You have two weeks to work on this live-with. Please pass on your experiences with this and the whole issue of balance in your life
Also think about which live-withs can be MOST useful over a holiday period. Sometimes when families gather, it can be very stressful. It can be a "field day" for the VOJ and having some pretty strong expectations about interactions and outcome. So... relax and try some of your NEW tools. Then, share any thoughts and experiences you have.
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Hello all!
ReplyDeleteHere's nice list of books on Leadership recommended by some of the top CEOs!
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123178937550674293.htm
bonne lecture!!
and a Happy Thanksgiving to all!!
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.
The Live-with this week was a lot of fun. I basically answered right away to questions or options without thinking about it. It is a great way to gain time, reduce frustration and stress. I love it.
I am really looking forward to the holiday period, because I will fly home and see my family. Nevertheless, I will still need to remember to silent my VOJ and have NO expectations, since I will also start to plan my wedding during those few days...
There will be plenty of time to implement most of the live-with that were thought in class.
See you Monday,
Eugenie
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ReplyDeleteHi Everyone,
ReplyDeleteWelcome back from the Thanksgiving holiday! I hope it was a relaxing, enjoyable time for you. I spent last week with my immediate and extended family near Seattle, Washington. I come from a very big family full of diverse personalities and opinions. Interacting with all of them gave me a chance to practice the "See With Your Heart" live-with. Rather than judging those family members who see life differently than I do, I focused on their essence...the person they were created to be and the person I love. My desire to treat others with compassion changed my own countenance, as one of my aunts commented that I seemed much more at ease than the last time she saw me in August. I arrived without any expectations for the holiday and as a result I felt more relaxed than I had at previous family get-togethers.
My priority for this visit was spending time with my 99 year-old grandfather (who is still in excellent health) and playing with my nieces and nephew. When I was invited to go shopping and out with other family members, I listened to my inner decision (my immediate response was "no") and was able to politely decline. Having spent the week with those I wanted to see the most, I left feeling satisfied and full of energy. It was a new, positive experience to do exactly what I wanted to do instead of saying "yes" to every invitation in an effort to please others.
~ Lori
I have been reading the series, Don't Sweat the Small Stuff, by Richard Carlson. As I made a decision this week to be more influenced by positive, inspiring books.
ReplyDeleteHis books are full of small stories, thoughts, that are quite relevant with the teachings of this course.
Some of my favorite entries are
* Think C-A-L-M
* Calculate the Number of Things that Went * Right Today
* Open Your Heart to Compassion
I recognized my decision to PLAY/BE BIG in the world. I am going to pursue further leadership and coaching training (instead of more formal graduate school program at this time). It's more about the process and the journey. I intend to keep applying the live-withs and other good learnings in my personal and professional life.
ReplyDeleteI have recognized my decision to BE MYSELF...not to be inhibited either by my own or by others judgments....I decide to be FREE.
ReplyDeleteHello!
ReplyDeleteI had an extensive Thanksgiving break and just got caught up with everything... Thank goodness for not having to work on weekends! :)
Anyway, I was in sunny Hawaii during the past 1.5 weeks, and the VOJ as well as my family members with their own internal & external VOJ came with me! It's often more stressful in a family vacation setting because most of the activities are done collectively... and as you all know, trying to please multiple people is no easy task.
I thought a lot about trying to minimize my VOJ as well as seeing with my heart on this trip. Also, the new live-with, "recognize your decision now," came in handy as well.
I practiced this week's live-with by replacing my frustration (and there's been a lot of frustrating events during the trip!) with acceptance. I realized that it's hard to please everyone and everyone has the "right" to be selfish. However, by calmly telling my family members (over and over) that it's OK to split up from time to time and have some alone time. At first they were resistant, but as the days went by, they were more willing. And during the situations where I had to "suck it up" and do things collectively, I tried to see the good in whatever it is we were doing. After all, it's much easier to be happy when you're in Hawaii! :)