Creating Wisdom

A Sixty-Word Short Story:

No one could tell Jonathan anything. He knew it all and let you know it when he was in your presence. He was always the smartest person in the room; even if we knew he wasn’t, he acted like he was. He was the boss, and he had all of the answers, except when it came to his own feelings.

And more…

 Knowledge has quite a bandwidth. There is so much that we can know and categorize and memorize and build upon because, as we learn, we add to our perspective. We merge the new facts with the old and we temper the process with experience and sometimes wisdom. The net result is intellectual growth, and it’s often translated into success based on the formula that the more we know, the more we can achieve.

Emotional growth however is not so simple. Emotions are not easily separated and distinct. Anger, fear, love, greed etc.- all of the primary emotional possibilities – exist in partnership with and are intermingled with other emotions as well as facts.  Anger has a reason it appears and so does love, fear and the rest. And unlike intellectual growth, which allows us to build on what we learn, emotional growth can be elusive, and hence there are folks like Jonathan that know it all but somehow don’t “get it.”

We’re all on a learning curve to somehow create balance between the “what’s” that we learn” and the “how” it makes us feel when we do. A combination of both helps us translate life’s many challenges so we can understand “why.” Knowing why we are who we are, and do what we do, gives us the emotional leverage we need to truly succeed. Where the smarts meets the heart. That’s where true wisdom forms. And from there the possibilities are endless.

The Final Thought: When we meld the facts of our lives with our feelings about those facts we can emerge into a new realm, called wisdom.

* 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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When Times Meets Space

I really appreciate the concept of space, be it outer, inner, the distance between us, or how we feel when something that was full goes empty. What’s left is space. In Zen they see things with this idea in mind. For example, if we had a room with no furniture or anything in it, we’d call it an empty room. From a Zen perspective it’s really a room full of space. Which translates into having gained versus having lost. And so, what do we do with a room full of space? We fill it with whatever we want. What if we had a room full of time?

I think of time and space as siblings with time being the favorite and getting most of the attention. We never seem to have enough time and unlike space, which we can create and hold onto, time can’t be held, and we can’t create it either. It’s either used, or it’s gone. And it never stops moving until it does or at least slow a bunch. To observe this requires a different perspective and formula. Space-time is a mathematical model that joins space and time into a single idea called a continuum. This four-dimensional continuum is known as Minkowski space where mathematician Hermann Minkowski facilitated a geometric interpretation of Einstein’s theory of relativity.

I’m bringing this up because I have lately been running out of time to get things done, and in the process have not been able to create any space for a respite – Like a quiet contemplative spot where meditation comes easy and time slows down. We all need to have some quiet time in a quiet space. So to create a meditative space, not only the physical, but the spiritual as well, we have to ask ourselves whether any of the stuff in our life that currently takes up space in our minds and our day and in our garages is really needed. Will all of the boxes of stuff we’ve saved be wanted by anybody when we’re gone? Will any of the space in our hearts or minds that’s been squandered on things that don’t really matter be worth noting in our obituary?  No, it won’t matter when we’re gone and probably doesn’t matter now.

Not to be morbid, but rather to be thankful that we actually do have ways to control the space where we exist; we can spend the time that’s left as we choose. We can reach that elusive dream. There is still time; the space we need to traverse is not always the great chasm, but only a thought away, an instant. And once we think it and believe it, we merge time and space into our very own continuum where Minkowski has been waiting, and the party is about to begin.

Final thought: When we merge our space with our time, when where we are is in sync with who we are, we create magic. So, wherever you are take the time to enjoy.

The 1% Club

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Rick worked for a charity and was travelling with a number of colleagues on a European tour. They had limited resources with no options for getting any kind of upgrades on an airline flight. So, when Rick saw his seat assignment being 1-A, he bragged out loud about being in first class, not realizing it was a one class flight.

And more…

As Rick sat in the first row, the group of ministers passed by him and the head pastor, who had been listening to Rick boast about his first-class seat assignment all morning, hesitated where Rick was seated and quoted a bible verse from the Book of Proverbs – “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” I heard the pastor and busted out laughing, we all did. Admittedly, I think because the rest of the group were sitting in the back of the plane, there might have been a little jealously or perhaps a tinge of resentment listening to Rick. The reality, however, was quite vindicating.

I think it’s good when we experience life in a first-class way. We like the attention and the special treatment, and it can make one feel special. A serendipitous corollary to this is when we encounter good luck and find ourselves feeling blessed and fortunate because good things are happening. This is especially powerful when there is no effort expended yet good luck finds you anyway. This was the case this past weekend when my younger brother and his wife came to visit me.

On Friday we booked a whale watching excursion here off the coast of San Clemente, hoping to see some whales. Having been on this trip before, I told them they may not see any whales at all, but it’s very likely we could see a few dolphins. The weather was choppy making it difficult to spot any whale spouts and for over an hour we didn’t even see a single dolphin. Then suddenly the boat lurched forward, and the captain hit the gas. She had spotted a whale and would not let us be disappointed. What we witnessed up close was a Blue Whale, the largest animal on the planet. Their numbers are dwindling worldwide and seeing one in the wild is extremely rare. Only 1% of the world’s population has ever been lucky enough to see one. We did and it was spectacular, and we even got a special badge stating just that. As part of the 1% club, our good fortune continued all weekend.

When we feel gratitude or blessed, I think it sends a signal out to the universe that somehow, we’re ready to receive some good stuff. Beginning with the whale show, we found perfect parking spots, best view-of-the-ocean dinner tables, complimentary food and drinks, and the Trolly and Ubers showed up on demand. To quote actor Walter Brennen from his TV show Will Sonnett, the Fastest Gun in the West – “No brag, just fact.”

The Final Thought: How we see the world is through our own filter of expectations. Our mind’s eye can see what we seek and has the power to bring it into focus.

Faith vs. Fear

A Sixty-Word Short Story: *

Boris was frustrated with his own word choices. The message had to be just right, but he wasn’t feeling the flow. Every time he read it, he changed something and that change created more questions. What should have been a simple email invitation for coffee was becoming complicated. Although he feared she might reject his offer, he hit “send” anyway.

And more…

Fear is something that holds all of us back from time to time. And after a while the fear that kept us from acting on something, like asking someone a question, or trying a new path, eventually grows into a regret. The regret is placed nicely into our memory bank and every once in a while, pops up in the present to remind us of what might have been. Some regrets are debilitating and can steal away our sense of self-worth, as well as our faith in ourselves and hold us back from new opportunities.

There are two ways to help overcome fear and eliminate regrets. The first is to practice feeling courage in our decisions. Yes, we might fail, but that’s just an outcome and it’s how we learn. The more we control our fear of failing, the more we will succeed and gain from the experience. As Nelson Mandella famously said: “I never lose. Either I win or I learn.”

The other way to overcome regrets is to not create them in the first place and do what Boris did… Have faith. Go for it. Then you know.

Final Thought: We never know until we try is the battle cry of all positive change.

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 [email protected]  © 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.

 Letting Go of Expectations

 The great thing about having a hopeful heart is that we can see the potential in anything we choose. We get to pick whatever want to believe and to choose to have faith in that belief. We especially get to hold on to even the slightest of chances, as if the results we seek were imminent. As long as an idea or dream or potential “deal” has even a flicker of life, we have the power to hold onto its possibilities.

Waiting for an approval or even a response to a proposal, be it business or personal, can weigh heavily on us until we can resolve an outcome. Sometimes things that we have failed to achieve linger in our psyche like a nagging allergy that clogs our mind and limits our clarity. We may suspect that what we seek may not happen, but until we admit it, we enjoy the thought that there is still a chance.

If we have too many ongoing possibilities to hold onto, it’s important that we find a way let go of the least likely scenarios. Oprah will not call. The mere act of letting go will free some mind space and simultaneously open the door for some new options. In many cases, the releasing or letting go of the need for a predetermined outcome for a situation is exactly what’s needed to bring it closer to reality. In other words, trying to orchestrate exactly how we want our dreams to unfold is a recipe for regret. Yes, I want a best-selling book but there are myriad ways to get there besides a call from Oprah.

Dreams should be about the desired outcome, not the process to get there, because that’s when worry sets in. By focusing on the goal, we lighten our load and transcend the worry state – we begin to see that we cannot manipulate events and people just by wishing for things to go our way. When we take the pressure off of ourselves from trying to control how we want everything to happen, we turn off the worry button. That simple act opens a new flow of positive imagination – A place where new dreams can form and where the possibilities are truly endless.

Final Thought: The best way to dream is to not worry about how it may come true.

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 [email protected]  © 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.