November 10, 2007

Lessons from Storm Chasing

Oh my gosh, I just got hooked into watching four straight hours of Storm Chasers on Discovery Channel, where three teams of experts spent six weeks of prime time tornado season trying to place themselves in harm's way to gather data and capture never before seen footage of tornadoes.

Although the researchers were able to gather data here and there in narrow misses with various storms, the filmmaker needed to experience a direct tornado "intercept" in order to get the shot he wanted.

You can imagine how tricky it is to predict where a tornado will travel, in order to place your reinforced tank on a road in perfect timing to get in the middle of the action.

Day after day these teams chase various promising storm systems, and day after day they come up empty. After six weeks of narrow misses, their morale is taking a big toll. On the LAST day of storm season, they head out with little energy for the project that they were once so enthusiastic about.

What really got my attention was on the start of their last desperate morning, the filmmaker walks his crew through a visualization of encountering a tornado. He asks them to imagine a beautifully forming storm system, dark clouds, a nice funnel, debris collecting underneath, winds picking up speed ... all indications of conditions for the much-anticipated tornado interception.

(I was wondering when they would use their creative powers to get what they wanted!)

Long story short, they FINALLY, after six weeks of chasing storms, actually experience a direct intercept. They got their very cool TIV (tornado intercept vehicle) in the right place at the right time and the tornado passes directly over them.

Mission accomplished? Almost. Although they intercepted the tornado (actually two in one day, after six weeks of NOTHING!), it wasn't the dramatic film experience they were after.

Their story offered a couple learning opportunities:

1 - PERSISTENCE. These guys didn't quit. Without a lot to go on, and even though they were running on fumes at the end, they stayed committed to their dream. The filmmaker had been chasing storms for over eight years, and this was the closest he'd been. Although he didn't get his "money shot," he said he'll gear up for next year, and the year after that, and the year after that if he has to.

How often do we give up before we get what we want? Universe rewards commitment.

2 - ACCURATE TARGET. Their visualization was great for conjuring up a tornado and putting them in the right place at the right time. But what they really wanted, apparently, was to also get impressive film footage of it. All they got on this last day was dusty frames of a lot of debris being blown about. Not exactly what they wanted. Maybe their next visualization will include THAT last part, I hope.

How often have we done the same thing? Thinking we're locked on exactly what we want, only to discover after getting it that we left something key out. I know I have.

So here's what my four hours of goofing off with Discovery Channel lent me tonight. Let's make sure we're clear about what we truly want up front, call in our manifesting powers early on in our endeavor (rather than after we get desperate), and remember our commitment throughout the journey.

With that being said, I'm dedicating the rest of my weekend to a review of my business and personal goals, just to make sure they're complete and on target, and renewing my commitment if I find it's lapsed at all.

Happy weekend, everyone!

4 comments:

  1. I hear tell FOCUS is power, have a great weekend focusing on your goals.
    And you are probably right we could lose the "close but no cigars" syndrom if we only focused a bit more and clarified.

    Love to you,
    Leslie.

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  2. Truly. Clarity and focus bring about great things, indeed! I realized after posting this that even including in his visualization getting the film he wanted probably isn't where it ends. What he REALLY wants is likely something more than that, right? To produce the film, to have it make the impact he dreams of, to get more funding for more future projects, to do what he loves. I'm making that up, but usually when we want something, it's just because we think it's going to make us feel a particular way.

    But maybe it is best done step by step - I just think it helps to keep the end result/feeling in mind.

    It's just like Wayne Dyer says (from Abraham), all we really ever want is to feel good. I can't think of a single exception.

    Even me wanting Russ to get out of bed right now and make some waffles is driven from my desire to feel good over a hot breakfast with my sweetie. I would do well to remember what I REALLY want isn't so much waffles, as it is to feel good. Which might keep me from growing irritated that he's turning breakfast into lunch with his uncharacteristic late slumber.

    And of course, it feels great to be conversing with lovely Leslie this morning instead! : )

    Thanks for posting, friend. I LOVE hearing from you!

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  3. LOL ... You are an adventurer at heart!


    ~How often have we done the same thing? Thinking we're locked on exactly what we want, only to discover after getting it that we left something key out. I know I have.~

    Sometimes for me (mostly always) it's about a muddy intent; as opposed to the wrong thing.

    When I can't (or won't) name the real desire, I end up with a Jabberwocky or some strange animal made up of bits and pieces of different things.

    Focus is right, Leslie.

    LOL ... I'm reminded of that scene in Ghostbusters where they need to concentrate on not thinking of something that could become a vehicle for the spirit and one of them has a memory of the marshmellow man.

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  4. Right, Rick - it's not necessarily that we're big time off base with these desires, but rather just a little off. We can always count on clarity of new desire to come up after Jabberwocky manifests, though, huh? lol

    Gotta love the way this system is set up!

    Thanks for posting, Rick. Nice to hear of your experiences. :)

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