Notes from the Edge

 Many of regular readers here will be familiar with my monthly newsletter where I share some reflections on the month that passed, news of updates and happenings and links to resources from around the web to inspire, cajole and education us on our own path. I've recently added an audio section to the letter too, called Notes from the Edge. For for those not familiar here is a sample of this months below and you can listen back to last month's here. I am excited to see how all this evolves. It feels like a beginning.Click on the image below to have a listen and/or continue reading to the text format  Notes from the Edge// September 2017. ‘There should always be a healthy tension between the life we have settled for and the desires that still call us. In this sense, our desires are the messengers of our unlived life, call us to attention and action while we still have time here to explore fields where the treasure dwells’ - John O’Donohue I have the above quote scrawled at the beginning of my current journal. I like to inscribe the words in my own hand, hoping that the re-writing of them will endorse their memory, drawing their wisdom deeper towards where their essence can touch; which is inwards.I reread the quote aloud a few times then circled the word ‘tension’. It seemed a peculiar choice. So often we are sold the notion of ‘life balance’, and in many body practices we are instructed to ‘release the tension’, or ‘let go on the tension’. It is an instruction I have both followed, and in turn given.Writing the quote down a few weeks ago almost feels preemptive now, given the turn of events in my life. But it has certainly made me think; what is the role of tension- in our bodies, our lives and our dreams; and what is a healthy version of it.Let me explain.I’d followed the marketing book: word of mouth, testimonial, posters, newsletters, Facebook Ads, Instagram posts, linked in updates, other networks and all several times over. I was promoting a new round of Thrive School in Dublin aiming find the next cohort. It’s a powerful programme, and the content and connections among participants had been powerful too. I was looking forward to this round. But the raw truth is, not enough people applied, this thing I had poured my heart into. And so with the same heart, a little heavier, I need to cancel it.I have learned not to take it personally. It’s never personal. It’s to do with timing, and price, and offering and cultural context and where people are in their lives. All that said, it doesn’t mean it isn’t challenging, or the day I realised I needed to make the call, I didn’t shed a tear. It’s usually emotional for me- whatever I am doing, because, well, I care. I know the tears are cleansing, a way for the tension to transform. You see this was a thing that I was building.  It was going to be my core income for the coming months, and the way to channel my skills.  And the core truth of it is that, yes, sometimes it is tough.The irony is not lost on me either. Here am I running programmes called ‘Thrive’ and I am absolutely deep in the question of how. To Thrive, in some sense is an aspiration.  Thrive School is very much my own schooling too and I have much to learn.And yet, I have been here before- with other programmes, and ideas, and things I put out into the world which didn’t land the way I thought they would. And so I have learned too: it is never the end and it is never back to a blank drawing board. Looking along the trajectory of our lives the essence of our callings or what it is that drives us is usually there from early on; its just the form that changes.  Now I know the form needs changing. I don’t think this is the end of Thrive School- (I have a one day workshop coming up soon)- it’s just the model of these longer programmes needs to shift.We hear the phrases, ‘one door closes and another opens’, ‘what’s for you won’t pass you’.  Bantered around we can dismiss them for their familiarity. But Seamus Heaney knew of these things too. He wrote about them, with a twist, making me pay attention.‘Getting started, in art and in life, seems to be the essential rhythm'. He’d said the words to a group of graduating students, as commencement advice. They were words I scrawled years ago, and returned to them again and again.‘Getting started, in art and in life, seems to be the essential rhythm'.Heaney knew the path is never linear but filled with the mystic poetry of the journey; the potholes; the undulations; the points at which you glide and the point in which you ditch. The essential rhythm of art and life is punctuated with texture, if we are lucky.There seems equally to be a secret symmetry in the folding and re-folding of our lives. It is to do with this essential rhythm and this healthy tension. There is power in maintaining the quest, and there is power in letting go in order to build again. It’s between these folds that we can seek the balance. The balance may then be this bridge between where we are now and where we aim to go, holding both with a soft focus and a loose tension. Focus too hard, we squint and go off track anyway. Loose focus, and we loose traction. But find that point of balance between present and future, and our focus is both guide and companion. It’s how we stay attuned to this unlived life within us, as John O’Donohue speaks about. So with each iteration, our resilience is strengthened and, like an elastic band when pulled, it never goes back to its original shape. Even in our failings we are forever altered. It is the essential rhythm; the healthy tension.And so, my friends, while I find myself re-entering this gap of not knowing a little sooner than I hoped, I know I am working my way through this rhythm. Sometimes I jump to solution too quickly without staying in the unknown a while, to listen for what is really needed. Autumn is coming, the blackberries are ready for the picking, and there are lessons and learning to be harvested. I’m telling myself not to jump ahead too quickly. I’m telling myself to listen.So I am going to take some time to walk the shoreline, to mark this essential rhythm with my feet. Tomorrow I move into a new house, where I will be writing, and writing some more (yes, there is a new book brewing) and then to find my way into the next phase of the form, until it too will change, as surely as it will. Yes, I know I’ll start again. Just writing these words is starting again, and that, is both comfort and commencement, for his is the way of a lived life. So I lift my head, I brush off my heart, I pick up my pen, and I’ll take the next step on this camino, as always, onwards and with love,Clare x…Like this? Please share the link to my newsletter with others who may like it too! http://www.claremulvany.ie/contactme-2/ 

In their own words

 Thrive School is back. It’s been a journey too, starting this thing, and in the process I have been learning and one of the best things has been getting to know groups of amazing open individuals and support them as they grow, connect and learn together.As the new Dublin programme is soon to kick off (application deadline Aug 29th), and dates are in the planning for the next Cork programme, I thought it would be a nice thing to tell you a little more about some of the past participants, where they are now and the learning that they have been taking with them…. the people below are just a few of the gems in the mix. It such a pleasure to introduce you to....

Máirín O Grady

Máirín is one of those people who lights up a room. When she arrives she brings insight, fun, delight and a dazzling commitment to her practices of yoga and teaching. She’s been practicing as a freelance yoga teacher for a number of years, has a passion and flair for creative writing, and was seeking ways of creating a more systemic approach to her work- how to creative programmes and courses which would reach new audiences and have a greater impact. Thrive School offered her space and community to do just that… (and also teamed up with fellow Thrive Schooler, photographer, Aoife Giles to have these lovely portraits taken)  In her words: Thrive School has been an enlightening adventure into a more holistic picture of my life. It has offered me a fresh and reassuring perspective on how I am living my life, providing me with the space and also the structure to dream. It helped me to identify my values, my story, my why and to move from a space that honoured this and facilitated me in analysing my work/life balance and finance/life balance and in identifying what is enough. In identifying my values and my story it allowed me to see my unique offering, and to value this offering, aided by the support and feedback of Clare and my fellow Thrive Schoolers. Thrive School provided me with a license to pursue what brings me joy and excitement and to offer that to my students and clients with renewed energy. Máirín has kicked off this new approach with The Sunday School of Yoga, which captures her passion for yoga. Here she is again:Sunday School of Yoga is a dynamic workshop series where we come together to map our path towards inner connection, to hone our physical practice of Yoga, and to develop our skills of Breath and Awareness. It is a guided and supported journey where we build a toolkit for a sustainable and virtuous practice of care in our lives, allowing you to discover, sustain and root YOUR Yoga. It’s not a drop in class. It is a workshop. A chance to ask questions. It’s a chance to stop and reflect upon our practice. …It is a chance to pour the tea and grow as a community. Sunday School is the day where we digest, reflect, nourish, and refuel. It is the kind of school where we make friends. It is it the kind of school that teaches us the road home.  Sunday School - Term 1 is an earthing and delicious collaboration with The Market Kitchen by the flowing river of Mullins Mill, Kells, Co. Kilkenny. Find out more about book online here

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Niamh Gallagher

When Niamh Gallagher speaks, you listen. Her voice is melodic, hypnotic and so very wise. She speaks from a wealth of experience and an expansive reservoir of practice. With a background in fundraising, copywriting and marketing, Niamh made the transition into becoming a reiki practitioner, yoga nidra and meditation teacher, and a health coach. ‘Through my work, I want to bring people together so they don't have to struggle alone; to provide a space for stillness, self-compassion and coming home to yourself’, she told me, ‘We are often led to believe that our struggles are either a sign of personal failure...or something that we can just take a pill to get rid of. The truth is that we are supposed to turn to each other and to heal in community. To rely on those who have been through similar struggles for support when we, in turn, need it’Coming to Thrive School Niamh was seeking a community she could collaborate with. She dived right in, with grace and elegance, as only Niamh can….In her own words: What I got from Thrive School was exactly what I was hoping for (and desperately in need of!) - community. A community of like-minded people in Dublin who were on the same journey as I was. The importance of social support can't be underestimated when you're starting a new business or project. Online courses have their place, but there's still nothing like building real relationships face-to-face!I've made some great friends through Thrive School and a year since taking the course, I'm still partnering with other Thrive Schoolers on successful classes and events. When your start-up business does not fit the conventional mould, it can be hard to find the support you need. Thrive School fills the gap for anyone with a vision to offer the world something soulful, healing or creative.A very important aspect of the course for me was Clare's coaching which helped me move through some big fears and blocks. She's a really talented and intuitive coach and just a fantastic cheerleader. Niamh teamed up with some other Thrive Schoolers- Ffion and Jane, to collaborate on new meditation programmes in Dublin, and has since started a series of yoga and message. The next in the hugely popular 'Sunday Sanctuary' events takes place on Sunday 20th August at Fumbally Stables - deep relaxation, meditation, massage and lunch. More info and bookings here: http://createawholenewyou.com/sunday-sanctuary/Niamh practices reiki at Oscailt Integrative Health Centre, Dublin 4. All details here: http://createawholenewyou.com/reiki

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Máirín Murray

Máirín’s interests have many currents- from yoga to holistic therapies, but it is in the digital and tech realm where she is focusing her passions and interests. Since completing Thrive School she has set up the Tech for Good branch in Dublin- a group promoting the intersection of technology and social impact and is also involved with setting up an non-profit called ‘Refugees Welcome’. Her main work comes from her new business, Digital Doddle, a content and production studio for digital innovation products. It’s all taken off since Thrive School- she is scriptwriting, making digital products and working mainly in the health education sector to bring digital learning to patients and families…Mairin was in the first Thrive School cohort and I asked her what it is she takes with her now… her’s what she said:

1. To think big and be ambitious. No-one is served by playing things small and safe. As Marianne Williamson says when we shine our light we give others permission to do the same. This has led to huge growth for my projects, and my vision.
2. Action has its own momentum. I learned that it is important to start now and today to do the work. The answers and insights come while the work is in progress. The important thing is to keep moving.  Small actions, consistently taken, have helped me find the work I am being called to.
3. That having multiple interests and passions is good. I found others in Thrive School who were just like me, who do not want to pigeon hole themselves but instead contribute their skills meaningfully to make a difference.

You can find our more about Máirín on Digital Doddle, Tech for Good Dublin

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Catherine Weld 

Catherine Weld is an artist and teacher living in West Cork. When Thrive School started, she jumped on board. Catherine had a dream of starting her own art workshops in the area and also getting her work out to more people. During the Thrive School process she worked on launching her website, designing a new series of art workshops and planning for more exhibitions. Just this week she has launched a new group exhibition in Schull! In her own words: The Thrive School material helps participants identify and work with the foundations that will underpin their creative and entrepreneurial activities. Motivation and self discipline are important requirements – the monthly meetings form the framework around which the course develops while weekly checkins with other participants offer a source of support and advice. Working as a group is a very important element as it adds hugely to the potential for valuable ongoing connections and can provide access to high levels of skill in areas that are complementary to our own.It is so very excited to witness how Catherine has been stepping up into her own artistry and fulfilling life long dreams- this is the stuff of inspiration.You can see more of Catherine’s work here and find out about her art courses here:https://www.catherineweld.com/courses/  

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Cathy Kolbolm- Kelleher

Cathy Kolbolm- Kelleher packs a powerful punch. Literally. She’s been training in boxing. When Cathy shared her story with us it knocked us off track too. Having had health challenges as a child she was determined to change her life around. She became passionate about fitness, nutrition, science and wellbeing -and is …. an Applied Health Nutritionist, Sports Nutritionist, Exercise Scientist, Fitness Instructor, Clinical Exercise Physical Activity Specialist and Phlebotomist!  ‘I am on a mission to activate a revitalisation in health, wellbeing and performance’, she told me.Cathy came to Thrive School seeking structure, fresh perspective and people who would ‘get’ her. Since she finished the programme in June she has gone on to seek external funding, grants and additional support from the local enterprise office, set up her business name and is very much on track to develop a wonderful business which blends her expertise in health, nutrition and fitness. She’s defiantly one to watch…In her own words: I feel now I am much more clearer, structured and confident in my ideas going forward and over the course I have gone from not having clear plans, lots of chaos to something I can start to roll out over the next few months. I also found Clare’s feedback and guidance invaluable. Even from what I was able to take away and learn from the feedback from the pitch has directed me to fine tune details.

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The next Dublin Thrive School starts on Sept 9th. Find out more over here, and apply online by Aug 29th. PS- Thrive School is not just for women! There have been men too :) 

what to do when you don't know what to do

 Figuring out what to do with our one wild and precious lives; that seems to be a universal eternal quest.What a beautiful gift we have, the questions. But sometimes the questions seem so dense and impenetrable that they seem to turn us away from the very things that bring the wildness and preciousness to our life in the first place. We get stuck in a loop asking 'what next?' We think we are far removed from our own answers. We become disillusioned, and when the going gets really tough we get tired of asking the question, and so we stop. Yet the questions are our lifeblood, and the questions raise the quest.So instead of letting the questions push you aside, can we learn to invite them to come along for the ride, step by little step. If you you are struggling to know what to do next- with your life, in your job, in your relationships, remember that there is always the invitation to do the simple things; and as you are doing the simple things, you can ask for some clarity; for that next elegant step that would be good for you to take.The ‘Simple Things’ list is beautifully individual and remarkably universal:Journal. Go for a walk. Spend time with an animal. Walk along the beach in bare feet. Star-gaze. Have a bath. Sit in silence on your mat. Exercise. Mend a bike. Bake a cake. Garden. Paint. Sing. Dance. Scribble. Sit some more. Write a letter to someone you admire. Help a stranger. Share your lunch. Share your knowledge. Share your joy.The challenge is this: the simple things are often labelled as ‘procrastination. They can be seen as keeping you away from the thing that think you need/ should to be doing. Do enough of them and some may even deem you as wayward, lazy, unfocused, unsettled, misguided. But what if we flipped all of that? What if deep in the heart of the simple thing there was a clue or a signpost which has the capacity to carry you onwards, into your own deep clarity of knowing what to do next. The simple thing then becomes a map.There is one secret ingredient though which you’ll need to apply, consistently. It's the raising agent otherwise known as intention.Our intention is what refines our action. Without intention our actions can indeed fall in towards procrastination, but by focusing our intention we start to be able to use the action of it, the doing of it, as a way into the deeper knowing of what to do next. The answers are within us and our intention takes us there.That may sound abstract but I suspect we have all experienced this. Head in a muddle- go for a walk and later the idea pops in the shower. Frustrated and annoyed? Dance that dance and the anxiety dissipates too. In the space of the doing we make room for the next step to reveal itself.So here’s the little practice:Next time you are feeling stuck, take your question on a walk or to the bath or to the trees. Kneed it into the dough or onto a canvas. Dance it out. Scribble it out. Plant it deep in the veggie patch and watch it evolve.And the added bonus is this: Piece together enough simple things- the walks, the wanders, the star-gazing, the frenzied nights at an easel, the shared meals, the shared gestures, the secret letterbox goody drops, the silent moments on a mat- and it makes for a pretty wild and precious life- filled with moments of intention and questions and evolutions- intentionally.…If you want to take this #toolsforthriving practice to your journal, here are a few steps.Step One.Make a list of the questions you are carrying with you. Keep going. You likely have many.Step TwoIn a different coloured pen circle the questions which are really niggling. The ones that are waking you at night or the ones that are particularly entrenched.Step ThreeMake a list of your go-to simple things. (they are likely free or inexpensive, easily accessible and things that bring you joy)Step FourDo that thing! As you are doing it, bring just one of the questions you have circled with you. There is a discipline to this to keep our intention, and attention, focused on that question. If you find your thoughts going astray, bring them back to the question. As you are doing the ‘thing’, you can internally ask for clarity or insight. And for your next step.Step FiveJot down any next steps that come to you. It may not be the obvious thing. You may think of a person you have not been in touch with for a while- maybe that person has a clue for you too. Or you may think of resource which will available to you which you have not thought about for a whileStep SixTake action quickly on the thing that popped. Write that email that day. Phone that person as soon as you can (this is the key difference and way to utilise the thing- otherwise the circle of questions will spin and spin.Step SevenRepeat for another question. This is a practice as much as a process.#toolsforthriving

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Learning for transformation

 Now that cycle two of Thrive School is coming to a close, I like to take a step back and capture some of the learnings so as to build upon them for the next phase. Here are a few reflections on the learning required for transformation, and at the end of each one, I offer a question to you about how you may apply it to your own learning and visioning as you evolve your own ideas and being.Deep, transformative learning and change is accelerated through clusters. There is power in the pack. When that pack becomes a nurturing, listening, open and supportive space, even more so. When we think of entrepreneurship we often think of the solo/ individual action and hierarchy: the lone warrior, the lone wolf heading out to hunt its prize. But look at nature- it doesn’t flourish that way. Wolves operate in packs and their ecology is deeply connected not only to  their own place in their family, but also, as the poet Mary Oliver describes it, ’in their family of things (This video, how wolves change rivers never ceases to amaze me). We see ‘bunches’ of flowers, murmurations of starlings, and even trees- which we often think of in the singular- as collective, connected, communicative systems. The wellbeing of every individual within the pack is intimately woven into the wellbeing of the eco system into which they grow.As Thrive School evolves, so too will the emphasis on ‘pack’ learning- using the space of connection, listening and support to create eco-systems or clusters from which growth can emerge.  So much of education, and business operates from the old paradigm of competition, but flip that and we have the opportunity to evolve new ways of collaborative learning, and business.While on a small scale currently, what I have seen in Thrive School is glimpse of this new paradigm. By cultivating safe, supportive, nurturing environments, when people have the chance to tease out ideas, test assumptions and feed back to the group without fear, we can also cultivate a field which brings out the best in all of us and builds upon the best ideas, projects and visions.**Can you create your own creative cluster? Who around you is craving this kind of support and would be willing to cluster around you too? **  Practice makes progressCultivating the place of inner knowing is critical to sustaining our entrepreneurial journey. It is both an art and a practice. Life is chaotic, but when we have some form of daily practice in which we tune into our inner knowing, we learn to navigate the chaos with greater fluidity and skill. We have a place to bring our challenges before they overwhelm us. Our practice becomes a way to listen to our inner guidance, and then use this guidance to carry us forward.We can cultivate this inner place in many ways by creating and safeguarding pockets of stillness and listening into our daily life. For some this is meditation, for some yoga, for some walking in nature, or painting. Whatever it is, when it allows us to drop into a deeper sense of being, and connect with our bodies and breath, this listening space is a  beautifully ripe ground for asking questions to your inner self: what are my next steps, what am I not seeing, who should I connect with, how can I evolve my current offerings. Through this we can develop our vision and tune into our gut instincts, thereby creating a deeper sense of trust in our own decisions and next steps, our own sense of progress. On days when life feels even more chaotic and when we feel we don;t have the time, that’s when we need it the most.**What daily practice draws you? And how can you safeguard this precious time each day? The magic is in the space between us - the power of connected listening. Deep down I think we all know our answers. There is guidance available to us and our bodies can tell when we have tapped into it. And yet it is hard to hear or to distinguish the ‘knowing’ voice from the inner voice of criticism and judgement. So creating safe listening spaces, where we can talk out our ideas with another person and learn to distinguish between these voices is so important. The listening is a craft which can be honed. We can learn to listen for the tone, energy and the message behind the words, and we can learn to ask clarifying questions so that new insights can emerge and blind spots be revealed. When we approach the space between us with sacredness and our conversation as a sanctuary, it hold a special magic and momentum. So, it's in the space between us- the interaction- where a clink of clarity, understanding and insight can emerge.**Who can you buddy up with to have a regular listening conversation with? How do you think you can improve your listening skills? ** Invite fear to the table. Ask anyone why they aren’t pursuing their big dream, their highest potential and what is really calling them, and it’s likely that ‘fear’ will feature very highly on their list of reasons. There is almost a sense of shame around naming fear for what it is. ‘I’m afraid’ sounds week, almost childish. We were afraid of the dark, or afraid of ghosts- but that was back then, so why does fear rule the roost now too? And so because it seems childish we tend to hide it and feel isolated in our fear, thinking we are the only ones who experience it. But when we think on evolutionary terms, fear is a natural biological response mechanism to protect us from harm, danger and risk. It protected us in the wild, in the dark, and it continues to protect us from physical danger. So when it comes to building our own business, or following though on something which is pushing at the margins of our experience and learning, putting us in a vulnerable position, it is natural that fear will kick in too. And so, rather than ignoring it, or denying it, we need to learn to invite fear to be at the table and have frank, honest and open conversations with it. We can journal about, talk about it with a friend or mentor, we can give it a place without it having to run the show. When we learn to observe the fear, see what impact it is having on us, name it, we can then ask for it to release it grip and allow hope, possibility and love to be the currents which carry us onwards.** Here’s a little practice -spend 5 minutes journalling your response to the following questions: In what ways is fear holding me back? What one thing can I do to today that can help me to befriend my fear? Structure = Flow.Boundaries, discipline, even timetabling, often viewed as restrictive, are tools to help us create and maintain flow. In Thrive School we have been referring to them like the banks of a river. Without the banks we get floods, deltas, and at times, chaos. The banks help to direct the course. And yet the banks are being constantly eroded and re-deposited; they are not rigid walls but flexible, malleable and adaptive. Creating a weekly structure which is firm enough to create focus while adaptive and flexible enough to respond to opportunities is the key.  Our ultimate freedom comes when we understand and embrace the structures which work best for us. What boundaries do we need to have around how we plan our time, for instance; or what parameters do we need have around our spending and savings for financial flow. It’s the boundaries that give rise to the freedoms that we chooseWhere do your own ‘banks’ need to be strengthened for you to create more flow? Think Big, Start Close, Act elegantly… There can be such amazing power in having a big compelling vision and to be really clear on your ‘why’. This is what attracts people, carries momentum and can keep you motivated on even the hardest of days, but we also need to learn to hold the future in the present, and not let our distance from our future possibility distract from the beauty of today, of who is around us now, the gift of the current challenge and what opportunity is emerging just ahead of us, for the future begins in our very next moment. So, as the poet David Whyte says, ‘start close in’ with the step that is next to take. In Thrive School we talk about finding your ‘elegant’ next step- it may be strategic, it may be tactical, but can also be graceful, easy, accessible. Step by elegant next step we build momentum and gain traction.What is your elegant next step?  ....Thrive School Dublin starts on March 11th. Apply online by March 3rd. Find out more over here. 

The value of values // Plus a 7 step creative exercise for you to know yours..

 I’m not a fan of cheesy clip art. But for the sake of illustrative purposes, this one does the job!If our goals are like the sails on a sailing boat, then the keel is like our values. The keel is the central axis which helps to keep the ship afloat and provide ballast. In choppy waters, it’s the keel which will help to bring the boat back to upright (note addition of choppy waters in said illustration!) Same too with our values- they act as weights and axes around which we can centre and steady ourselves, and keep ourselves true to our intention and truth.However like the keel, our values are below the surface, which is why they are often hard to identify and to appreciate the role that they play in our decisions, actions, and outcomes. And yet, deep down, it’s our values which help us sense if we are on the right path and feel aligned or congruent with our sense of self- which is why making a conscious effort to identify them is so important.Getting clear on our values helps us to design our lives, businesses, interactions and projects with more clarity and intention. They help us have better relationships- personally and professionally. When it comes to business they can help us to design customer or client interactions. And importantly, when we hit choppy waters, they help to keep us resurface and stay afloat.Trust. Integrity. Honesty. Quality. Joy. Play. Freedom. Leadership. Creativity. Adventure. Responsibility. Kindness. Compassion. Authenticity. You’ll have a set of values unique to you, some more prominent or stronger than others.How can you identify them?Well interestingly we often sense them most clearly them when they have been breached. If trust is a really strong value for you, and someone breaches your trust, you may feel the reaction at a very deep, visceral level. If professionalism is a value and you attend an event which is so poorly run, you may feel a personal affront and anger at the low quality of service. Or if kindness is a value and you witness someone being unkind to another it can alter how you view and in turn value that person. We can also identify them by recalling times in our lives in which we felt a consistent happiness, aliveness or sense of pride. It is likely that your values were being honoured and amplified during these times.Our values shape the quality of our collaborations too. For instance, understanding where values overlap and where values differ is critical to successful collaborations and so learning to have open conversations with our partners and collaborators is vital to thriving interactions.We often assume that we hold similar values to those around us, but it’s surprising how much variance there actually is, especially when we see how people individually prioritise those values. If one business partner has a top value priority as ‘freedom’, for example, and another has ‘safety’, then there is a potential clash zone. Maybe the ‘freedom’ person is more likely to take risks in the project and wants take big leaps than the safety person, who values gradual iteration and growth. If you are thinking of going into partnership with someone, doing the values identification exercise below is a great way to tease out potential synergies, challenges or even clashes in advance.Plus, when we get explicit about our values it can help us to figure out what to do when we are stuck in a rut or facing a challenging decision. Let’s say you have listed ‘integrity’ as a value, then, when you need some inner direction, you can ask yourself (or your team), ‘What would integrity do now?’ Or if creativity is a value, ‘What is the best use of creativity here, or what is the best creative solution for now?So, you can see, not only do are values act as stabilisers, they act as propellors too!(Herein ends the cheezy boat/ ship/ sailing/ choppy waters analogy. RIP clipart)  

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How to identify and prioritise your values: 7 Step Process

Below is a 7 step value identification exercise, developed as part of the Thrive School curriculum. This exercise can be done alone, however it works best where there are at least 3 other people in the room working on it, as it gives you a chance to compare notes and learn together in conversation towards the end.Time: Initially 45-60 mins. With a 5 review one week later.Needs: Sticky notes. Blank wall space. Pens. 

The Process:

Step one: The big listWrite out as many values as you think you have, each one on a separate sticky note. Give yourself about 10 minutes.A good way to accessing your values is to think about times in your life when you were most happy, and most proud. It is likely that your core values were being honoured during these times.Or maybe you can recall a time when one was breached? You’ll know if you felt it at a really deep level and it may have been hard to let go of the experience or build trust again.Step two: Viewing platformPlace all the sticky notes on the wall- take a step back and view. Are there ones that should not belong there? Are there any missing?Step three: Identify patterns and clusters.Start placing values which you think belong together in clusters. For example you may think that ‘ integrity’ and honesty should be side by side, or ‘fun’ and ‘play. You may find a clusters of values coming together. Review your clusters. Are there any patterns you see in your values?Step Four: Prioritising valuesSelect your top value from each cluster and place them all together. Depending on how many clusters you had you’ll have a set of values. From these, can you keep removing or adding one until you have 5 values in this group.Again take a step back. Are these your top five? Sometimes the arrangement of how you place your sticky notes on the wall can tell you something about your priorities. For example: you may have placed them all in a row and have given them all equal value; one may be in the centre and the others radiating from it like spokes on a wheels; or one may be above another. Look at the shape and the form which you choose to place the sticky notes in. Spot any patterns or does the formation give you any clues? Step five (if you are doing this with a group of people)Bring your top 5 values together as a group. Invite others to view them and ask you questions about your set. Why did you choose this one over that one? How does this one relate to that one? Why not this one? Spend a bit of time teasing out your choices in conversation with others. After the conversation review your set again. Are you happy with this selection?Step SixFor the following week keep your list of top 5 values visible to you (post them on your bedroom door or beside the bathroom mirror to remind yourself). For the duration of the week track to see how you represent your values in day to day life. In what ways are they honoured? In what ways have they been breached? How have they helped you make decisions during the week?Step SevenAfter a week of tracking your top values take a few minutes to review them. Are you satisfied with your selection? Do you want to swap in one for another? Write out your values in a journal to come back to when you need a reminder.…The exercise above is one of many clarifying exercises as part of the Thrive School curriculum.Thrive School Dublin is soon to start on March 11th - a four month process which leads people through a process of value and vision clarification, into idea forming, through creative blocks and into action.Applications are now open. You can find more over here. Application deadline is March 3rd.…Want to stay up to date? Sign up to my mailing list for more resources, updates and happenings. Sign up here

Welcoming 2017

 Dear Friends,As 2016 shifts into 2017, and the old turns into the new, may I take this moment to send out some greetings and thanks. Thank you for your support, your participation and your openness. Thank you for your comments, feedback and community. I’m grateful, so grateful for it all.Like so many of you I love this time of year for the space to retract a bit from the pace of things and tune into what is calling me onwards. 2016 was a full on year for us all. The political has touched the personal and the personal has impacted the professional. At times it has all felt a bit overwhelming. There have been moments that the overwhelm got the better of me- at times it burst my energy and shifted me away from my intention, and particularly on a political level, it rattled my hope.Hope is such a precious thing, often fragile, and yet I think it is hope that is calling us and hope that must be protected.Hope, I am learning more and more, is an active and alive thing. It is kindled by small acts and it is amplified when it is met with the hope in others. It’s when you meet a friend, for instance, and you share a dream or vision; a belief that things can change for the better. It is when you see the beauty in the ordinary, knowing it too is extraordinary. It’s when you meet kindness in a stranger or when you are fully and truly listened to. It’s when you deeply connect with your own spirit and creativity, and it’s when you choose to take a step of courage or faith. Each act of hope, no matter how small, matters. And to this belief I feel we must cling, steadfastly.Over the last few days, the image of a lighthouse keeps popping with for me. Lighthouse are not afraid of their light- their very function is to shine through the darkness. They are beacons, they are steady, they are grounded. And they are most effective when they work together. A single lighthouse may guide a ship to shore, but when that shoreline is studded with lighthouses, the whole coast becomes a marker to harbour- a necklace of light.As I sense into what 2017, and beyond, is calling, it is for each of us to stand firm and allow our light to shine. All of us. It’s calling on us too to get really clear on our intention, on what is really calling us to create or serve and to focus in on that. The time is precious, and our light is precious too. I’m hopeful that we can, especially when we convert hope into action.And so my own intention is to kindle my hope with daily action towards my vision and by reaching out to others for collaboration, support and connection. My professional focus in 2017 will be on growing and developing Thrive School- developing even better content, learning programmes, products and curriculum, and on a personal level it’s on my health and fitness. In order to do that, I need to stay really clear with what I seek to create and say no to a lot of distraction. I stay clear with regular yoga practice, exercise, journalling, reading less online news, walking my dog. I keep the vision alive though conversations with other people who ‘get’ it, with a vision board (I use a private Pinterest board for this) and by continually breaking big projects and plans down into small, tangible action steps.

And you? What’s your intention? What is it that is really calling you? 

If those questions are too hard to answer right now or feel too overwhelming, please don’t worry. Instead, let the silence in. Find a quite spot. Sit still for a while. And listen. Or if sitting isn’t your thing, take a walk in nature, in a wild spot, and bring the questions with you. Let them stir you and inspire you. Do what you can to keep the questions alive in you. Don’t be afraid of them. Ask for the big dream. Ask for a vision, and let the silence and the wildness guide you. I have no doubt there you will find some clues… then follow them and see how the question has evolved within you. It’s all waiting for you - for your light, and  therefore hope, is already inside you.Next week I’ll be sending another message with Thrive School dates for 2017, news of new one day workshops in Dublin, and other ways we can work one to one together. But for now, as we cross over from one year to the next, let’s collectively bow to the year gone by for its gifts of insights and challenges and let’s open the door to the new, knowing we can be a lighthouse to ourselves and to each other- grounded, rooted, clear, beaming. It’s time.Onwards, with love and gratitude,Clare. 

The Stories we tell Ourselves

“A people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make nations sick... Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart larger.” - Ben OkraGreetings to you on this mid-November day, and a nod to all my US friends celebrating Thanksgiving.Today I saw a little bullfinch and a pheasant. I fed donkeys and ducks. I had a conversation with an elderly man about his travels in the 60s. He told me stories of seeing a tiger in the wilds of India, and how when he was a child he used to memorise advertisements on buses to pass the time- he proceeded to recite one to me. Today I also had a conversation with a woman in her 60s about how, when she was younger, she spent 5 years sailing around the world, and how just three years ago, she sailed from the Marshall Islands to Vanuatu. She told me that living on a boat, with limited resources and space, has been one of her biggest lessons in life as now she can live almost anywhere and does not need as much space or things which has liberated her from her perception of need. She radiates joy and compassion.  As does he.Those little stories and encounters have changed my day.You see, I’d started the day tuning into the media, and we all know what happens when that door is opened. I soon found myself down that tunnel of darkness, threading the fine line of cynicism which has been chasing my tail these last few weeks. What I also know is stepping across that line is a conscious choice and I have a choice not to go there, and actively tune in elsewhere; to the stories around me, to the moments of beauty and surprise, and to the conversations and questions which point to another narrative, one which mainstream media does not broadcast.There are stories everywhere and our stories matter. They matter more than ever. What we speak about, what we amplify, what we tune into, what we choose to respond to. I’ve been remembering that quote from Ben Okri - ‘A people are as healthy and confident as the stories they tell themselves. Sick storytellers can make nations sick... Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart larger’We have another choice too- perhaps a more challenging and daunting one: to be part of creating a new narrative- one which will conquer fear and expand the heart- our own, and others. Like the best stories this new narrative will not have a linear or predicable plot, it will keep us in suspense and will have twists and turns and complex characters. Writing it won’t be easy, but write we can.When I am feeling stuck I often take to me journal and ask my inner self or mentor, for answers. To the question of, ‘Well, what should I write?’ This time my inner mentor responded"The question is not what you should write, but how should you serve. You serve by following the questions.You serve by giving your talents, your gifts, your capacities.You serve by being awake.You offer what you know and then you let go of it again.You learn, over and over.You embrace this life fully and vibrantly.You feel it all. All of it, and offer that.You move deeper.You don’t turn away.You stand for something.You shake it up until it rattles you.You rattle.And above all you create.Above all that you keep going.And most importantly you bring your loveAnd through that love is devotion.And there is your faith.Your faith is not lost.Your faith is in action.Your action is your question.Your questions will lead the way.… So now I’ve a ton of questions about how I can be a part of creating this new narrative. Interestingly they are not Why questions but How and What questions.

• What should I do next?
• Who should I support?
• What is the best use of my time and resources?
• What is needed most?
• In what ways can I best sustain myself?
• Who should I be connecting with…
• What can I offer..

So while the stories can conquer fear, so too can the questions, because the questions lead us onwards, into the story, and then beyond.But right now, I hear the donkey’s calling. It is dusk and the ducks needs to be fed. This is the story of the way of the things and it needs tending too.Clare xx

It matters more than ever...

 This post originally started as a message to the Thrive School members. On the day after the US election was called, in a bit of a whirl, I wrote this..Have you been in a bit of a frazzle today? I have. All these scenarios started swirling, and I could feel a cynicism sweep in. But I know I need to nip cynicism quickly - it only fuels a downward spiral. I knew I needed to hop on my yoga mat, let the clicks and tension in my body release, and listen. I sat in silence for a very long time. And in that time, I found new fuel- a deep realisation that the work we are doing is even MORE important. It is the work of connection, values, beauty making. It is the rising of the feminine, the building of bridges, the creation of alternatives, the celebration of diversity and plurality. It is about learning the skills we all need to navigate internal and external chaos and it is about creating the conversations that are necessary to build new leadership - for ourselves, our communities and beyond. Our work matters. It matters even more than ever. Time feels precious though and with that preciousness a renewed sense of urgency. So, whether you are making art, creative spaces of stillness, writing your truth, inviting in conversations which honour the earth, innovating new technologies, or offering healing, you are also offering hope.... and hope, as we know, is a verb. As love is. And verbs mean action. Those elegant next steps? They matter more than ever…It can be so easy to feel overwhelmed, uncertain, cynical. What we choose to give our attention to matters. What we choose to create matters more than ever. So this week, can we steer our attention in the direction of beauty, notice it, amplify it in even the smallest of ways, and can we each take the next elegant step that we know is ours to take. One elegant step at a time…Onwards. It matters more than ever.

Learning to do Business and Life as Unusual

As you know, starting your own project or business is not easy. It brings up a whole host of questions and challenges. It brings up internal fears, vulnerabilities and doubts. There are logistic challenges, timing issues, design issues. There are lots of ‘what’s, how’s and why’s’.It has been 7 months since I launched Thrive School and in that time it has been evolving, and I have been evolving too. One of my benchmarks for learning is when new questions show up. If I’ve no new questions then I’m not entering new territories of growth and development. At the moment, I have a ton of new questions!Thrive School emerged from a vision to create networks of dreamers and do’ers; people who have a passion and drive to make a difference through their lives and work, and naturally have lots of questions too. I know that the questions can be overwhelming when we don’t have support, community and a framework for asking them. So in many ways Thrive School is evolving into that- a place to ask questions, learn through them and in doing so expand what is possible for each of us. It’s a place to evolve our dreams, ideas and ultimately ourselves too.And so Thrive School a much about how we learn as what we learn. The how is so important as is will impact on our future how- how we bring the learning from the programme into our projects and lives. Here’s a few principles behind the Thrive School ‘how’, and why we think they matter…. Values based developmentThink of your values like the keel of a ship. Our values help to keep us upright, especially in choppy waters. They give us weight, and support, and around them we can build our ship and sail it. Gaining a understanding of your personal values and how they impact and influence the business or project you are designing is critical to your own personal sanity and the project’s sustainability. Our values help to keep us grounded and on track. They help us to value our time, ourselves, our products and our pricing. They are the foundation stone and so we start there.Life and Learning happens in cyclesTransformational learning is not a linear process. We learn in cycles and spirals. Sometimes we need to make the same mistake a few times before we really learn how to navigate the challenge in a fundamentally different way. Learning is accelerated when we take a cyclical approach: conscious action, then review, then adaption before we take action again. This way our learning is taken out of a linear process and into a spiral. This is the learning not just of growth but of adaptability and flexibility- two key skills necessary for any business or venture to thrive.Structures Create Flow and FreedomSo many of us strive for freedom- freedom from 9-5, freedom from debt, freedom from certain external demands. Think of a bird- for it to fly a bird needs to instinctively know and respect the structure which the dynamics of wind currents, gravity and physics impose. It’s by embracing these that flight is championed. Our ultimate freedom comes when we understand and embrace the structures which work best for us. What boundaries do we need to have around our time, for instance; or what perameters do we need have around our spending and savings to give rise to financial flow. It’s the boundaries that give rise to the freedoms that we choose.Energy management, not time managementLife happens in seasons and cycles. There are weeks when we have more energy and weeks when we have less. There is a season to launch something, and a season for letting go. Gaining a deeper appreciation of our own energy cycles helps us to move our days in relationship with what we are creating.Peer to Peer and non ‘expert’ driven discussion and feedback loopsWe are our own experts. The age of the guru is dead. At Thrive School we celebrate and honour expertise, know we each have something to offer. No one person has the ‘right’ answer for you- only you do, but we can listen to each other, learn from each other, and each strive for our own version of excellence.Prototype, iteration, experimentation and playWe grow our ventures through cycles of experimentation, iteration and prototyping- each one building upon the next, which gives rise to the next. We encourage early prototyping, trying something small out, then making adjustments. We dream big but understand that it will take iterations to get there.Time is preciousOur time is one of the most precious things we have. Time for ourselves, our families, our friends, our communities, our hobbies. There is a lot to pack in. At Thrive School we look at how we can best  value our time by developing business services, products and offering which respect our expertise and reflect back to us the value which we bring to the world.Elegant next stepsOur big vision is powerful but we get there one step at a time. What is your elegant next step?… we ask this over and over of each other. And yes, we believe the process can be beautiful and elegant too. These are just some of the core principles. As the school evolves, so too will they. This is learning in action, one elegant next step at a time.

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  The next 5 month Thrive School programme is about to happen in  DUBLIN.Applications are open until noon on Tuesday 1st November. Apply online here now. 

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Not in Ireland and interested in Thrive School? Stay in touch... I'm looking at ways to bring the material to a wider audience- it's in evolution too. And if you'd like to offer me your input or ideas please do share with me via email: clare (at) claremulvany.ie - thank you!Clare. xx

Writing the Way to our Answers

 Friends,How are you? Really, I want to know.What’s on your mind? What keeps you up at night? What questions do you carry? What is your heart longing to say? What is it that you want to birth? What is it that you want to jettison?  What is it that you plan to do with your own wild and precious life? Why do I ask? For many reasons.I’ve been asking these questions of myself, and I suspect I’m not the only one.You see, I’m marking several thresholds. Firstly, it’s been six months since I made the big move out of Dublin down to the wilds of West Cork. I’ve had six month of open landscape and big skies, of wild encounters and starry nights. I’ve had six months of coastal walks and hedgerow viewing, and each time I’m out in nature it seems like I am seeing it all for the first time-  it always seems like the first time, for it always is. The new is in the way the light arrives each day, or the uprising of a wave, or the tumble of cloud or the particular shade of green at that particular moment. Six months seems like nothing at all but it is enough for me to realise that the space has been releasing me from certain ideas I’ve had of myself, or even certain ambitions, and in turning inwards I am finding the energy and drive to turn outwards again, reimagined. It is exciting, and daunting, and I am so so grateful for this space, this landscape and this remarkable piece of land I get to inhabit for a while…I’m stepping over another threshold too. It’s been 10 years since I started blogging, and 10 years since I set out on my crazy journey to write what was to become the book ‘One Wild Life’. It is so hard to believe it has been 10 years. (I have a surprise down the line for you all on that matter by the way- it is in development, so watch this space).  As I cross the threshold I have been reflecting in my journal on my journey since then; what I have learned, how I have changed, and what now wants to emerge.I realise that I must have written hundreds of thousands of words over these 10 years, many of which were discarded, many of which sit in journals, some of which wound their way into blog posts or articles- yet each word in itself, whether kept or unkept, remembered or forgotten, is somehow life-giving. I say that even though I’ve abandoned two books in the last few years, and burnt the whole manuscript of my first novel. Yes, gone.But they are not really gone. It is just that the form I was placing upon them was forced, and the words I was choosing to share were not really the true ones. I was pushing them into a shape that they didn’t fit into. And beyond that, I was scared to let them take me to my edge, to that raw place of truth and beauty were great writing goes. Now I know that the fear is a signpost; it tells me I am on to a good thing, the honest thing, the brave thing, the uncomfortable thing, the thing that pushes as my edges and takes me outside myself to be able to go inside myself with more force, grace and determination. And so in a funny way my fear tells me to trust that more words will come, and those words will change me. What shape they land in doesn’t really matter because the words in themselves are the life-giving force. The words themselves generate. They carry new ideas, insights, possibilities, connections. It is in the writing that the magic happens.And yet, there is power too in the witness. When we do choose to put our words into the world, we never really no where they’ll land, who they’ll touch, how they may stir things, who they could infuriate or who they will resonate with. Whatever happens afterwards is beyond us. In the space between us and the reader is another clink of magic.So I know words matter and I sense that how they land is out of our control. But what I think really matters is that we write them in the first place; for the love of it, for the connection to our creativity and our fear, and for the fundamental need to give voice to our voice. While I have not always been entirely consistent with mine, writing has given me a channel to my voice and a place where I have full expression. It’s both liberating, and connecting, and yes, I repeat, life-giving.And so I ask again.What’s on your mind? What keeps you up at night? What questions do you carry? What is your heart longing to say? What is it that you want to birth? What is it that you want to jettison?  What is it that you want to do with your own wild and precious life? Write it out, my friends, write it out out out. Listen to the place where fear tells you to go. Listen to the places of solace too, for you’ll be writing your very own map to your own answers. It’s your personal guide and who knows where it will land you.And if you need a witness, I’m also here. I’d love to read what you have to say. So, feel free to write to me my friends… What’s on your mind? What keeps you up at night? What questions do you carry? What is your heart longing to say? What is it that you want to birth? What is it that you want to jettison?  What is it that you want to do with your own wild and precious life?Replies to clare (at) claremulvany.ieI’m curious to see where this takes you. And me.Onwards,Clare xx 

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(And for a little musical treat, I heard Ger Wolfe perform in Levis Corner House in Ballydehob on Sunday Night, and this song, with all its magical simplicity and charm, had me in tears. So if you need some respite from all the questions, for the TV, from the radio, from the government, from the crazy times, may this be it! )

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 Thrive School is DUBLIN and CORK is open for applications. How about 5 months to dive into your dreams, vision and a support structure to bring your plans to life. Find out more and apply online here.