Breakthrough
Newsletter
VOLUME XIII ISSUE NO. 4 | APRIL 2021
Breakthrough
"Productive insight; clear (often sudden) understanding of a complex situation." Free Dictionary

Pop the bubble of conditioned thinking and emerge into the creative realm of "no absolutes," continuous change, uncertainty and unlimited possibilities.

Then, there can be innovation, adaptation and optimal performance.
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness
Open-minded: questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty.  

Mindful:  consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.
Be Here Now and Move Forward Consciously 
By George Pitagorsky
In the realm of time and relationships, moving forward is inevitable. It means thinking, doing and saying the things that enable you to live in the world.   
 
To move forward consciously, rest in the present moment, remember what has happened to influence the present, and image a positive future influenced by your behavior here and now.  
 
Everything is in motion, a flow, a continuous process of causes and conditions resulting in outcomes that are the causes and conditions of other outcomes. The present moment is fleeting. It arises and is gone in a moment.  
 
Be Here Now 
There is a paradox. Being here now is the secret to enlightened living. But that can be misunderstood to mean that we ignore what happened in the past and what will happen in the future. Sure, the past is gone, and the future is yet to be, they are figments of the mind – memories or projections. But that doesn’t mean to ignore them. Even the present moment, by the time one reflects on it, is in the past. It no longer exists. 
 
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Mindfulness, Meditation, Self-Awareness

We provide online courses, workshops, podcasts and other web content to individuals, organizations, and consultants with a focus on mindfulness, self-awareness, and process thinking.

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Being here now means being mindfully aware, accepting things as they are, cognizant of what has gone before, and having a sense of what may result from anything that happens in the present.  
 
To be mindfully aware is not conceptual, it is not a reflecting on or thinking about something.  It is being present in the way you might be when experiencing the flow of a fully engaged activity like dancing, playing a sport you are really good at, concentrated speaking, reading or writing, or watching a totally engrossing movie.   
 
Recognize Distractions 
The be here now message is to avoid being stuck in the past, bound to reactive living, regret and anchoring on past accomplishments or failures, and to avoid being attached to a picture of the future that may or may not come about. 
 
To avoid being distracted by these thoughts about the past or future, cultivate the mindfulness that recognizes them. Choose to either indulge them or to let them go. For example, thoughts of a future event can be useful and lead to the planning that will make the event come about and be successful. The thinking and the planning are in the now. Alternatively, one can recognize the thoughts and then decide that in the next moment it is best to be free of anything but the calm sense of peace that comes from returning to observing your breath, repeating your mantra, or just being present. 
 
Be Here Now 
For those who wish to live effectively in the material world, rest in the present moment. Train the mind to be aware of all thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, concepts and of consciousness itself. Understand the past well enough to not be bound by any of its residual effects. Image and plan the future and act skillfully to positively influence it.  
 
Let go of simplistic beliefs and the techniques used to bypass what you dislike and cling to what pleases you. These may lead to a feeling of momentary happiness by denying reality, but long term, they cause more harm than good.  Take on the work of being truly here now. Do not suppress your emotions, your attachments, and all the other things that distract you.  Experience them fully, mindfully aware moment to moment.  Use their energy as a wake-up alarm and to fuel positive action. 
 
Accept the paradox that to be here now means to embrace the past and future while realizing that they are both real and unreal. That realization goes beyond intellectual understanding. It is the essence of being here now.  
 
As the Third Zen Patriarch said, "To deny the reality of things is to miss their reality. To assert the emptiness of things is to miss their reality."  
 
Let go of the need to “understand it” to fully understand it. 
 
Be here now and you are both without past, present or future, and on solid ground for moving forward, ready for anything. 
How to be Happy Even When You Are Sad, Mad or Scared:

How to be happy...How to be Happy Even When You Are Sad, Mad or Scared is available on Amazon.com. It is a book for children of all ages (including those in adult bodies). Buy it for the children in your life so they can be better able to “feel and deal” - feel and accept their emotions and deal with them in a way that avoids being driven by them. You can order the book at https://www.amazon.com/How-Happy-Even-When-Scared/dp/1072233363
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness
Open-minded: questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty. 
 
Mindful: consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.
By George Pitagorsky

Success is measured in how well and how regularly you meet expectations. But what exactly are expectations, and how do you effectively manage them when multiple priorities and personalities are involved?
Using the case study of a Project Manager coordinating an organizational transition, this Managing Expectations book explores how to apply a mindful, compassionate, and practical approach to satisfying expectations in any situation. George Pitagorsky describes how to make sure expectations are rational, mutually understood, and accepted by all those with a stake in the project. This process relies on blending a crisp analytical approach with the interpersonal skills needed to negotiate win-win understandings of what is supposed to be delivered, by when, for how much, by who, and under what conditions.
Managing Conflict in Projects
By George Pitagorsky

Managing Conflict in Projects: Applying Mindfulness and Analysis for Optimal Results by George Pitagorsky charts a course for identifying and dealing with conflict in a project context.

Pitagorsky states up front that conflict management is not a cookbook solution to disagreement-a set of prescribed actions to be applied in all situations. His overall approach seeks to balance two aspects of conflict management: analysis based on a codified process and people-centered behavioral skills.

The book differentiates conflict resolution and conflict management. Management goes beyond resolution to include relationship building that may serve to avoid conflict or facilitate resolution if it occurs.
 
The Zen Approach to Project Management 
By George Pitagorsky

Projects are often more complex and stressful than they need to be. Far too many of them fail to meet expectations. There are far too many conflicts. There are too few moments of joy and too much anxiety. But there is hope. It is possible to remove the unnecessary stress and complexity. This book is about how to do just that. It links the essential principles and techniques of managing projects to a "wisdom" approach for working with complex, people-based activities.