Every hour of work feels like a never-ending blur of the same blahness of the previous hour. What once was an interesting job is now a routine of “can I just make it through another day”. This work morass hampers our work productivity and affects how well we do on work revues. This can even hasten a layoff in these financially tough times where companies are looking for people to be rid of. The burnout and blahs are often a result of boredom taking over our work life. Our career life can be debilitated by boredom and the feeling of being in a stuck zone.
In the work world one major cause of this is we become so familiar with our work that the initial excitement of learning to do well fades away. The routine activities reach such familiarity we find ourselves floating through on autopilot with no excitement or enjoyment of what we are doing. We settle not to aim for excellence but the OKness of just getting by with the minimum effort just to keep the paycheck coming. This can make us feel like we are in the Stuck zone; stuck with doing the same work activity day after day. Being in the Stuck zone carries with it a depressive lack of feeling; a numbness of just going through the motions. When we are in the boring stuck zone we have a nagging feeling that this is not the way to spend our work life. What are some ways to move beyond this boredom in our work and career area of our life?
Look for a renewed sense of calling in your work is a starting point. You may respond "but I am not in a calling I am just doing a job for a paycheck". You can turn a job into a calling. Take a relook at what you are doing as calling can relate to the sense of purpose in our work and career. Whose lives are you touching through your work? What is the bigger picture of life going on in your work place? Is it just about you or something bigger than you? Try to find the bigger perspective in your work. Purpose can rebuild some fulfillment in your work.
Our mindset attitude also can help with moving beyond boredom as boredom is often rooted in our attitude. Having a mindset for excellence instead of just getting by can improve your feeling levels to conquer boredom. Education and learning gets a bad rap but it is through learning we can increase our work skills and turn a job more into a career feeling and maybe even a calling feeling. Are you working where the HR department offers trainings? Check out their training opportunities. On the internet there are also training websites that help you improve in your work skills. Local community colleges and universities may offer continuing Education courses that relate to improving your work skills and continuing education credits are usually lower cost that normal college credit courses..
One thing that has always helped me in my attitude towards work has been the spiritual aspect of my work. Whether it was shipping and receiving for a company in Ohio, Janitorial work through college days, customer service, or my most recent work with students at a University I keep a spiritual component in my work mindset. Part of the spiritual is the big picture purpose of my work. Another part is I think of who am I working for? The company, the customer, the paycheck? Ultimately even though in a secular environment I believe I am working for God. That mindset guides me to work for as much excellence as I can in all I do. All my activities at work I am doing in God’s presence. It guides me to work in an ethical way so at the end of the day I can say with no regrets I gave it my best.
Another area of moving beyond boredom is to keep improving the work experience. This allows you to tap into your creative thinking to improve your work life. Write a list of 5 areas of your work you really enjoy. These are the flow activities where time at work flies by. They are probably areas where your natural strengths shine through. Brainstorm how you can keep improving in these areas. Then look at 5 weak areas to your work. These are the areas that make you dread Monday’s blues. They hamper flow and make the day drag on and on and on and on. You get the point! Brainstorm how you can attack these areas and either get help with them or come up with more enjoyable ways to do them. The writings of Michael Michalko are wonderful to help in developing your creative thinking in the workplace.
These are just a few ideas to help in overcoming boredom in your career life. You can research on the internet and find others or in your personal brainstorming come up with other ideas. The important thing is if you are in a stuck zone in your work you don’t necessarily in these financially tough times have to throw in the towel you have the power in your mind and attitudes to Move beyond the boredom.
Reflection
Take time to do the exercise noted above:
Write a list of 5 areas of your work you really enjoy. These are the flow activities where time at work flies by. They are probably areas where your natural strengths shine through. Brainstorm how you can keep improving in these areas. Since these make use of your strengths see how you can enlarge these 5 areas in your work. Then list 5 weak areas to your work. These are the areas that make you dread Mondays blues. They hamper flow and make the day drag on and on and on and on. You get the point! Brainstorm how you can attack these areas and either get help with them or come up with more enjoyable ways to do them.
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Sunday, March 6, 2011
Days That Emphasize Reading
This past Friday at the University I work at, the Learning labs were celebrating National Grammar Day. In an age of Twitter, texting, and poor grammar usage, I thought it positive for there to be a day to promote proper grammar usage. Writing is a skill needed in every career so the best communication practices in writing need to be promoted.
As the day progressed being the Bookhead I am, I wondered to myself if national reading days existed. I went to my search engine and typed national reading, literacy, library days. Sure enough I found a number of them. Just as grammar needs to be promoted and supported to strengthen all of our writing skills, and skills of young people; reading needs to be support as well. Reading helps enrich the mind, build vocabularies, generates creativity. At the University I work at the students who say they hate reading are the ones who are usually not performing well in their classes and wind up in academic difficulties.
In the economic news recently I have heard of the financial troubles of Barnes and Nobles and Borders Books. As reading is deemphasized in society it is hurting bookstores. Bookheads who love their reading need to promote reading so bookstores and libraries do not become endangered entities in our culture. I recently received an email from Borders CEO Mike Edwards since I am a Rewards Member. He mentioned as they go through Chapter 11 proceedings it is still business as usual in their stores. That was good news to hear.
But how do we promote reading to encourage people to break away from their lame TV viewing, web surfing which wastes time. We need to show them the importance of what reading can do in improving their quality of life and that it is a joy to use their minds in creative and critical thinking ways through the power of reading the written word. That is what these national days for reading can do.
I will list some of the websites I found that relate to important days for reading and books throughout the year. Look at their websites and find ideas on how you can promote reading to others. Here they are:
www.bookweekonline.com
This website emphasizes Children’s Book Week which is May 2-8, 2011. As I have mentioned in the past reading was placed as an important place in my life as each Summer as a child my mother made me be involved in the local library Summer reading program. That is where my life as a Bookhead began and I am still thankful for the local library that sponsored the program. Introducing the joys of reading early is even more important in today’s technological world. Encourage teachers and librarians you know to check out this website. Also buy a book for a young person during that week.
www.worldbookday.com
This is a UK website. I love the idea Books for the World. Reading needs to be promoted throughout the world. This year the World Book Day was March 3rd. Even though the organization is based in the United Kingdom we booklovers here in America should check out ideas they are doing there to promote reading and be involved in World Book day.
www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/mediarelationsa/factsheets/nationallibraryweek.cfm
This is the link to the American Library Association that promotes National Library Week Which will be observed April 10-16, 2011 with the theme, "Create your own story @ your library”. I am a strong believer in the importance of the local library. From my early Summer trips to the local library to my high school days where working in the local library was my first part-time job. Watch for activities in your local library during that week.
www.nationalbook.org/nbm.html
This website looks at October being national book month sponsored by the National Book Foundation. This is a website that honors literature and promotes reading to the public. They list many ideas to promote literature and resource links to other literary websites.
So you see there are many days throughout the year where we can promote reading to those around us. You don’t have to become a complete Bookhead like me but do spread the joy of reading to those around you.
Reflection:
Visit the websites listed above. Write down one thing you learned and appreciated from each website. Mark the important dates about reading and books on your calendar and look for local activities at libraries and bookstores during these times.
As the day progressed being the Bookhead I am, I wondered to myself if national reading days existed. I went to my search engine and typed national reading, literacy, library days. Sure enough I found a number of them. Just as grammar needs to be promoted and supported to strengthen all of our writing skills, and skills of young people; reading needs to be support as well. Reading helps enrich the mind, build vocabularies, generates creativity. At the University I work at the students who say they hate reading are the ones who are usually not performing well in their classes and wind up in academic difficulties.
In the economic news recently I have heard of the financial troubles of Barnes and Nobles and Borders Books. As reading is deemphasized in society it is hurting bookstores. Bookheads who love their reading need to promote reading so bookstores and libraries do not become endangered entities in our culture. I recently received an email from Borders CEO Mike Edwards since I am a Rewards Member. He mentioned as they go through Chapter 11 proceedings it is still business as usual in their stores. That was good news to hear.
But how do we promote reading to encourage people to break away from their lame TV viewing, web surfing which wastes time. We need to show them the importance of what reading can do in improving their quality of life and that it is a joy to use their minds in creative and critical thinking ways through the power of reading the written word. That is what these national days for reading can do.
I will list some of the websites I found that relate to important days for reading and books throughout the year. Look at their websites and find ideas on how you can promote reading to others. Here they are:
www.bookweekonline.com
This website emphasizes Children’s Book Week which is May 2-8, 2011. As I have mentioned in the past reading was placed as an important place in my life as each Summer as a child my mother made me be involved in the local library Summer reading program. That is where my life as a Bookhead began and I am still thankful for the local library that sponsored the program. Introducing the joys of reading early is even more important in today’s technological world. Encourage teachers and librarians you know to check out this website. Also buy a book for a young person during that week.
www.worldbookday.com
This is a UK website. I love the idea Books for the World. Reading needs to be promoted throughout the world. This year the World Book Day was March 3rd. Even though the organization is based in the United Kingdom we booklovers here in America should check out ideas they are doing there to promote reading and be involved in World Book day.
www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/pio/mediarelationsa/factsheets/nationallibraryweek.cfm
This is the link to the American Library Association that promotes National Library Week Which will be observed April 10-16, 2011 with the theme, "Create your own story @ your library”. I am a strong believer in the importance of the local library. From my early Summer trips to the local library to my high school days where working in the local library was my first part-time job. Watch for activities in your local library during that week.
www.nationalbook.org/nbm.html
This website looks at October being national book month sponsored by the National Book Foundation. This is a website that honors literature and promotes reading to the public. They list many ideas to promote literature and resource links to other literary websites.
So you see there are many days throughout the year where we can promote reading to those around us. You don’t have to become a complete Bookhead like me but do spread the joy of reading to those around you.
Reflection:
Visit the websites listed above. Write down one thing you learned and appreciated from each website. Mark the important dates about reading and books on your calendar and look for local activities at libraries and bookstores during these times.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Looking At Life As A Road . . .
This past weekend my family and I were visiting Austin, Texas for the weekend. The Hill Country area of Texas is one of our favorite locations. The highlight of the trip was a Keiko Matsui concert at the One World Theater. About the One World Theater -- if you are in Austin check out this concert venue. The outside has the rustic Hill Country feel to it. Then inside the seating has a casual jazz club feel to the atmosphere. They offer pre-concert dinner packages so a couple or a group of friends can have a full enjoyable evening at their concert venue. Their website is www.oneworldtheatre.org . We did not partake in the dinner package as we were traveling such a distance and busy during the day we weren’t sure we could make dinner there in time.
Moving on to the actual concert, Keiko was showcasing her new CD, The Road… as well as playing some songs from previous recordings. We were looking forward to the concert as it has been over 10 years since my wife and I had heard her live in Chicago. This was also the first time our daughter had heard her live. Keiko did not disappoint our anticipation. She was energetic as always and exuded positive energy in her performing. Her new songs showed her continual growth in creativity. There were new styles mixed in with the familiar styles of her older work. That is what lifelong learning is all about -- continual growth and stretching to create the new. I found a couple of new songs from her CD already posted on YouTube. Check out the song Awakening by clicking on the title and you can enjoy the song. You will like the song so much you will want to purchase her CD at your local music retailer.
The concert was refreshing. Even though I had been sick that week the time in her concert strengthened my body and mind as I mindfully enjoyed listening to her music. She has a knack for having a great band to work with. Each of the players enjoyed what they were playing and are talented musicians each in their own right. I always enjoy a keyboard player who becomes absorbed into their instrument as I can tell the artist is experiencing flow and bringing out the best performance as possible. Keiko is like this and it makes watching and listening to her artistry captivating.
In one of the few times she spoke during the concert she touched on a concept that I want to share with you to ponder and savor in your thinking. She shared that in compiling the CD she was doing personal reflection on her life journey – something I encourage often on this blog. She titled the CD The Road. . . as each of our lives are like a road. Each one of us have a uniquely different road to travel with varying twists and turns. Our roads are made up of our relationships, environments, cultures, belief systems. The most important point she stated was that the true title of the CD focuses on the “Dot, Dot, Dot” as she emphasized the three consecutive periods after the word ”Road”. These simple dots stand for the simple reality that each day of our life our personal Road keeps going on. As with Dr. Krumboltz’s Happenstance theory and Dr. Bright’s Chaos theory, we do not know for sure what is around the bend or over the hill in our Road. But still we travel on. We travel on with positive anticipation for good ahead. Personally for me that is where my faith in God is often the strongest in knowing that He knows what is around each bend. Her sharing her heartfelt thoughts behind the CD helped me in my own personal reflection during the concert and allowed me to enjoy the experience of the concert on a deeper level. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Keiko in concert definitely take that opportunity on your road trip through life.
Reflection:
Take some quiet time with a piece of 8 ½ x11 paper and a pen. Draw a curvy road from the bottom corner to the opposite top corner. Divide the road in 10 year increments going a couple of increments past your present age. Jot down above and below the road key aspects of life that happened to you on that portion of the road. As for the 10 years beyond your present age jot down some dreams you would like to do in the next 10 to 20 years.
Moving on to the actual concert, Keiko was showcasing her new CD, The Road… as well as playing some songs from previous recordings. We were looking forward to the concert as it has been over 10 years since my wife and I had heard her live in Chicago. This was also the first time our daughter had heard her live. Keiko did not disappoint our anticipation. She was energetic as always and exuded positive energy in her performing. Her new songs showed her continual growth in creativity. There were new styles mixed in with the familiar styles of her older work. That is what lifelong learning is all about -- continual growth and stretching to create the new. I found a couple of new songs from her CD already posted on YouTube. Check out the song Awakening by clicking on the title and you can enjoy the song. You will like the song so much you will want to purchase her CD at your local music retailer.
The concert was refreshing. Even though I had been sick that week the time in her concert strengthened my body and mind as I mindfully enjoyed listening to her music. She has a knack for having a great band to work with. Each of the players enjoyed what they were playing and are talented musicians each in their own right. I always enjoy a keyboard player who becomes absorbed into their instrument as I can tell the artist is experiencing flow and bringing out the best performance as possible. Keiko is like this and it makes watching and listening to her artistry captivating.
In one of the few times she spoke during the concert she touched on a concept that I want to share with you to ponder and savor in your thinking. She shared that in compiling the CD she was doing personal reflection on her life journey – something I encourage often on this blog. She titled the CD The Road. . . as each of our lives are like a road. Each one of us have a uniquely different road to travel with varying twists and turns. Our roads are made up of our relationships, environments, cultures, belief systems. The most important point she stated was that the true title of the CD focuses on the “Dot, Dot, Dot” as she emphasized the three consecutive periods after the word ”Road”. These simple dots stand for the simple reality that each day of our life our personal Road keeps going on. As with Dr. Krumboltz’s Happenstance theory and Dr. Bright’s Chaos theory, we do not know for sure what is around the bend or over the hill in our Road. But still we travel on. We travel on with positive anticipation for good ahead. Personally for me that is where my faith in God is often the strongest in knowing that He knows what is around each bend. Her sharing her heartfelt thoughts behind the CD helped me in my own personal reflection during the concert and allowed me to enjoy the experience of the concert on a deeper level. If you ever have the opportunity to hear Keiko in concert definitely take that opportunity on your road trip through life.
Reflection:
Take some quiet time with a piece of 8 ½ x11 paper and a pen. Draw a curvy road from the bottom corner to the opposite top corner. Divide the road in 10 year increments going a couple of increments past your present age. Jot down above and below the road key aspects of life that happened to you on that portion of the road. As for the 10 years beyond your present age jot down some dreams you would like to do in the next 10 to 20 years.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Getting Back Up From Hardships
Part of life is the hardships that come our way. The hardships come in varying degrees of difficulty. Each one of us face different hardships: job loss, loved ones dying, affairs, divorce, relationship breakups, illnesses, harsh weather events, (tornadoes and hurricanes), accidents, and tragedies such as the recent shooting I mentioned in the last blog post. These are negative happenstance events that no one plans for. At least no one I know plans and desires tragedies in their lives.
When we are hit by hardships are emotions are overwhelmed. We feel like the world is crushing us. This happens due to the shock value of the event happening without our full expectation of it. Granted some things such as divorces, job loss, and deaths from long term illnesses are not sudden shocks but still the pain of sadness, depression and anxiety has a strong impact on us.
At these times when we are knocked down by life that is when our resilience can come into play. The dictionary defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. We can bounce back up from hardships. We need not be completely crushed and debilitated from these events. It is natural to go through the “why me” stage and experience the negative emotions of what we are experiencing. But living a more than ok life means we move beyond the negative feelings to adjust on to a positive pathway.
I came across this song by musician Toby Mac which speaks to the importance of resilience in bouncing back and getting back up when life knocks us down. Click on the title of the song to hear a video of the song “Get Back Up” and reflect over what the song means to you.
Get Back Up Toby Mac
You turned away when I looked you in the eye
And hesitated when I asked if you were alright
Seems like you’re fightin’ for your life
But why, oh, why
Wide awake in the middle of your nightmare
You saw it comin’ but it hit you out of nowhere
And there’s always scars when you fall that far
We lose our way, we get back up again
It’s never too late to get back up again
And one day you gonna’ shine again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever
We lose our way, we get back up again
So get up, get up, you gonna’ shine again
It’s never too late to get back up again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever
You roll out of the dawning of the day
Heart racin’ as you made your little get away
It feels like you been runnin’ all your life
But why, oh, why
So you pull away from the love that would’ve been there
And start believin’ that your situation’s unfair
But there’s always scars when you fall that far
This is love callin,’ love callin,’
Out to the broken this is love callin’
This is love callin,’ love callin,’
I am so broken
This is love callin,’ love callin’
In the song, words and phrases that relate to hardships and tragedies in my view were “middle of your nightmare” and “hit you out of nowhere”. Often on news stories about earthquakes or tornadoes people will describe the aftermath as like a nightmare. Being hit out of nowhere is the experiential feeling we have as if the wind is knocked out of you as you hear of an affair of someone you trust. Also many going through hardships, bear scars that may always be with them or take a long time to heal.
The positive phrases that speak to bouncing back from hardships are “So get up, get up, you gonna’ shine again” and “You may be knocked down, but not out forever”. It is true during hard times we are knocked down. But do we need to stay down? No, we can get back up again. Although the darkness surrounding us in the hard times feel like an eternity as the song says we will shine again. Often we shine brighter afterwards as we build up our inner self and grow in resilience ability for future hardships.
There is a spiritual element I believe to going through hardships and that is what Toby Mac is speaking of in the phrase, “This is love callin”. Sometimes in the hard times we feel alone and make ourselves more alone by pulling away from others. We become too caught up with “This is not fair” thinking. In that broken thinking we need to understand and be open to God calling to us with His love. Be open to the love of others He places around us.
I think through the hard times I have had in my life journey. I would never wish any of those times on anyone. But I can say each time I have bounced back and learned new aspects of my life journey in the process. Sometimes it took me longer to “Get back up again” and the hardest times, thankfully I had friends nearby to encourage me and often felt God’s presence during the time.
Reflection:
Think through a time of hardship you had. Write down what happened and what feelings you went through. How did you bounce back and who all was involved in the process? Fast forward past the event. Write down an event where you felt life was shining for you after the time of hardship. Be thankful for that shining time.
When we are hit by hardships are emotions are overwhelmed. We feel like the world is crushing us. This happens due to the shock value of the event happening without our full expectation of it. Granted some things such as divorces, job loss, and deaths from long term illnesses are not sudden shocks but still the pain of sadness, depression and anxiety has a strong impact on us.
At these times when we are knocked down by life that is when our resilience can come into play. The dictionary defines resilience as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. We can bounce back up from hardships. We need not be completely crushed and debilitated from these events. It is natural to go through the “why me” stage and experience the negative emotions of what we are experiencing. But living a more than ok life means we move beyond the negative feelings to adjust on to a positive pathway.
I came across this song by musician Toby Mac which speaks to the importance of resilience in bouncing back and getting back up when life knocks us down. Click on the title of the song to hear a video of the song “Get Back Up” and reflect over what the song means to you.
Get Back Up Toby Mac
You turned away when I looked you in the eye
And hesitated when I asked if you were alright
Seems like you’re fightin’ for your life
But why, oh, why
Wide awake in the middle of your nightmare
You saw it comin’ but it hit you out of nowhere
And there’s always scars when you fall that far
We lose our way, we get back up again
It’s never too late to get back up again
And one day you gonna’ shine again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever
We lose our way, we get back up again
So get up, get up, you gonna’ shine again
It’s never too late to get back up again
You may be knocked down, but not out forever
You roll out of the dawning of the day
Heart racin’ as you made your little get away
It feels like you been runnin’ all your life
But why, oh, why
So you pull away from the love that would’ve been there
And start believin’ that your situation’s unfair
But there’s always scars when you fall that far
This is love callin,’ love callin,’
Out to the broken this is love callin’
This is love callin,’ love callin,’
I am so broken
This is love callin,’ love callin’
In the song, words and phrases that relate to hardships and tragedies in my view were “middle of your nightmare” and “hit you out of nowhere”. Often on news stories about earthquakes or tornadoes people will describe the aftermath as like a nightmare. Being hit out of nowhere is the experiential feeling we have as if the wind is knocked out of you as you hear of an affair of someone you trust. Also many going through hardships, bear scars that may always be with them or take a long time to heal.
The positive phrases that speak to bouncing back from hardships are “So get up, get up, you gonna’ shine again” and “You may be knocked down, but not out forever”. It is true during hard times we are knocked down. But do we need to stay down? No, we can get back up again. Although the darkness surrounding us in the hard times feel like an eternity as the song says we will shine again. Often we shine brighter afterwards as we build up our inner self and grow in resilience ability for future hardships.
There is a spiritual element I believe to going through hardships and that is what Toby Mac is speaking of in the phrase, “This is love callin”. Sometimes in the hard times we feel alone and make ourselves more alone by pulling away from others. We become too caught up with “This is not fair” thinking. In that broken thinking we need to understand and be open to God calling to us with His love. Be open to the love of others He places around us.
I think through the hard times I have had in my life journey. I would never wish any of those times on anyone. But I can say each time I have bounced back and learned new aspects of my life journey in the process. Sometimes it took me longer to “Get back up again” and the hardest times, thankfully I had friends nearby to encourage me and often felt God’s presence during the time.
Reflection:
Think through a time of hardship you had. Write down what happened and what feelings you went through. How did you bounce back and who all was involved in the process? Fast forward past the event. Write down an event where you felt life was shining for you after the time of hardship. Be thankful for that shining time.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Critical Thinking Needed At The Start Of The New Year
This year started early on with a tragic and sad shooting rampage of Jared Loughner at Congresswoman Gifford’s gathering in Tucson, Arizona killing 6 people and seriously injuring the Congresswoman and others. Just as tragic in another sense is what happened right afterwards in the media. Some in the Liberal media immediately jumped into the issue with critical emotional based assumptions blaming Sara Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Conservative talk radio and Fox News for the killings. There was no taking time to wait for the facts. No time to take time to reflect on the pain of the victims’ families. Just emotional blame in hopes to score points against Conservatives.
As I was watching reports on Fox News I thought how all the reactions showed the need for critical thinking. Critical thinking doesn’t react. Critical thinkers wait for the facts to become clear. It is not based on emotional snap assumptions that are based in hating another group of people. That is all I saw in the reports from the Left. Critical thinking also looks at what can be learned for improving our life even through tragedies. The liberal media by blaming Conservative’s speech totally were missing the main issues in the situation. Even the President, although his speech was lauded as positive at the Memorial service still did not get it. He still emphasized that civil discourse was needed but that was not the issue in this case.
The critical thinkers in reporting on this were Fox News reporters, who were zeroing in on the shooter as being responsible. Also I had a chance to listen to hear Rush Limbaugh, who I sometimes have the opportunity to listen to on my lunch hour. He rightly was making people think through the facts that it went back to responsibility of the shooter Jared Loughner. One thing I like about Rush Limbaugh is he forces his listeners to think and even tells them to critically think through the issues. Charles Kraughthammer, who reading his columns is a great way to grow in your critical thinking skills as he presents logical and rational arguments spoke concisely to the issue of the madness of Jared was behind the killing. He pointed out that there was no evidence or facts to show the shooter even listened to Sara or Rush.
One critical thinker who I feel came closest to what we need to learn from this was Lou Dobbs. I heard him on Bill O’Reilly’s show, ( yes you have deduced correctly I am a FOX listener). He was making the connection of Jared’s drug use and his mental health decline as being a causative factor. He was still rightly putting the blame on Jared’s choices but I sensed a real caring attitude of what could have been done to help the young man before this. Lou’s point has hardly been mentioned in the news. The facts that have been presented from high school girlfriends and others who knew him that he was somewhat normal in high school but the big change began after his stronger use of Marijuana and psychedelic mushroom drugs. This may have been a major factor in what seems to be his personality change to a paranoid schizophrenic. I of course can’t say for sure but we know drugs have a negative effect on people. That is why I am so against them.
We could reduce many of these senseless killings and tragedies in life if people could learn to enjoy natural highs and stay away from drug use. I have mentioned this in the past and will continue to say it. If you have not looked at the website www.naturalhigh.org check it out today. Share this website with teachers you know as changing the lives of school kids is one of their main focuses.
S. E. Cupp in a recent column brought up also valid critical thinking ways to look at this tragic case. She didn’t emotionally point fingers. Instead she reflected and brought up valid points that I had not thought of but I do believe are very valid. Could the violence and narcissism of reality tv and Hollywood be encouraging these events in the minds of fragile people on the edge in their mental illness.
To me the main issue that has not been brought up because people do not want to deal with it is mental health. From all descriptions, Jared seemed like an average kid in his high school days. There are pictures of him playing in a jazz band and girlfriends said he was a quiet person and nice even though there were signs of anger issues, but nothing major. The problems seems to begin near the end of high school and the beginning of college as he began using and abusing drugs. That is where I feel Lou Dobbs was right on point. The college gave him a number of chances but a learning point could be how to better intervene in situations like this. Earlier when his problems started to surface if someone would have offered some mental health counseling could the tragedy had been averted?
Some people come across acting like he was crazy all his life and there was nothing anyone could have done. Or once someone starts spiraling down there is nothing can be done to help them. Positive Psychology shows that if we can spiral down we can spiral upwards as well. Since Jared is still alive I hope although the news has brushed the story under the rug, there will be practical learning for the good of society from this tragic event.
Reflection:
How is your critical thinking? Are you a reactor or do you take time to reflect? Are you an assumer or do you look for the facts? Take some time to reflect over some recent problems that have come into your life and examine what your thinking patterns were like. How can you improve your thinking to be a better problem solver?
As I was watching reports on Fox News I thought how all the reactions showed the need for critical thinking. Critical thinking doesn’t react. Critical thinkers wait for the facts to become clear. It is not based on emotional snap assumptions that are based in hating another group of people. That is all I saw in the reports from the Left. Critical thinking also looks at what can be learned for improving our life even through tragedies. The liberal media by blaming Conservative’s speech totally were missing the main issues in the situation. Even the President, although his speech was lauded as positive at the Memorial service still did not get it. He still emphasized that civil discourse was needed but that was not the issue in this case.
The critical thinkers in reporting on this were Fox News reporters, who were zeroing in on the shooter as being responsible. Also I had a chance to listen to hear Rush Limbaugh, who I sometimes have the opportunity to listen to on my lunch hour. He rightly was making people think through the facts that it went back to responsibility of the shooter Jared Loughner. One thing I like about Rush Limbaugh is he forces his listeners to think and even tells them to critically think through the issues. Charles Kraughthammer, who reading his columns is a great way to grow in your critical thinking skills as he presents logical and rational arguments spoke concisely to the issue of the madness of Jared was behind the killing. He pointed out that there was no evidence or facts to show the shooter even listened to Sara or Rush.
One critical thinker who I feel came closest to what we need to learn from this was Lou Dobbs. I heard him on Bill O’Reilly’s show, ( yes you have deduced correctly I am a FOX listener). He was making the connection of Jared’s drug use and his mental health decline as being a causative factor. He was still rightly putting the blame on Jared’s choices but I sensed a real caring attitude of what could have been done to help the young man before this. Lou’s point has hardly been mentioned in the news. The facts that have been presented from high school girlfriends and others who knew him that he was somewhat normal in high school but the big change began after his stronger use of Marijuana and psychedelic mushroom drugs. This may have been a major factor in what seems to be his personality change to a paranoid schizophrenic. I of course can’t say for sure but we know drugs have a negative effect on people. That is why I am so against them.
We could reduce many of these senseless killings and tragedies in life if people could learn to enjoy natural highs and stay away from drug use. I have mentioned this in the past and will continue to say it. If you have not looked at the website www.naturalhigh.org check it out today. Share this website with teachers you know as changing the lives of school kids is one of their main focuses.
S. E. Cupp in a recent column brought up also valid critical thinking ways to look at this tragic case. She didn’t emotionally point fingers. Instead she reflected and brought up valid points that I had not thought of but I do believe are very valid. Could the violence and narcissism of reality tv and Hollywood be encouraging these events in the minds of fragile people on the edge in their mental illness.
To me the main issue that has not been brought up because people do not want to deal with it is mental health. From all descriptions, Jared seemed like an average kid in his high school days. There are pictures of him playing in a jazz band and girlfriends said he was a quiet person and nice even though there were signs of anger issues, but nothing major. The problems seems to begin near the end of high school and the beginning of college as he began using and abusing drugs. That is where I feel Lou Dobbs was right on point. The college gave him a number of chances but a learning point could be how to better intervene in situations like this. Earlier when his problems started to surface if someone would have offered some mental health counseling could the tragedy had been averted?
Some people come across acting like he was crazy all his life and there was nothing anyone could have done. Or once someone starts spiraling down there is nothing can be done to help them. Positive Psychology shows that if we can spiral down we can spiral upwards as well. Since Jared is still alive I hope although the news has brushed the story under the rug, there will be practical learning for the good of society from this tragic event.
Reflection:
How is your critical thinking? Are you a reactor or do you take time to reflect? Are you an assumer or do you look for the facts? Take some time to reflect over some recent problems that have come into your life and examine what your thinking patterns were like. How can you improve your thinking to be a better problem solver?
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Looking Ahead Into Your 16 Life spheres
Part of moving into a new year, is looking back savoring the past direction and activities in our lives. This I have looked at over the past couple of weeks discussing the topic of savoring life. The other important aspect of a new year is the ability to start afresh in moving forward with new ideas, new goals, and new accomplishments on the journey forward. An important book that can help us with this is Creating Your Best Life by Caroline Adams Miller and Dr. Michael Frisch. Here they present research on the effectiveness of creating life lists for what we desire to accomplish in our lives.
Today I want to look near the end of the book where they bring up the idea of looking into 16 spheres that are vital to our life journey and then create goal lists of want we want for ourselves in these 16 areas.
The first sphere areas they look at are Purpose, Values & Spirituality. Our purpose is the overarching reason we see for our existence. Why has God placed you on this earth? Our values are those beliefs are the most important to us. Examine your spirituality -- what place does God have in your life. Or if you are a non-believer in God what brings meaning to your life? Personally, As a Christian spirituality is the driver of my purpose, and values for me in my life journey. The authors encourage creating a mission statement based on your purpose and values. As I have mentioned before, this can be written out as a short declaration like the U. S. Declaration of Independence. Or it can be written as a poem or some create a short mission statement like an advertising statement craft a mission statement for their life. The New Year is a profitable time to review a previous mission statement or create a new one for a new year. For new ideas on mission statements the authors suggest looking for examples on the internet. I found a helpful mission website to look at mission examples -- www.missionstatements.com .
The next sphere area they discuss is Family, Friends and Relationships. Those around us who touch our lives and the lives we touch are important to our New Year life journey. In today’s world sometime friends have taken the place of family as we are more scattered across the country. The important point is to look at your significant relationships and build a list of how you want to improve these relationships during the New Year. What goals and action steps can you create to improve this area of your life?
The spheres of the inner and outer self, is discussed next- Health, Self-esteem and Volunteering. Many New Year’s resolutions revolve around health in desiring to diet and exercise. The list and goal concept of looking at our health moves beyond a short wish spoken at midnight. Take time to write down what improvements you plan in the coming year in relation to your health. The self-esteem sphere is how we build our inner self of believing in our self and being proud of the skills and talents we have. It is that inner confidence that helps us be resilient in the face of the difficulties and changes that may face us in the New Year. Jot down a list of those skills and talents you have that you can make use of in new areas you want to challenge yourself in the New Year. The volunteering sphere relates to the fact that we do not develop ourselves for selfishness. We need to focus on relationships but with volunteering it may be not in close relationships but giving of time and personal talents to needs in your church or a community cause you are interested in. In today’s world there are so many volunteer opportunities. Check with your local church or local chamber of commerce for service opportunities. Do a brainstorming list of ways you can volunteer some of your time or resources in this new year.
These next spheres bring deeper level of fulfillment to our lives --Play , creativity, and learning. By play the authors do not mean sitting in front of the tv. Make a list of activities you enjoy and make a list of potential vacation, and weekend getaways to bring fun into your life. Think of play as active in creating your play lists for the year. Creativity. I am a big believer in creativity as it brings depth in to our existence. Place on your list the scheduling of quiet time in your life to contemplate new ways to be creative. Search on the internet sites that will help you look outside the box on creativity. As to learning, life long learning will keep the mind sharp. Create a list of books you wish to read, Think about taking a class at the local college or take an online class.
The spheres of Money, work and retirement relate to the practical side of earning a living and what are your plans in your retirement years. It is never too early to begin dreaming of that time in your life. In your list in these areas think how can you make the best use of the money resources you have. You don’t have to be a stingy miser but living simpler provides you with more funds to enjoy your retirement years better? What of your work? In your lists can you come up with ideas to turn your job in to a calling? Rate areas of your work and find which areas you thrive in and enjoy; and then areas of struggle to improve in during the year.
Their final section of spheres relate to surroundings – Home, Neighborhood, and Community. Make a list in this area and think first of improvements you desire in your home. This can be physical improvements or values of new traditions you desire to create. In your neighborhood, are there neighbors you would like to get to know. In the news recently there was a tragedy and a person mentioned they had lived next door for years and never even learned the last name of who lived beside them. Sad to say that is the norm. Then with the community this reflects back to the volunteering sphere. Are you involved in a local church or synagogue in your community? Are there ways you can be involved in the community such as literacy projects, community clean ups? Add these to your list for the year.
In the coming year we will delve more into the specific sphere areas and other topics for you to be living more than ok in the New Year. In these first few weeks of the New Year think over which sphere areas do your need more improvement in your life.
Reflection: Take some quiet time to reflect on your life in these 16 spheres. Make a list of what you want for yourself in the 16 spheres. Then prioritize which of the spheres are most important to you at this point in time.
Today I want to look near the end of the book where they bring up the idea of looking into 16 spheres that are vital to our life journey and then create goal lists of want we want for ourselves in these 16 areas.
The first sphere areas they look at are Purpose, Values & Spirituality. Our purpose is the overarching reason we see for our existence. Why has God placed you on this earth? Our values are those beliefs are the most important to us. Examine your spirituality -- what place does God have in your life. Or if you are a non-believer in God what brings meaning to your life? Personally, As a Christian spirituality is the driver of my purpose, and values for me in my life journey. The authors encourage creating a mission statement based on your purpose and values. As I have mentioned before, this can be written out as a short declaration like the U. S. Declaration of Independence. Or it can be written as a poem or some create a short mission statement like an advertising statement craft a mission statement for their life. The New Year is a profitable time to review a previous mission statement or create a new one for a new year. For new ideas on mission statements the authors suggest looking for examples on the internet. I found a helpful mission website to look at mission examples -- www.missionstatements.com .
The next sphere area they discuss is Family, Friends and Relationships. Those around us who touch our lives and the lives we touch are important to our New Year life journey. In today’s world sometime friends have taken the place of family as we are more scattered across the country. The important point is to look at your significant relationships and build a list of how you want to improve these relationships during the New Year. What goals and action steps can you create to improve this area of your life?
The spheres of the inner and outer self, is discussed next- Health, Self-esteem and Volunteering. Many New Year’s resolutions revolve around health in desiring to diet and exercise. The list and goal concept of looking at our health moves beyond a short wish spoken at midnight. Take time to write down what improvements you plan in the coming year in relation to your health. The self-esteem sphere is how we build our inner self of believing in our self and being proud of the skills and talents we have. It is that inner confidence that helps us be resilient in the face of the difficulties and changes that may face us in the New Year. Jot down a list of those skills and talents you have that you can make use of in new areas you want to challenge yourself in the New Year. The volunteering sphere relates to the fact that we do not develop ourselves for selfishness. We need to focus on relationships but with volunteering it may be not in close relationships but giving of time and personal talents to needs in your church or a community cause you are interested in. In today’s world there are so many volunteer opportunities. Check with your local church or local chamber of commerce for service opportunities. Do a brainstorming list of ways you can volunteer some of your time or resources in this new year.
These next spheres bring deeper level of fulfillment to our lives --Play , creativity, and learning. By play the authors do not mean sitting in front of the tv. Make a list of activities you enjoy and make a list of potential vacation, and weekend getaways to bring fun into your life. Think of play as active in creating your play lists for the year. Creativity. I am a big believer in creativity as it brings depth in to our existence. Place on your list the scheduling of quiet time in your life to contemplate new ways to be creative. Search on the internet sites that will help you look outside the box on creativity. As to learning, life long learning will keep the mind sharp. Create a list of books you wish to read, Think about taking a class at the local college or take an online class.
The spheres of Money, work and retirement relate to the practical side of earning a living and what are your plans in your retirement years. It is never too early to begin dreaming of that time in your life. In your list in these areas think how can you make the best use of the money resources you have. You don’t have to be a stingy miser but living simpler provides you with more funds to enjoy your retirement years better? What of your work? In your lists can you come up with ideas to turn your job in to a calling? Rate areas of your work and find which areas you thrive in and enjoy; and then areas of struggle to improve in during the year.
Their final section of spheres relate to surroundings – Home, Neighborhood, and Community. Make a list in this area and think first of improvements you desire in your home. This can be physical improvements or values of new traditions you desire to create. In your neighborhood, are there neighbors you would like to get to know. In the news recently there was a tragedy and a person mentioned they had lived next door for years and never even learned the last name of who lived beside them. Sad to say that is the norm. Then with the community this reflects back to the volunteering sphere. Are you involved in a local church or synagogue in your community? Are there ways you can be involved in the community such as literacy projects, community clean ups? Add these to your list for the year.
In the coming year we will delve more into the specific sphere areas and other topics for you to be living more than ok in the New Year. In these first few weeks of the New Year think over which sphere areas do your need more improvement in your life.
Reflection: Take some quiet time to reflect on your life in these 16 spheres. Make a list of what you want for yourself in the 16 spheres. Then prioritize which of the spheres are most important to you at this point in time.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Reflecting On Your Life Pathways
Moving into the year 2011 instead of my usual looking ahead to this new year I took sometime to continue on last week’s theme of savoring. I took some time to reflect on paths I have taken in my life. Each of us on our journey through life take a variety of pathways in our life journey.
What really made me think about this was a song and a video that was done with the song. Recently my wife sent me an email with a song by trumpeter Chris Botti embedded in it. The song’s name was The Way Home. I enjoyed the song and searched for it on the internet as I wanted to find the cd it was from. In my search I came across this You Tube video done of the song. Take a few moments to watch this video and be thinking of pathways to your home at various times in your life; while you listen and view the vivid scenic photos of pathways. Click on this title to view the video --
The Way Home
The melody of the song is very catchy and has a feeling of a traveling song. I could imagine myself strolling down a pathway or listening to it in a car stereo traveling down a road home. Then as I was looking at the photography of the variety of pathways I thought of pathways to various homesteads in my life. The first one I remembered was my drives from Chicago, from school breaks and holidays to visit Ohio with my mother while she was still living. I usually always took the same pathway of the Indiana and Ohio turnpikes. In the Winter many times the path was slick and icy. In warmer weather when I was young I usually traveled home at night and would drive the turnpike with my windows rolled down with Kansas or Deep Purple blaring from the speakers to keep me awake. This remembrance reminded me of my visits with mom that I enjoyed and missed after she passed away.
Another pathway that came to mind was when I lived on the far North side of Chicago on Peterson Avenue. I had one favorite pathway especially during a period of time I was going through some difficulties and depression. I would walk from Peterson Avenue on the far North side down to North Avenue Beach. In the Spring and Summer this walk would give me time to reflect on issues in my life and think over ideas for the future. I always enjoyed the people watching as well as the exercise the walk gave me. Getting out of the apartment and enjoying the journey on this Chicago pathway, helped me through some of my most difficult and dark days during that period of time in Chicago.
Then the last pathway I will mention amidst the myriad of pathways I have had in my life is a pathway from Chicago to Brownsville, TX. That was a pathway to my present homestead in Brownsville, TX. I won’t say final homestead because one never knows what other moves are in the future. This was a pathway that initially had much uncertainty. It was a move to be where the lady I loved had moved to. She had a nice job in Brownsville but the worry was, what was the chance of my finding work there? Friends who knew me best in Chicago and Ohio told me not to hesitate but to move out in faith and follow the path of love God was guiding me on. Their advice gave this non-risk taker the added impetus to step out and drive this pathway to what would become a new way home as the song is alluding to. Reflecting over the past -- going on 11 years of marriage reminds me that this pathway was guided by God as it has been the best years of my life. Of course one thing I pick up from the energy in Chris Botti’s song The Way Home, is that each path way has its own positive energy and beauty so I have a hope that the future years new pathways will be just as beautiful.
Before you begin planning new ideas for your new year take some time to reflect over some of the pathways home in your past years of your life journey. What were some of the hills and valleys you faced in the pathway? Every path has pitfalls and holes we trip over. But if we mindfully reflect over our pathways we can be reminded of the beauty in each pathway and reflect over the joy in the journey that we experienced.
Reflection:
Take some time in a quiet place and jot down on paper 3-5 of the Pathways home you have journeyed on. Choose one pathway and write your feelings about it. What were some hardships you faced? What were some beautiful things you enjoyed about the pathway? Reflect over the joy in that journey and write what you are thankful for concerning that period of your life.
What really made me think about this was a song and a video that was done with the song. Recently my wife sent me an email with a song by trumpeter Chris Botti embedded in it. The song’s name was The Way Home. I enjoyed the song and searched for it on the internet as I wanted to find the cd it was from. In my search I came across this You Tube video done of the song. Take a few moments to watch this video and be thinking of pathways to your home at various times in your life; while you listen and view the vivid scenic photos of pathways. Click on this title to view the video --
The Way Home
The melody of the song is very catchy and has a feeling of a traveling song. I could imagine myself strolling down a pathway or listening to it in a car stereo traveling down a road home. Then as I was looking at the photography of the variety of pathways I thought of pathways to various homesteads in my life. The first one I remembered was my drives from Chicago, from school breaks and holidays to visit Ohio with my mother while she was still living. I usually always took the same pathway of the Indiana and Ohio turnpikes. In the Winter many times the path was slick and icy. In warmer weather when I was young I usually traveled home at night and would drive the turnpike with my windows rolled down with Kansas or Deep Purple blaring from the speakers to keep me awake. This remembrance reminded me of my visits with mom that I enjoyed and missed after she passed away.
Another pathway that came to mind was when I lived on the far North side of Chicago on Peterson Avenue. I had one favorite pathway especially during a period of time I was going through some difficulties and depression. I would walk from Peterson Avenue on the far North side down to North Avenue Beach. In the Spring and Summer this walk would give me time to reflect on issues in my life and think over ideas for the future. I always enjoyed the people watching as well as the exercise the walk gave me. Getting out of the apartment and enjoying the journey on this Chicago pathway, helped me through some of my most difficult and dark days during that period of time in Chicago.
Then the last pathway I will mention amidst the myriad of pathways I have had in my life is a pathway from Chicago to Brownsville, TX. That was a pathway to my present homestead in Brownsville, TX. I won’t say final homestead because one never knows what other moves are in the future. This was a pathway that initially had much uncertainty. It was a move to be where the lady I loved had moved to. She had a nice job in Brownsville but the worry was, what was the chance of my finding work there? Friends who knew me best in Chicago and Ohio told me not to hesitate but to move out in faith and follow the path of love God was guiding me on. Their advice gave this non-risk taker the added impetus to step out and drive this pathway to what would become a new way home as the song is alluding to. Reflecting over the past -- going on 11 years of marriage reminds me that this pathway was guided by God as it has been the best years of my life. Of course one thing I pick up from the energy in Chris Botti’s song The Way Home, is that each path way has its own positive energy and beauty so I have a hope that the future years new pathways will be just as beautiful.
Before you begin planning new ideas for your new year take some time to reflect over some of the pathways home in your past years of your life journey. What were some of the hills and valleys you faced in the pathway? Every path has pitfalls and holes we trip over. But if we mindfully reflect over our pathways we can be reminded of the beauty in each pathway and reflect over the joy in the journey that we experienced.
Reflection:
Take some time in a quiet place and jot down on paper 3-5 of the Pathways home you have journeyed on. Choose one pathway and write your feelings about it. What were some hardships you faced? What were some beautiful things you enjoyed about the pathway? Reflect over the joy in that journey and write what you are thankful for concerning that period of your life.
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