Recently I was asked for a definition of faith. The person asking didn’t trust such words, he informed me, and why was I introducing such a word into a secular discussion? I’ll call him Doubting Thomas (DT) after another famous skeptic. I could see DT was spoiling for a fight.

I explained that in Visionmaking, faith was seen as an unshakeable belief in Destiny. DT didn’t care for that idea much either.

Since he had asked, I continued to define the term. The conventional definition of faith, I explained, requires a belief in something that carries no proof or guarantee. In Visionmaking, faith is seen as the energetic link that is set up between a Visionmaker and Destiny.

We all have an individual Destiny, a path we were formed for specifically, which no one else can follow. That is why we are born unique. We all have an original body and a never to be replicated configuration of aptitude, gifts, talents, character qualities, knowedge, life experiences and other resources. These are not random or haphazard. They are the hand of Destiny shaping us for a specific journey of meaning.

DT became even more agitated. Undaunted, I continued.

Faith provides an umbikical linkage with Destiny that serves as a guide for the pursuit of one’s life dream. This linkage is called Intuitive Vision.

Faith also funds the power to make the life-long journey towards our singular Destiny despite the circumstances and challenges that we meet. Through faith, each of us has the power to take that next courageous step into the unfamiliar and unknown territory of life’s experience. And to do so without an illusionary guarantee of safety or success.

Supported by faith, the fire to act grows stronger than our fears and concerns. Mohandis Ghandi writes, “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.” Of course, he is right.

Every Visionmaker knows that whatever we fear, we will face it on the journey of meaning. Without the faith that we are up to the challenge, we would never get out of bed in the morning.

My friend was unconvinced. We agreed to disagree. Was he satisfied that he was living his life fully and that life was the meaningful adventure that he had hoped it to be? Things were ok, he said rather flatly.

There is a Doubting Thomas within each of us. There is also a capacity to believe in ourselves, trust that we are capable of achieving our dreams and that we have the resiliency to learn from our experience. The unshakable conviction of a Visionmaker is that each of us has a greater purpose and that this purpose is attainable.

Keep the faith.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

Visionmakers must be on their guard when meeting the challenge of disappointment. Nothing can undermine progress toward a dream faster than those unexpected occurances where our expectations and outcomes do not meet.

Disappointment is a part of every journey of meaning. The average person sees it as a catastrophe. Visionmakers see disappointment as an opportunity to re-calibrate vision. The difference here is that the average person collapses into a state of victimhood; Visionmakers embrace disappointment as an initiation.

Inititiations are high learning experiences. They are seldom fun, especially when they involve disappointment. We must either rise above the gap between our expectations and outcomes or shut down, withdraw and settle for less.

Visionmakers are committed to continuous learning and facing things as they are rather than how they wish they were. Ultimately, we are being shown the weaknesses and defects of our own plans, attachments and philosophies.

Here are ten things we can learn from disappointment:

1. Every journey of meaning is an expedition into unfamiliar territory. Expecting that things will always go smoothly is unrealistic.

2. Surprises, even the unpleasant ones, are opportunities to recommit to our dreams.

3. Betrayal is a self-inflicted. Perhaps we are guilty of refusing to see what is right in front of our eyes. Perhaps we preferred to avoid conflict rather than face it squarely.

4. Visionmakers always say what they see, even when it’s not pretty. That is not license to be rude, unskilled or blunt in our communication. It is a requirement to say what we see in a way that others can hear. Disappointment provides practice.

6. Other people may not see what we see. Patience is required to help them cross the bridge from their present perspective to a new way of seeing.

7. Self-pity is a popular trap. Many of us use it to get attention from other people. These behaviors are “less than becoming.” Yet, we are all vulnerable to them in states of disappointment. Visionmakers strive to avoid self-pity and enrolling others into their mood because they recognize that it is toxic to their dreams.

8. Experienced Visionmakers earned their mastery by overcoming disappointment not wallowing in it. They have the resiliency and mental toughness for the life-long journey of meaning. They don’t wimp out.

9. Reactivity wastes time. For every hour spent brooding about what woulda, coulda, shoulda happened, we could be engaging in self-improvement and redreaming.

10. Disappointment is announcement that we are taking things very seriously. Maybe we need to take a break, chill out and gain some perspective. Sometimes we forget that this is an expedition! Stuff happens. Lighten up.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

Thank God for Nelson Mandela.

Twenty years after his release from prison on Robben Island the world is a different, better place because of him. He is a living testimony to the impact that one person can make for the common good.

Four years after his release I was invited to South Africa by Angeles Arrien to work with youth leaders in Soweto. It was a memorable experience, a trip of a lifetime. South Africa was still in its early stages of transition and there was still the spectre of apartheid everywhere you went. Crime was a growing threat to civil society, a trend that continues to this day.

But when you think of what could have occurred there in the post-apartheid years, it is something of a miracle that the whole country did not explode in bloody reprisal for the injustices that occurred.

Mr. Mandela, and others who supported him, saw the dangers of continuing racial conflict, and steered the country on a different course. The film Invictus, currently playing in theatres, captures the spirit of those early years and the commitment of Mr. Mandela to a new South Africa.

All of this becomes even more inspirational when you consider that the Nelson Mandela who was sent to prison and the man that emerged 27 years later are quite different.

Mr. Mandela, by his own admission, was an angry, impatient man when his detention began. He emerged as a wise, moral and disciplined statesman. That transformation occurred when Mr. Mandela realized that non-violence was the only way that lasting change could be achieved. Mr. Mandela said:

“I have fought against white domination, and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.”

These are the words of a Visionmaker. Let us never forget the example of Nelson Mandela.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

There is a difference
between the optimist
and the fantasist.
The optimist
sees the future
realistically
and with hope
and confidence.
The fantasist
sees the future
as they wish it to be
but divorced
from reality.
Chance favors the optimist.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

Last month I posted a “help wanted” ad on my blog for 1000 Visionmakers. The purpose of the call to action was to begin the process of mobilizing a small army to redream our world.

Every day we are assaulted by images and messages of dysfunction. They depict the world as teetering on the brink of global breakdown, full of problems that are too large and complex to solve, problems that make for juicy news coverage.

This contributes to a malaise and a growing belief that we are hopeless and helpless. We default personal responsibility for being part of the solution and project that responsibility onto heroes whom we hope will rescue us. When they can’t solve our problems immediately, we turn on them. President Obama is the most recent and perhaps the most graphic example of the pattern.

My dream of 1000 Visionmakers is one step to push back against this dangerous cultural drift toward ennui. It’s easy to particpate. All you need to do is open a Twiiter account and tweet one positive idea for change daily then tag it “ReVision Our World.” Follow anyone who is tweeting this way and retweet their daily offering.

1000 voices together can make a big difference.

© Patrick O’Neill 2010. All rights reserved

The Four-Chambered Heart is the home of vision. When we are full, open, clear and strong-hearted vision is 20:20. For Visionmakers, maintenance of the heart is a navigational necessity.

Join Patrick ONeill for a two-day exploration of the Four-Chambered Heart. This workshop is based on Angeles Arrien’s model and will provide participants with an indepth experience of the Vision of the Heart. We will employ a variety of traditional and modern techniques, including visualization, journeying, reflective practice, journaling and dialogue, to support you to discover what is at the heart of your journey at this time.

The full heart is the home of deep engagement. It is here that we learn about being authentic, about commitment and about full expression. What am I full-hearted about? Where am I half-hearted? How can I resolve issues of half-heartedness through problem solving?

The open heart teaches us to trust self, others and circumstances as they unfold. It is the home of love, balance, compassion and tolerance. Where am I open-hearted? What has caused closed-heartedness? How do I forgive and reopen the heart?

The clear heart teaches the lessons of integrity and discernment. What am I clear about in my personal journey - in my roles, relationships and activities? Where do I stand on important issues? What are the dilemmas or areas of confusion in my life? How do I resolve my concerns and move forward?

The strong heart is the home of courage. Where am I strong-hearted about my journey, relationships, and actions? Where am I weak-hearted and unable or unwilling to make difficult choices, say what’s so when it’s so, and stand by my convictions? What strengthening work do I need to undertake?

The Four-Chambered Heart is the place that vision assembles and is the source of the unique and unfolding path that every Visionmaker is born to pursue.

Please join us. Make your heart your priority.

April 24/25

Location: Toronto

For more information and registration please visit our website or call us at 416-361-3331.