Steps

Steps

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Balance and beyond

Ok, Happy Easter to all of you who graciously read this blog.  It has been a wonderfully warm and sunny day.  My big lesson in balance today:  don't walk a lot in shoes you only wear a few times a year.  Ouch.

So, let's synthesize.  Being off balance and facing challenges for a while is good.  It makes me, in particular, grow and get stronger.  Being off balance and facing challenges all the time?  I don't think that is so good.  Recovery time, down time, and just being is really important to the whole cycle.  It's like taking sneakers along for the long walk after looking good in the fancy shoes.  No down time, no just being for a while, ouch.

Now beyond,
I have been trying to use some of the tools I found for The Toolbox Conference, and through reading that I have been doing.  This past week I haven't felt like I have been taking many small steps and although I seem to be spinning wheels I don't see that I am going many places metaphorically speaking.  So, when I look at a list of my passions I see:
observing peoples' behavior, then asking them questions and finding connections with my own experiences;
connecting people;
inventing experiences or activities and then making them happen;
designing games that encourage people to think outside of their boxes, and then to have transformation.

And, I have these passions because I believe I can help people feel more confident about what they do for a living.   I can help them feel special.
I believe people thirst for confirmation of their personal value.
I believe that this is essential to the success of a business, or school.
People need to balance a high level of self esteem and self regard with the importance of using their talents whole-heartedly.

Being a nice, decent person is part of my fabric.
I think that bullying is a damaging activity that can grow into actions that can hurt entire institutions.
There is a difference between being a tough but fair teacher or supervisor and being a bully.
People, whether peers, friends, coworkers or just people, have no right to bully others.  It hurts them, hurts the people they are bullying and ultimately hurts the larger group.

It works better for everyone if people are working toward improvement.  But the definition of improvement and progress has to evolve from what people really care about.  Sometimes that is in the context of a job, school or greater challenge.  Who says a janitor can't inspire an entire company or school?

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