IMPROV WISDOM !

Excuse the exclamation point. But I've been waiting for this book for close to a year and it will finally be out on May 3rd. You can order it in advance at Amazon.

You'll see I've categorized this post under "Coaching"  That's because I think "Improv Wisdom" is a great coaching book - both to recommend to clients and to shift coaches in their thinking.  But this is also a book for everyone who wants to wake up to a life of meaning and unlimited possibility.

You can read the Rave Review from Publisher's Weekly here. 

Patricia Ryan Madson is a fascinating woman and a lot of fun! She's an eminent Professor of Drama at Stanford University; a brilliant writer, actress and the most Senior Instructor of Constructive Living in the United States.   

I'm fortunate enough to have been the recipient of her Improv Wisdom.  I use her maxims in my Coaching and my own life daily. They've helped me get more out of life and have made me a better Coach.  Whether she was explaining the finer points of Buddhist psychology, showing me the Japanese art of painting on silk or making granola - the Life lessons were similar.

She's been an influential Teacher to me in ways of living with awareness and purpose.

I spoke with her recently about her book.  As a dutiful student I started where she taught me I should always start. I asked her what her purpose was in writing the book.

"To share the wisdom gathered throughout over 20 years of Improv classroom. To help people kickstart their dreams. Improv is a good metaphor for life which asks us to step in without a plan, without a script, and to do what is needed for the moment".

The tricks and techniques she used to help students take action in the classroom can be used by all to take action and respond to Reality as it unfolds, unpredictable and unscripted, in our daily lives.   

As she says:

"Why let fear get in the way of doing things?"

Why indeed?

Here's a sample from her book:

"The practice of improvisation teaches something that we are hungry to understand:how to be in harmony with one another and how to have fun... Improvising invites us to lighten up and look around. It offers an alternative to the controlling way many of us try to lead our lives. It requires that we say yes and be helpful rather than argumentative; it offers us a chance to do things differently."

Patricia reminds us that improvisation is a learned skill and offers 13 practical tips such as "Start anywhere". I've found this to be a great one for a "stuck" client who is feeling overwhelmed by circumstance.  The realization that they don't have to start at the beginning can be a real "Aha" moment. They don't even have to figure out where the beginning is.  If they take one action a second step will naturally reveal itself as needing to be done.

Another one of my favorites is "Don't Prepare".  In focusing on the future we may miss the present.  Also, how can you prepare when you don't know what's going to happen next?  Preparation takes energy and while we're busy trying to figure out all the consequences and actions of our possible choices - life goes on without us doing anything!

Another great one, deceptively simple, is "Just Show Up." 

But my all-time favorite is "Say Yes."  Saying yes, by definition, puts possibility into play. Saying no closes off at least one option.  This isn't necessarily the yes of agreement to what's going on - it's the yes of acceptance.

Patricia taught this to me as "Say Yes, and.."  I love this and have used it often with clients.  Accept and build on what is. Ok, I see what's going on and what can I add to it?

Anyone who is familiar with my site and my newsletter knows that I don't recommend resources indiscriminately. (I learned my lesson the hard way when I fixed up a girlfriend with a guy and he dumped her).  But I predict, with confidence, you'll like this gem of a book, use it often and have fun too.

Comments

[M. A. Denzer]

Thanks for the review! Looks like a great read!

[Personal Developer]

I will surely take a closer look at it. Thank you!