Archive for Mental Resilience
Get Back on Track With Every Stroke in Golf and in Life
Posted by: | CommentsWhen in the course of human events you perform at less than your ability and fall into a destructive cycle of doubt about your skill, which makes you feel worse and thus perform even more badly, how do you escape? At a recent golf tournament I witnessed my son doing just that. And he even knows about mental resilience. What I realized from silently watching from the sidelines is that in golf, you have a chance to restore your equilibrium and get back on track with each and every stroke. When you know the formula, you can apply a similar strategy in many other areas of life as well.
You may know that on average, an airplane is said to be off-course 87% of the time from take-off to successful landing at its desired destination. How can that be? The pilots simply keep micro adjusting the trajectory when the plane veers too far off the direct line of travel towards our final stop.
We can also use this principle in life, and even in a golf game. When an event happens, Read More→
Listen Up Kanye-Behave Better by Using Your Brain
Posted by: | CommentsThe recent VMA (Video Music Awards) event made several references to the incident last year when Kanye West grabbed the top award from Taylor Swift saying it should have gone to Beyonce instead. Swift, this year, wrote and performed a song of forgiveness with lyrics “32 and still growing up; who you are is not what you did…everyone of us has messed up too, I hope you remember, today is never too late to be brand new”.
The good news is that with recent research on ‘neuroplasticity of the brain’, we know that even as adults we continue to be able to shift or adapt in response to new experiences. The distinction in adult brain development, as compared with bio-driven child development, is that external stimuli are what primarily shape our brain development.
So, Old Dogs and Dinosours, here’s what you’ve got to do to take advantage of this information: exercise and keep learning. Exercise stimulates new brain cell growth which apparently increases mental abilities by up to 30 percent. Additionally, learning something new, with practice and repetition, creates new neural pathways which in turn enhances intelligence. It’s all about the connections.
Kanye West made Twitter references to how much he has suffered, and grown, out of this incident, to which I will add a third way to increase brain-power as an adult. That is to grow your emotional intelligence (E.I.). This, too, is all about making connections, both within yourself and your own levels of understanding and with others in your level of empathy and ability to communicate.
Each of these approaches to brain development take conscious effort as adults. There are trade-offs in time and energy. Learning implies growth which implies change, which is not always comfortable. But the ability to be flexible, adaptable and willing to take action in our modern world of change are lynchpin skills of overall mental resilience.
So, yes, there is hope for a better me, a better Kanye and a better world by cultivating our brain- power. Sing on!
Wherever You Go, There You Are!
Posted by: | CommentsI just returned from a trip to England, a country I lived and worked in for over a decade. I slotted right back into the routines- from tea time in the afternoon to hustling to catch trains for travel to teaching assignments, to using certain Britishisms like “I say!” It all still felt very comfortable, although this is the first time I didn’t drive- or even want to- while there. Hmmm- time is passing by.
Seeing old friends, family and haunts was wonderful, as was encountering new people and places. Several times over the trip, and now visiting friends in the US en route back home, the expression “wherever you go, there you are” has surfaced. It caused a few discussions about what it means, and questions of Read More→
Productive Ecstasy-Little Drummer Boy
Posted by: | CommentsProductive ecstasy? Whatever can I be talking about?
I facilitated a workshop over the summer where I delved into ‘creative ecstasy’, the equivalent of getting into the thrill of the creative ‘flow zone’ . This is the state of mind and engagement where you are so fully involved at a level of skill and challenge that you lose track of time and your efforts sail along with zing, flair and panache. In such a state, individual productivity tends to skyrocket, as we are not distracted, focus is clear and sharp and all components required for forward motion and success are in alignment. In an ecstatic collaboration the productivity can even be multiplied since the sum is greater than the parts.
Below is a link to a YouTube video of Howard, a 4 year old kid, playing drums. Have no fear, he actually plays very well. What’s cool is Read More→
Change Your WorkWorld by Changing Yourself First
Posted by: | CommentsStarting with yourself as a core and connecting element in your business, realize you have the defining role in whether your work experience is enjoyable, meaningful, productive and a match for you. By changing something within yourself that sends out a different vibe, whether it’s pleasure in dealing with your customers or colleagues, or satisfaction in the substance of the workaday tasks, you can set the tone by tuning into your own attitude and noticing how you are spending your time and energy.
Sometimes a mis-match can be as simple as recognizing you have fallen prey to Read More→
Shape-shifting as Renewal & Revitalization
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s a case of ‘out with the old, in with the new’. It’s all about resilience!
Every seven years or so, human bodies replace every cell in every organ, each at a different rate depending on size and density, apparently. I say ‘apparently’, because even though scientific research tells us this is happening, to look at ourselves and others, we’d hardly know it. The only evidence we have of old cells shedding are the few flakes of skin left on our sheets or as bathtub ring every morning.
So we are effectively a new being even though we appear to stay the same person. How does that happen? What is holding our identity together during the ongoing process of change? In humans there is cellular coding that reproduces cells with the holographic imprint of, in my case, Donna-ness.
Reinventing our business can follow the same process of continuously updating and renewing our marketing, product and services, systems and equipment while still maintaining our organizational identity.
How do we do that? What might that look like for you?
Please leave your comments and recommendations below. I’ll pick up from here next time.
Creative Simplification
Posted by: | CommentsWe rarely think of a function of creativity as simplification, but it’s a useful trait. How do we do it? Seek streamlining of processes, procedures, ways of doing things…Here’s one simple technique from Dr. Edward DeBono, inventor of Lateral Thinking.
Look around and choose 3 items you can see- chandelier, calculator, fan. Now pick any 3 other words randomly (Notebook, CD, external harddrive…) and see if you can use one of the words in the second set of 3 to simplify one of the first words.
So, recognizing that some ideas come to us fully formed (rarely) and that some need further development, here are some possible ideas-
- the spiral binding on the notebook makes me think of a fan moving around the ceiling to cover a wider area
- external harddrive makes me think that a calculator could store certain regular expenditures so we don’t have to start from the beginning each time
- CD is writable on one side (not on the other) so maybe a chandelier crystals can reflect iridescence in one light and have a strobe or dimmer effect from another perspective
You just look for connection between any of the elements and remembering the focus is to simplify, then anything is fair game, whether far-fetched or not.
Your turn- practice with the items above or substitute one set and try to find simplifications, or just start with another set of lists, keeping them random. Have fun and be aware it’s also serious fun with real potential outcomes of value!
Ask Yourself “Why Am I Doing This?”
Posted by: | CommentsWe just had Independence Day. It always makes me think about the nature of Freedom, which I count as one of my key values, and how much I manifest freedom in my own life. The daily reality, however, is that I have a propensity towards being TOO busy, which means I lack a certain amount of time freedom.
So I came across some questions from Gary Null in Living in the Moment, which stopped me in my tracks. These questions were really useful for me as a reminder I can make different choices…and hopefully for you too:
Why am I doing this? Why am I saying that? Why am I spilling my guts when it will change nothing? Or, now my questions, How can I take different actions so things WILL change? Will taking these actions lead me where I am trying to go? Is this is the best use of my time?
Whatever questions you ask of yourself, the key point is that at any moment you can make different choices and course correct. Or just stop, breathe, and consciously decide what to do next. That way you are more in control of your efforts and energy, and are well on the way to regaining both your freedom and your mental resilience!
Quick & Dirty Comparison Tool
Posted by: | CommentsThe Goggle Frame is simple, yet has many uses. We discussed its use in assessing or evaluating a situation before it happens. This can yield insights that reveal key actions to be taken, gaping holes in the knowledge base, potential value conflicts or conflicts of interest, and more, all of which can be dealt with ahead of taking further action.
You can also use the Goggle Frame after an event for a quick or in-depth evaluation- what worked well, what didn’t go so well, what interesting or cool things emerged. Again, you then put this information to use as you need it.
Another powerful use of the Goggle Frame is to compare people, or alternative items or choices on anything. For example, you can use Goggles in comparing and then choosing from candidates who are interviewing for a position. Read More→
Kaleidoscope on ‘What to do With Saddam Hussein’
Posted by: | CommentsAs mentioned yesterday, the Kaleidoscope Frame is a thinking tool that requires you to identify any people or parties whose views are relevant to making plans and choices about your thinking focus issue. Once you know who they are, you attempt, as honestly as possible, to note their likely views on the issue. You either ask directly or role play their position, depending on the circumstance.
The reason this Frame is important is to be fully aware ahead of time multiple views that may impact your issue. You can then address and include those views in your overall consideration, or know to design out potential problems or obstacles ahead of time.
I had a unique experience in February 2004 when I was brought into Baghdad to work with one of the newly appointed Iraqi government Ministries on Leadership and Strategic Thinking. Most of the group had never met before, having been brought in from regional seats of government or having previously been in opposing factions. We had the obligatory Sunni, Shiite, Fundamentalists, Kurd, 3 exiles who had been living in different countries, ex-Saddam government employee, a woman, military General, media person, and a few others.
Over the course of the few days we had together, working through a translator, we worked through a range of issues, from how to get them to communicate with each other, to them taking on the role of Ministers at the national level, to forging their vision and action plan for Iraq in the future. Saddam had been captured several months prior to my visit, so it was a matter of international interest what was going to happen to him. The CPA, Coalition Provisional Authority, had made it clear that they would be leaving it to the new Iraqi government to handle this delicate matter when they took back control in June 2004.
I introduced some of the InSight Frames tools as we worked through the issues. The Kaleidoscope Frame came out in full force when I thought they were ready to be more objective and rational in assessing situations, as they would have to be in a Ministerial role dealing with National Security issues. Our Thinking focus issue was: How should we handle Saddam Hussein? With some prompting, they identified such key players whose views should be considered as : Iraqi citizens, Iraqi Government, former Baathists & other Saddamists (who could revolt), the CPA, the Americans, The Europeans, The Arab World, the Iranians, AlQuaeda, Osama bin Laden, the United Nations, and a few more. We then went through each group identified and role-played what their view would be. In each case we took into account views based on whether Saddam would be executed or left in prison. We worked our way through this very controversial and emotional terrain using the simple Kaleidoscope Thinking Frame to Read More→
