serendipity and the catalyst for opening the door to good fortune. Personally, every day I wake up and believe something good is about to happen and spend the rest of the day looking for it. I’m rarely disappointed.

The Final Thought: Practicing awareness as opposed to analysis sets us in the now moment of space and time. Being in the moment is how we can access the quantum field and share our dreams. It’s how the universe conspires to change our world for us and bring true magic to our lives.

* The Premise (Opening short story): Always 60 words. No more. No Less. For more stories like this and information about my books, please visit www.szenzone.com