[Ailist] EDISON - AN 'APPRECIATIVE PERSPECTIVE'

[Anu Parmar]

A Chance to Start Over.

 

It was a cold December night in West Orange, New Jersey. Thomas Edison's
factory was humming with activity. Work was proceeding on a variety of
fronts as the great inventor was trying to turn more of his dreams into
practical realities. Edison's plant, made of concrete and steel, was deemed
"fireproof". As you may have already guessed, it wasn't!

 

On that frigid night in 1914, the sky was lit up by a sensational blaze that
had burst through the plant roof. Edison's 24-year-old son, Charles, made a
frenzied search for his famous inventor-father. When he finally found him,
he was watching the fire. His white hair was blowing in the wind. His face
was illuminated by the leaping flames.

"My heart ached for him," said Charles. "Here he was, 67 years old, and
everything he had worked for was going up in flames. When he saw me, he
shouted, 'Charles! Where's your mother?' When I told him I didn't know, he
said, 'Find her! Bring her here! She'll never see anything like this as long
as she lives.'"

 

Next morning, Mr. Edison looked at the ruins of his factory and said this of
his loss: "There's value in disaster. All our mistakes are burned up. Thank
God, we can start anew."

 

What a wonderful perspective on things that seem at first to be so
disastrous. A business failure, divorce, personal dream gone sour. Whether
these things destroy an individual depends largely on the attitude he or she
takes toward them. Sort out why it happened, and learn something from the
blunders. Think of different approaches that can be taken.

 

Start over.

Author unknown

 

I came across this today..a wonderfully 'appreciative' perspective to
meeting disasters and setbacks in our lives.

 

We have 'Appreciative Inquiry (AI)' as a wonderful tool to help us inquire
into our positive core.  Now, I see an extension of this as the
'Appreciative Perspective (AP)' which is developing an 'eye for appreciation
/ positive essence.'  There are times, when our intellect can only 'inquire'
so much.it can be an exhausting exercise, as revealing and enlightening as
it may be.  But, today I was thinking how effortless it is to simply 'see' -
be a witness.  No questions. No answers. But to simply see things as they
are.  This does not require any effort at all.   

 

We can, then take our 'witnessing/seeing' to the next level through the
'Appreciative Perspective' lens, where we see with an eye for appreciation /
gratitude.  No questions. No answers.  Just a perspective.

 

I like the definition of perspective as "faculty of seeing all the relevant
data in a meaningful relationship".  

"Appreciative Perspective" would be the 'faculty of seeing all the relevant
data in a positive, appreciative relationship."

 

What do you think?

 

 

Anu

 

Anu Parmar

SCA Strategies Inc.

Business Development and Strategy Consulting

Executive and Management Coaching

Organization Development: Appreciative Inquiry and Open Space Facilitation

Truth. Knowledge. Success.

 

Tel:  905 457 8623

cell: 647 400 8623

anuparmar at scastrategies.com