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Meanderings from Jean's Desk....
Blog Archive
Feb 1, 2012: Transforming Our Thinking
Jan 2, 2012: Looking At Life From The Third Person This Year
Dec 15, 2011: There Is No Standing Still
Dec 1, 2011: Scarcity or Abundance?
Nov 15, 2011: Am I a Human Doing or a Human Being?
Oct 17, 2011: Seek Fresh Eyes To Ask Better Questions
Oct 1, 2011: Solving For A Greater Purpose
Sept 15, 2011: If Not Now Then When
August 22, 2011: Consider That Heaven Has A Better View
August 1, 2011: Though I May Not Be Gracious I Want Attention Too!
June 1, 2011: Albert Einstein And Problem Solving
Video
2009 Kenosha Business of the Year:
LMI Packaging Solutions, Inc.
You Spot It, You Got It!
Today I would like to speak about one of the most powerful tools I've discovered in my life. It is an awareness that is life changing when you choose to take responsibility for what it makes available to you.
In my last blog I spoke about self awareness and how critical it is to each and every one of us because we each create our lives and without self awareness we have no idea how we have created life exactly as it is. I explained why a personal coach is so valuable on this journey.
But realistically we don't all have the funding for a personal coach and even if we did they are not with us every day, all day long. So how can we, on our own, see ourselves more clearly when our eyes are always looking out?
It's really quite simple. Just start paying attention to what bothers you about people and what you love about them and then (and this may feel very confronting) consider that if You Spot It, You Got It!
One of the easiest places to get a sense of what I am talking about is within our own families. Have you ever watched your parents and said "I will never be like that" and then had your own children tell you "You are just like that?" It is disconcerting.
I'll try an analogy. You walk into a classroom and see a complex theorem on the board. If you know nothing about math, you have no emotion about what you see, good or bad. On the other hand if you know a lot about math and theorems, and notice a mistake or some amazing new breakthrough thinking in what you see, you will have great emotion about it. You have to understand something intimately to be moved by it.
Sometimes we don't even know things about ourselves because they are so deep within our consciousness. That is why this tool is so valuable. It helps you to see what is not on the surface.
I remember clearly one night when my son was still in college. I went down to Navy Pier to meet him for dinner and brought two cigars for us to smoke as we walked and talked on a lovely evening. (Yup I sometimes smoke cigars with my son and my sisters ?) I so loved the conversations we had and was so impressed about how open and vulnerable he allowed himself to become in telling me about his life. I was so taken aback by this I wrote to a good friend that night and told him how much I admired these qualities in my son. My friend wrote back and said "That is you! It's what I love about you." You Spot It, You Got It! Isn't that nice!
On the other side of the spectrum I was watching my mom about a year ago. She was 83 at the time. I watched her literally running from place to place, always stressed and in a hurry. I was so mad at her. Why was she running? She absolutely had nowhere to go and no place to be yet you would have thought she was going to a fire. I made a note and started to pay attention to myself. Sure enough, there I was never having time, always complaining there was too much to do. I was creating the same sense of urgency in my life and I hated it. I know you will say that it is different because I run a business and my mom is retired. But actually it isn't. I had been this way all my life and have so much help now with all that I do but was still running as if I am going to a fire.
Here's the great news. Once we have awareness, it is only then that we have the chance to make a change. And like a miracle, once you realize that it is something within yourself that is really bothering you, you almost immediately forget the distress you thought was being caused by another and with that goes the negative feelings you had towards them. Now I watch my mom and just love her for how she is. I don't try to change her any more. I just try to change me. It is so much better to control the things I can. ☺☺☺
You Spot It, You Got It! has made my life so interesting though I admit it was pretty confronting at first. I had to come to terms big time with my imperfect humanity and now I find myself looking more for what I love in people. ☺
Questions, comments for Jean?
If you have a question or comment, you can email Jean.
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