The supreme accomplishment is to blur line between work and play. --Arnold Toynbee, author-- We recently attended "MillPond" Festival in Bishop, CA. with a rather eclectic blend of musicians from all over US and Europe in attendance. The “Laura Love Band” presented one of several inspirations we received at this concert. Their level of skill to deliver on promise of evening...great music...was undeniable. Each musician in band was obviously a master.

What struck us about this band, in contrast to their great music, was fact that they had to be funniest and goofiest performers we'd ever seen! Laura herself was completely uninhibited. She often acted like a child with her yelling, cackling, and joking in midst of their musical magic. One could actually view an aspect of their behavior as very "unprofessional"...if one wanted to. What I saw was a group who made play of everything, from introduction of a new song, to introduction of band members, to creating drama on stage to get audience participating. They used lyrical and poetic language in their discourse with audience ...everyone loved them and didn't want them to leave stage!

This band connected with their audience like none I've ever seen. And they were just having a whole lot of fun being their creative selves...being like children and practicing their craft. Being playful AND being professional...what a concept! Maybe it's just me, but facilitators and presenters who were polished and professional have never left me with any lasting memory or value. So what's this got to do with you and I? I'll have to admit that I have fallen pray in my past to a concern about looking professional while on stage. And by way, just what heck does "being professional,” mean. We say it so often, I felt compelled to pull definition on this:

Professional: Conforming to standards of a profession. Having or showing great skill.

Stop acting professional, be professional and act alive! I doubt anyone would disagree with fact that a great facilitator will have mastered a certain breadth of skills in management of people and processes. What can get us tripped up though in our desire to "be professional" or "skilled," is trying to "act" professional. Modeling act of "Being Real" is one of greatest gifts a facilitator brings to their group. After all, when was last time that someone "being professional" inspired you to do more, think more, be more, relate more?

What does a real pro look like? The real pros I've witnessed have found their authenticity and it shows. They tend to be most comfortable being their quirky, sometimes crazy, selves. They can let go, have fun, and help others cut through their serious masks to see that every problem has at least one solution, and that solutions can be had such that everyone's needs are met. They see world through their own eyes in a fresh new way, resisting pull of groupthink or "conventional wisdom."

Joe makes a comment and you suddenly feel a rush of energy. Your face flushes and your knuckles whiten as you begin squeezing edge of table for dear life. Some part of you knows that this feeling is not proportionate to Joe’s comment or intention, but something was triggered in you nonetheless, and you’re ready to bite his head off.

To be effective as a friend, spouse, significant other, coworker, manager, leader, or whatever role you’re playing at moment, learning to manage your feelings is a critical step toward living a happy, successful, and fulfilled life. And let me just say this up front, managing your feelings doesn't mean that you stuff them down and repress them. It means that you become aware of what's going on inside of you, own your feelings as your own, heed message that they have for you, and act responsibly.

What are emotions and what is emotional mastery? Emotions are often described as energy in motion. They become problems only when we judge them as wrong, bad, or inappropriate. When we let our emotions run us, we miss message that they carry. When we stuff them down for fear of what they might cause us to do, they simply lie in wait to emerge with a vengeance later on. Emotional mastery is ability to process our emotions so that we receive their message and use their energy for appropriate action.

Our emotions are very much a reflection of our beliefs about life events. For example, if you believe that you are your work and you suddenly lose your job, you are likely to feel an incredible amount of fear, as you perceive your very survival to be at stake. If you repress this fear, possibly because you view it as a weakness, you’ll probably experience anger or rage and at some point, you will likely lash out at whoever’s available.

If on other hand, you are a person who views your job simply as one aspect of your life, and you know that your inherent value lies in your unique skills and qualities, then your feelings and response to losing your job will probably be a whole lot different. You may just view this loss as an opportunity to explore a whole new path for yourself.