THE ZONE ‘You have to be in the zone.’ she said. ‘You have to focus your mind, be in a different place and bring all to bear on the task.’ And then she smiled and said ‘And from here you can find the real zone, which is beyond all tasks and beyond all thinking, where no zone can be.’ PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What is the real zone? THINKING SKILLS If we waken up and then just pick up where we left off yesterday, we are doing more of what we have already done. This is cumulative thinking. If we waken up and then something unexpected hits us, we have to reassess everything. Our day is turned upside-down as we work out what to do next. This is reactive thinking. If we waken up and then choose to begin something new or different today, we are creating a fresh opportunity. We are uncovering our new way. This is deliberate thinking. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What thought can help you to uncover your new way today? FIRST RESPONDER When tragedy strikes around the world we see images of destruction and death. There’s pain and anguish on young faces. It’s easy to feel helpless. But there are six key things we can do in these moments. We can be with the families not just as onlookers but in our thoughts. We can feel and share some of their pain. We can send our message of love right now. Personal and direct. We can offer ourselves and all that we are to support them. We can give money through agencies. And we can encourage our friends to do likewise. Our one small gift can begin an avalanche. We can create and say a prayer of love. It’s our call to the power of God to rescue, change, heal and renew. We can commit to specific actions to help create a kinder and more caring world as we move forward in our own lives. And we can encourage our children, young people and colleagues to become First Responders when they too, hear the news. Those struggling are not in some far-off land or on our screens, separate from us. They are beside us, now. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What is the role of a First Responder? 2. Think about the latest world tragedy and see how many of the six points you can do. 3. Imagine if we were the ones who were suffering, and it was our tragedy on the news. STARTER We mess up. We learn. We start again. We got it wrong. We think about it. We start again. We let others down. We are disappointed. We start again. We failed to deliver. We are annoyed. We start again. We got caught out. We are embarrassed. We start again. We missed the opportunity. We are frustrated. We start again. We see it fall apart. We are devastated. We start again. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Is there anything that you need to forgive yourself for? You can start again. 2. Is there anything that you need to forgive others for? You can start again. It's never too late. Be the starter! OUTSOURCING Don’t do everything yourself. Share your dream with the world. Collaborate with others. Reach out and build your team. For when we don’t try to do everything, we can do anything. Don’t do everything yourself. Create projects and initiatives. Let others work with you. Set out the plan and make it happen. For when we let it all go, we will all do everything. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. How will you work with others so that they can help and support you? 2. Who is (and will be) on your team? 3. We all have a dream to share with the world. What’s yours? HOME SECURITY I sat patiently on the beach, not moving. I sat there for hours. And then I felt a different sensation as the tide slowly came in. No waves, no noise. Quietly and gently the sea lifted me off the stones. I swayed left and right, forwards and backwards, for what seemed like a lifetime. Not knowing what to do. And still the tide came in. It started to move me outwards, leading me further from my place of safety. I drifted away on an uncharted journey. Happy and content to find a new beach in time. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Can you trust in the process and let go of your place of safety? 2. How will you journey and find your new beach? RE-CYCLING The priority each day is to re-claim our unique raw material and re-cycle. It is from here that we can re-think all that we are, re-create all that we do and re-focus on all that we will become. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Every day is a fresh start. Our old self is re-cycled to be made new again. What are you going to be today? 2. And how will you re-create yourself tomorrow? LIQUIDITY We become so busy in life doing all we should and getting on with everything, that it is easy to forget to look closely and to assess it all. This is more than thinking about where we are or planning our future. It’s about something internal beyond all our actions. It’s about going closer towards the essence of life itself. Being part of the liquid of life flowing through all of us. As one. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. What is the ‘liquid of life‘ that connects and flows through all of us? 2. How can you boost and improve that liquidity – to benefit yourself and all others? ACTION LEADERSHIP We see lack of activity as being ineffective, or being lazy or non productive. We have forgotten how to sit and wait, to be content and trust that all is well. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Do you take time to be ineffective, lazy and non productive? 2. Have you learned to sit and trust that all is well? 3. Do you know what you are waiting for? INWARD MARKETING True Marketing is an Inward rather than an Outward process. Outward marketing means that we can spend our lives chasing customers and jobs, sourcing products or looking for work. Repeating this again and again. Just like we are told we need to do. Inward marketing means that we are personally driven. We look inwards to our core skills, beliefs, gifts, passions and experience. We work out who and what we are. And then we have exactly what the world is missing and urgently needs. PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT EXERCISE 1. Make a list of your core skills, experience, interests and passions. 2. Now add your values and beliefs (what's important to you) to help work out who and what you are. 3. How might you share all of this with the world? |
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June 2021
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