I don’t like to lose my cool. When life gets busy and demanding, I have been known to lose my cool. It is not something that I like to admit but I notice it in the tone of my voice, the tension in my jaw and the squinting of my eyes. I get in a reactive mode and in the moment, my concern is not about the feelings of others but rather that others pay attention to me. And although … Read More
Growth comes from being able to resolve two conflicting truths. Our reactions provide us with information that allows us to resolve our frozen perceptions, also known as our beliefs. Redefining Truth. Our simple definition for ‘truth’ as a fact or reality is closed, exclusive and reactive. It does not support growth, inclusiveness or creativity. According to Merriam-Webster, an additional definition is a judgment or idea that is true or accepted as true. Judgment is defined as a formal utterance of … Read More
“Real power is, I don’t even want to use the word: ‘Fear.’” Presidential Candidate Donald J. Trump in an interview with Bill Woodward and Robert Costa, March 31, 2016 Fear is a derailer ‘Is fear real power?’ Certainly many will respond with a ‘Yes’ because it triggers a response and it drives action. But fear simply implies ‘power over others’. Fear relies on position and authority to trigger reactions in others. Fear does not allow space for others to generate … Read More
What if we can relieve our distress rather than have to learn to live with it? Think about this for a moment. We live our life and events happen. We react with a wide range of emotion, depending on the nature of the event. Distress is a combination of emotions, sensations and thoughts that result in a feeling of discomfort. We may notice that we get stuck in habitual reactive patterns as a result of this distress. The symptoms can … Read More
Actions are often reactions: MYActionsMatter is a campaign by the Government of Canada to mark 16 days of activism against gender-based violence. The theme provides a strong callout to reinforce that our actions are not just meaningless behaviours. Our actions make a difference to everyone around us. The actions highlighted in the campaign messaging are common behaviours that are often excused or discounted. We think that we are making deliberate actions when in fact, most of these behaviours are reactive … Read More
The world should be fair. Justin Trudeau was asked about his number one priority for the next two years at a recent Women in the World convention. He acknowledged that there was a lot to be done but the big one was around fairness, stating a desire that ‘everyone has a fair chance to succeed in Canada. … Everything I can do, everything we can do, to shift the world in the right direction continues to be something that I … Read More
We all react. I have surrounded myself with great, intelligent men. I consider them my peers, I value their insight and I rely on their counsel. Yet they frustrate me with their decisiveness and their different perspectives. I react. In turn, they react to my impatience and frustration – sometimes with avoidance, sometimes with frustration. Bottom line – we don’t maximize our effectiveness. Through my work with Logosynthesis, I have come to appreciate that the exercise is for me to … Read More
‘A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.’– Mahatma Ghandi – Supporting health at the level of ‘hearts and soul’. Humans can feel the power of ‘hearts and souls’ through music, dance and prayer. Humans come together to connect, mourn and celebrate in life’s most meaningful moments. This energy supports healthy living. Humans can also feel stuck in their lives because of painful memories, limiting beliefs and fantasies about life. This ‘stuck’ energy limits … Read More