Tuesday, May 31, 2016

PUSH BACK

WISDOM FROM THE ANCIENTS…

From Cheg Tzu's 13 Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan

#12:
"Use four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds."

 "It means you can use 4 ounces to offset 1000 pounds, after which you apply Push.  So leading and pushing are two different things." - Chang Man Ch'ing

Okay, so what does this mean for us?

Simple.

When someone comes at you with their nastiness or anger you can off-set it with a gentle movement - a word or an action… and then…
PUSH BACK!


What Do ya say?
Interesting concept, right?


Friday, May 27, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - YOUR FAULT?

Check this out:  Growing up, did you ever get asked what you did to cause a problem when you were totally innocent?

Maybe some kid at school was mean and you went home and complained to mom… and she asked what you did to make the other kid angry…

"You must have done something."

So what's the take away from this one?

Often, in our adult life, when someone is mean to us, hurts us, or rejects us we go to that default position: 

"You must have done something!"

Now this kind of thinking causes several problems.

First, it requires us to ignore a real feeling that comes pretty naturally with bad behavior on the other guy's part:  Anger.

Second, it gives us a truly distorted belief about our impact on others.  Think about it, if it's always caused by you, the corollary is that you have way more than 50% of the control…




DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS                          
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

COURSE CORRECTION

This one is super easy:
When you feel down in the dumps, especially after a negative interaction with someone, ask yourself if you might possibly be angry…

If you say 'No', pretend that you are angry anyhow. 
This is private playacting, so really get into it…

What happens?







Thursday, May 26, 2016

ROTATING ANGER

"He dumped me," she sighed.

"True, I barely knew him… but he never called back!"

"What's wrong with me?"
"I must be a real loser!"

"Sigh…"


What do ya say?
Do you get that crazy rotation?

You don't do that, right?



(Tune in tomorrow for the unraveling…)


Wednesday, May 25, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - GOING WITH THAT FLOW

We get so many messages about the importance of marching in a straight line:

'Make a plan and stick to it.'
'If you're going to do something, do it right!'
'Follow through on your commitments.'

No wonder we struggle with letting go when our best efforts are unsuccessful and our plans fall apart.

Instead of seeing the unraveling as opening new doors, we tend to chastise ourselves and feel like victims of cruel fate…



DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS                           
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

LEARNING TO FLOAT

Find a safe quiet place…
Get comfortable.  
Now begin breathing deeply.

Imagine you are a leaf drifting in a river.  Feeling the gentle flow of the current as you continue to breathe slowly, counting in on three and out in that same rhythm…

Do this a few times as you feel your lungs moving easily, air flowing through your body…

Now, continuing to breathe fully and deeply, allow yourself to experience the power of letting go…










Tuesday, May 24, 2016

SILVER LININGS - REALLY?

Ever hear that saying:
'Man plans and God laughs'?



Well, maybe the laughter is about our attachment to that original plan and our clenched jaw refusal to let it go…



We often resist seeing the possibility that something good just might be lurking around that next corner…


What do ya say?
Can you see it?



Friday, May 20, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - ANGER 102

Of course feelings of anger are inevitable… it's a natural response to having our boundaries violated and our feelings hurt.

Once we recognize this, the wonderful thing is that we have choices about how we want to deal with it!


DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS                           
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

ANGER IN 4 SIMPLE STEPS

1)  Acknowledge It!
2)  Focus on what it's about.
3)  Don't second guess yourself!  It's ok to experience this human emotion.
4)  Give yourself healthy options about how to 'work with' 
what you are feeling.  
     
Remember there are many choices.




Thursday, May 19, 2016

WALK IT ON DOWN THE LINE…

She was angry at the nasty comments her son was slinging her way, but... 

She decided not to say anything.

After all, it was in a social setting and well…

So the next day she zapped her daughter… totally unrelated, of course.



The daughter was taken completely off guard.


"Hey, what did I do?" she thought but didn't say…




Later that day when the daughter's husband asked her a relatively simple, but perhaps somewhat unnecessary question, guess who got slammed?

What do ya say?

Ever notice this one?
Ever do it yourself?



Wednesday, May 18, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - THAT'S THE WAY TO SAY GOODBYE…

On some level we really do know when it's time to go - or let go - whether it's of a relationship, a place, a job, or a thing.

We experience the frustration of trying and not getting results, or we perceive anger coming at us that we are unable to understand or circumvent.

However, often, even though we know it's really finished, we hang on, hoping that somehow a miracle will occur and we won't have to say goodbye…



DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS                           

An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

EXIT STRATEGIES

1)  Give it your best shot.

2)  Tell yourself you did give it your all.

3)  Acknowledge your gains - what have you already gotten?

4)  Acknowledge what you haven't gotten and ask yourself if it is really available.

5)  Admit the sadness and anger that comes with having to let go.


6)  Repeat that mantra about one door closing and another opening as you say goodbye! 





Tuesday, May 17, 2016

EXIT STRATEGIES

So, when is it okay to walk away?
And how?

Does it have to be ugly?
Intense?
Do you have to tell them everything they did wrong?

Do you need to justify your move?

Or might it be as simple as that next rotation of the earth…


What do ya say?

Can you move on elegantly?



Friday, May 13, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - UNSTICKING?

'I am really trying - really… I just can't seem to fix this problem!'

How many times have you heard this lament - or felt it yourself?  

You're not lying to yourself or anyone else.  You are trying - sometimes very hard!  And how incredibly frustrating to work at something and not get results!

This is exactly time for that famous 'thinking outside the box'.  

Sometimes we are not even aware of the box we are trapped in - and therefore certainly have no idea how to get out!

This is where imagination, fantasy and believing impossible things come in…

By opening the door to the impossible we often enable ourselves to re-define the possible. 



DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS                           
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

OPENING UP TO POSSIBLE

This is a wonderful opportunity to use your imagination …we all have that tool!

So, you're stuck with a problem - a person, a position, a feeling…
Imagine:
You already know the answer!  Tell yourself what it is!
Imagine:
You are a computer with all the information is the world.  Google the answer to your dilemma…
Imagine:
You are another animal - a lion, tiger, giraffe, hawk… and from your animal persona you can move differently, see differently…

What happens as you do this experiment?






Thursday, May 12, 2016

BELIEVE IT!

Did you ever read Alice in Wonderland?  music to read this one by...

Putting aside any thoughts about possible chemical influences, that bit about believing 6 impossible things before breakfast is a really mind stretching concept!




Obviously, it takes some thinking outside the box, right?



What do ya say?

Try it, you might like it!





Wednesday, May 11, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

What can you get from paying attention to the things about others that really bother you?

Sometimes, because those irritants are often pieces of our own make-up, we become more aware of who we are, and perhaps some of what we do that annoys others…

And what's the payoff in this awareness? 
Each time I figure out more of how I am operating in the world, I empower myself.

How?
Because with this awareness comes the ability to make choices of how I want to act… and clues to what others might be reacting to in me!



DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…
ROLE PLAYING FOR FUN AND FACTS

Here's a really fun way to dig up the riches out of any difficult situation with another person:  Make believe you are them!

Role playing is a great way to step into someone else's shoes (for a minute) and really get the essence of what's going on.

How to do it:
Use props like two dolls or hand puppets.  Another way to do this is to set up two chairs facing each other and designate one for each person.  You can also just use your right and left hand to play each person's voice.

Now let one of them be you and one the other person.  
Begin a dialog. 
It might start with something like you saying: "The way you act is driving me crazy!"  
Now let the other 'person' answer. 

Allow the conversation to flow back and forth.  What do you learn?






Tuesday, May 10, 2016

YAKETY YAK…

She was grumbling about a recent visit to an out of town friend.
As usual she talked fast and non-stop.  Her rant this time was about her friend's new guy.  off topic but totally on...

When she stopped to catch her breath, I squeezed in a quick question:

"What's wrong with him?"

"He never stops talking!" she huffed.  
"And I could never get I word in!"

Uh huh…



What do ya say?



Ever stop to wonder if the things that bug you the most about other people might - just might - hit a little too close to home?



Friday, May 6, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - RE-NAME THE GAME

This is not about conning yourself - it's about telling it like it is - to yourself - and then coming up with a new reality. 

When you can't put the pieces back together the way you know they should fit - maybe the way you've always done it - re-name the game!

Think about some of the places in your life where you are not 'winning'. 
Like yesterday's little sister in the Scrabble story, what do you have to do to shake it up?



DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

USING THE METAPHOR OF A GAME... 
'Changing your life' is heavy - changing the game is fun!
    
    Stuck on a diet?
   With relationship?
   In your job or work?

What can you do to grab hold of the board, give it a good shake and re-name the game?







Thursday, May 5, 2016

SHAKE IT ON UP!

A little girl was playing scrabble with her older sibs - and they were winning.

Suddenly, with a gleam in her eye, she grabbed hold of the board, shook it mightily, and yelled: "Earthquake!  Earthquake!"


A simple tale…
And a powerful message:

Stuck?  Re-invent it!

What do ya say?
You get the power of this mantra, right?


Wednesday, May 4, 2016

SERIOUSLY SPEAKING - FEELIN' IT

We often forget that there is a big difference between acknowledging a feeling and acting it out.

Humans have feelings - it comes with the territory.  Some are soft and fluffy and others are denser… you know, maybe even painful.

If we deny having these challenging feelings, more times than not they get us in trouble.  Pushing things down is a make-shift strategy. 

Remember squishing mud as a kid?  It didn't disappear.  It just showed up someplace else!

When we allow ourselves to recognize our feelings we are in a position to make choices about how we deal with them.


DANCE WITH IT!   EXPERIENTIAL APPS
An opportunity to experiment with some fun ideas…

FACING FEAR
Fear comes with the territory of being human - another one of those reactions to things that was probably originally a major life saver!
          
Fear of the dark kept us inside when the predators were out hunting…
Fear of those snakes kept us out of the bushes…

You get the idea.  Fear in itself is not toxic!  Maybe just the opposite.

What becomes emotionally toxic is what we do with it…
Do you tell yourself not to be afraid?
Do you panic when you become frightened of something?
Do you try to overcome fear by masking it with drugs and alcohol?

Think about the last time something frightened you.  How did you handle it?

Now, re-imagine that situation.                                                           
First, give yourself permission to feel frightened.                            
Now, tell yourself that it's a normal reaction.                                          
Next imagine breathing deeply and finding a physical balance-point, where your body and gravity are working together.                                      
Does this feel different than the original experience?

How?