What's in a name?

One of the fundamental successes of Dick Richards seminal work "Is Your Genius At Work?" is that he's tapped into a deep human instinctive trait.

That trait, present in all cultures, and tradtions, is to Name.

Everything about us and around us is identified, codified and subsequently disseminated by the Name it has been given.

Naming things, people, ideas, constructs, possibilities, diseases, thoughts, gifts all give a dense energy to that thing and create for it a form which makes it then easier for us to pick up, discard or scrutinise further.

Things without names are hard to pin down. Ones Genius is a classic example of this dilemma. To find ones genius, one must get precise about what to actually call it.

Names for non-things become things in and of themselves. Angels? Do they exist? Are they real? Do they also have identity and soul? Who really knows! But.... we have NAMED "them" Angels - so therefore the possibility of their existence becomes vaguely more certain.

The name our parents chose for us as babies inevitably processes our identity for us throughout our lives and unless we choose to change it, makes us something of what we are and potentially can be.

Some of us go by two or more names. I have two names. :)

Michelle is my name given to me at my birth. Michelle is the name used by family and some of my closer friends of the past 16 years. Michelle is the name which I use to present a "professional" face in business. Michelle is a name from an old Beatles song which I absolutely DETEST! Hahahahaha! :)

Mitch is the name given to me by a high school friend when I was 14 years old. This name has become the one which breaks down barriers to friendship for me and creates better entente in many ways than "Michelle". I have been Mitch to many different groups of people in different circles for 30 years. It's a name that works in constructing quick friendships.

My cat has more names than he deserves. His name is Billy, but he also gets "Billzoid", "Pooh-face", "Bucket Features", "Foofy-feffer" and so on... I have this "thing" about calling my cat names! Don't quite know why - he just has that kind of energy about him. :)

Naming is what we do. It is intrinsic in our nature and character as people to need and want to name that which is useful for us to do so.

Names are special. They cement us in place but also make us grow into new shapes. Names provide syntax and coherence to our being.

The BEST names are those chosen for us by our friends and lovers. These names, selected by their heart, make the bonds of love and friendship grow deeper and stronger. These are intimate names - sometimes secret names. Names that identify not just what our friends think and feel about us but also define the relationship and it's journey. These are the names that bring a special coherence to our lives and solidify the value we bring to the world.

Naming ones Genius is a process of discovery. Finding the "right" Name does not come without some trial, but, if one can make friends with ones gift... love it and be at peace with it... then it's true name is more likely to just bubble to the surface as obvious as if it had been known all along.