Author: Susanne Taylor

Spring is always a great time to walk around the streets. And when the weather is warm and sunny, it’s a bonus. We gathered in a lovely little marketplace called Elisabethplatz and from there wandered the streets enjoying all the birdsong, flowering trees (those with pollen allergies didn’t seem to suffer too much) and warm sun on our backs.

The group were a lovely mixture of people from all over the world: Kenya, India, Czech Republic, France, Germany. Everyone came with curiosity and a willingness to explore.

When we met back up at the local wirthaus (that’s German for “pub”) the group were still contemplative, so responses to the experience were thoughtful.

“There’s a constant fight for questions in my head. One leads to the next. The walking actually seemed to unlock them.”

“I’m looking for something perfect (job), but should I? Or maybe I should just accept it?”

As one person shared that they had intentionally gone and walked the streets given as boundaries, it inspired a thought in another. “Having boundaries without purpose is freeing – like when we were children and our parents told us to go out and play, but not to go beyond a certain street.”

Still, another was taking up a leadership position for a team that she helped to create. She wasn’t confident that she had the skills to guide them and felt the pressure to make them happy, especially since she had recruited them. After the Street Quest, she realized, “You don’t need an answer, you just do things – be an example. For me, that is just being there, listening to them and seeing what I can do for them.”

In an hour she had come to understand what many leaders I coach struggle with for a long time – that “being” a great leader doesn’t mean you are busy “doing” leadership. It’s about being present and making decisions in the moment.

This thoughtful, diverse group of strangers left the adventure still talking and walking – slowly back to the subway. Each of them had arrived at a calmer, more reflective pace, ready for the week ahead.

My favourite insight, and the one I’ll end with: “Step by step – one way or another – it will lead into a direction.” And sometimes the practice of slowing down and being mindful enables you to end up in the right spot.

By Susanne M Taylor

There is a first time for everything, and this was the first time I was late to a Street Wisdom event. Luckily I had some on-the-ground support (friend back up) and by the time I arrived everyone was already getting to know each other. I could tell immediately it was going to be a fun group – open, curious, ready – all on a Sunday morning.

Once we found a warm patch of sunshine (summer temperatures having decided to take a vacation) and got warmed up we took off stretching our perception and being mindful.

Everyone was drawn to a large fountain, two young women posing and taking photos of each other. While we all enjoyed the white noise of the falling water, some noticed details like – there’s the exact same fountain across the street. And the decoration on the fountain matches the window frames of the building in the background!

We all enjoyed slowing down, even if it took a few of us checking our pace as “slow” with the glacial speed of the others! Many noticed that those on the streets who were jogging or walking fast, slowed momentarily to look at the “slow walkers”. What was going on?

When meeting back at the café, we were happy to immediately share stories and insights. Many noticed, “it depends on where you are in thinking about your question. If you are in the beginning, there are lots of things that grab your attention, but no ‘one’ answer. However, if you are in the middle of your question – having carried it around for a while, things seem to quickly catch your attention and fit together right away!”

Some of my favorite insights from the group:

“You’ll find understanding from people who have faced challenges. When you struggle, you seem to learn the value of something – it builds the core.”

“Right – like – ‘I’ve never met an interesting person who has had an easy life.’!”

“You also have to learn to be happy. To cope you need to have a mechanism that works. I try to find at least one good thing in every situation – it became a habit.”

My favorite of all: Street Wisdom – it’s like a seed that gets planted in you!

Here’s to planting more seeds of curiosity. Cultivating openness and consciousness, intentionally pulling the weeds of fear and judgment – one street at a time.

True to Spring in southern Germany, we had a day of warm sunshine and cool shade. Seven street adventurers from all over the Europe (Armenia, Sweden, Italy, Germany and France) gathered under the Bavarian Maypole. We even could have done the event in French, as everyone spoke French – too bad it’s one language I haven’t mastered yet.

The group quickly found connections through the warm-up and then we began wandering the elegant streets of the neighborhood. It was especially fun to hear what others’ recognized or saw that the rest of us just passed by – like 3 different kinds of street lights on 3 different streets. The greatest challenge for many was slowing down. For some it was painful because they had to hold themselves back. For others it became a mindful movement – focusing on balance and going “inside”.

Eventually we split up and went on our individual street quests. One brave and adventurous soul headed out without a mobile phone, determined to ask directions to find the meet up point when it was time. Funny enough, several had a “serendipitous” arrival at the café. Opening their small piece of paper with the name and address only to discover they were next to or across the street from their destination!

Everyone had stories to share while we sat outside in the sunshine and enjoyed something to drink. One of the most surprising was someone who had gone on a street quest to quit smoking. He found himself in a tiny, hidden cemetery – something quite unusual in Munich. He sat down to take a little rest and just be still, when he discovered a grave stone with his family name. Again, not common to find an Italian family name on a grave stone in a German cemetery. For him, this was a very clear answer to his question!

Luckily, the rest of us didn’t have such a shock. In the end, one participant summed it up like this:

“It’s really just taking a leap of faith. The question keeps coming back slightly different – it’s just words going around in your head. But the answer is consistent. It’s a feeling. I became aware of sound and colors…but ultimately you have to move away from the rational and let yourself go.”

To me, that’s an invitation to be more mindful. Not stuck in our thoughts, but allowing ourselves to be present and guided by what emerges. It’s a muscle we could learn to use more often.

Susanne Taylor

As the weather was still cool, we decided to keep this a somewhat shorter version of Street Wisdom with a quick round of introductions and two perception tuning exercises before heading off on our individual quests.

We seemed to be a group of people of diverse backgrounds (cultural and professional) with one thing in common – a curiosity and an appreciation of mindful exploration. One participant – 3 months newly arrived in Munich used the experience to meet other internationals, while also exploring a neighborhood far from her own. Another, from the neighborhood, was there to rediscover the area.

With two photographers in the group, there was definitely a focus on visual information and the practice of “looking at something in a new way” – which made for a lot of fun when we met up at the café in the Bavarian Baroque Museum to compare shots.

Everyone’s street quest was uniquely different. Someone who was frustrated with lack of appreciation at work, (and was wondering what she could do about it) discovered that she was out-growing her role (and perhaps the company itself) and realized she wanted to focus on herself and up-coming life changes.

Another participant realized that there was no big answer that arrived to his question, but that a series of things caught his attention and he needed more reflection time to pull everything together.

Ultimately, it was a pleasant way to “gift” ourselves a bit of time to reflect, slow down, and just be mindful. A mini retreat before things “wake up” and the busy time of Summer arrives.

Susanne Taylor

Just in time for the rain to pause, but the chilly temperatures of autumn to begin, we held the first Street Wisdom event in Munich. After the crowds of the Oktoberfest, it was wonderful to meet up with 7 pioneers and watch the streets wake up.

We decided to do the event in English to accommodate a few people who were not yet comfortable with the German language and our German companions (half the group) were happy to accommodate.

A fun mix of German, Spanish, Mexican, American, and SE Indian folks had a quick round of introductions and then we followed the pigeons and slowly made our way towards the busier part of the city.

After each “tune-in” exercise we shared a bit of what we’d noticed. It was a joyful experience for many to discover hidden courtyards (Munich has a lot) movie theaters, and to extend our views UP. Up towards copper rooftops, or scalloped building edges.

Lots of senses woke up along the way. Our sense of smell woke up, as we had accidently stopped to share about “going slow” behind a lovely bakery. (Warm bread smells heavenly on a chilly autumn morning.) And moments before one of the participants shared that some workmen had “meowed” at her like a cat. (Around this time we all noticed lively trumpet music coming from somewhere nearby.)

By the time we launched out on our own to wander and see what the street had to tell us, everyone was ready for a coffee/tea hand warmer! So, we took off on our ways to enjoy the second part of the experience.

When we all reconnected back at the warm café everyone was glowing and excited to share what they’d experienced and learned.

One participant reported, “Humor is everywhere! It’s really a perspective. I notice it really frees me up!” Another said, “I realized that to be more adventurous I need to take the road less travelled, to be more vulnerable, and just to step on the gas and give it a bit of power!”

Others shared that finding their own rhythm was important and afterwards felt that “I’m on the right path.”

Connections to various passions and hopes were also shared, and we discovered there were resources right there in the group! Everyone was so energized by the experience that we’ll be having more events all over Munich, in different neighborhoods, in the near future.

Stay tuned!

Susanne

I attended an open conference of Agile Coaches (ALE 2016) for the first time and decided to do an experiment with Street Wisdom. The theme of the conference was, “We Share because We Care” – which spoke volumes about this professional group of people.

I’d never been to an open conference before, so all I knew was that there were no keynote speakers, no panelists, and no paid presenters. Every participant was a possible presenter. All you needed was a juicy question you wanted help with, a cool tool you wanted to share, or a story that could impart insight to others. And with a clear message of, “Who ever shows up are the right people” – how could I not step forward?!

I offered a 90-minute escape from the conference location, to wander the surrounding area of Paris on a perfectly warm (not cold and not meltingly hot) day, to explore and perhaps find an answer to a question. Eight curious and eager participants showed up. (Guess I wasn’t the only one needing a break from stuffy rooms and artificial lighting.)

None of us knew this particular corner of Paris, so it was a great area to wander. We started at the conference location and stuck together as we tuned in and stretched our perception muscles. The first round of just paying attention already clued people into various levels of awareness. One person said he noticed not only where his attention went, but also where it didn’t. He caught himself not paying attention to his breathing – which of course made him aware of how he’d like to calm down more and be more conscious of his body and how he was feeling.

This was a perfect transition into slowing right down. Although I offered to set the pace for this tune-up, several people went ahead and kept their own pace – either much faster or even slower. We used the time afterwards to just notice the change in our own mental/emotional/physical rhythm before moving onto the third exercise of appreciating everything.

As we were running short on time, and the set up of the open conference meant that people could come and go as they felt best served them – two people departed with the task to tune-in to what they could appreciate on the way back to the center. The rest of us split up in order to wander our little corner of Paris and return to the conference location for insight sharing.

When we all reconvened, everyone just seemed to float over and settle in a chair. Calm. Grounded.

One participant reported, “Appreciating everything is like being on drugs. I found myself almost feeling high after a while.” We all chuckled at that – perhaps sharing a similar feeling.

In the end, the sharing was focused on the value of time – of how precious this 30 minutes of wandering was for everyone. Thirty minutes to let go, open up, and just be. One participant shared, “It was difficult to think of a question, although the answer was immediate. So I started the other way around and went looking for the question.”

One participant wrote me later:

“Walking back I thought about my own professional development and what steps I might take to keep growing even when I feel pigeon holed. Immediately, I noticed a spiral staircase inside the building and was reminded that growth is a step by step process. That it’s ok to take one step at a time. And then I saw the hill I was walking up as a kind of metaphor for this journey. And the high buildings as examples of the kind of high places which maybe you ‘see’ from reading about something, which you want to attain and maybe feel some jealousy for, but which are maybe not the places I really want to go anyway. Being in the frame of appreciating, I reflected that appreciating the journey along the way each step is a more fulfilling thing to do. 

Thanks for the exercise. I feel more calm and relaxed and positive after.” 

Ultimately, everyone around the table left the session with a valuable insight – it’s not about the destination (or the answer) – it’s about the journey.

Susanne Taylor