#002 — Fixing “That’s not me!”
Helping us to recognise and move beyond the insidious and unconscious barriers that hold us back from what is available for us to experience.
To provide perspectives which might offer more out of life and give ourselves conscious choices about engaging with them.
There is so much I want to say about the importance and the joy of liberating ourselves from invisible bonds and conventions — about Rumi, about The Rose, about my own experience. But suffice it to say here, that this exercise is about doing things differently — because we can!
“At the risk of …”
How often have you found yourself staying quiet because you are concerned how your contribution may be received or interpreted? Sadly you are not alone. But Charlie Green proposes a great device to overcome this. He advocates that when you next find yourself worried about saying something to someone, that you learn to say ‘At the risk of …’ and then state your concerns of the thing that needs saying.
So the Green (pun intended) challenge this week is to take three opportunities to say what might otherwise remain unsaid. Three steps that make you a bit more open and vulnerable than you otherwise would be. And see what happens. Key tip, they can be encouraging rather than confrontational.
“Prodding your spirit awake!”
Watch the following video …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mSbD3t9bPB4
Draw a line down the centre of a page. On the left, make a list of a few of your daily habits and routines and how you do them. And on the right, write down different, unconventional, zany alternatives. Things that will feel awkward, are difficult to justify, or less efficient. Things that are purely about YOU and expressing yourself differently.
Then, take the courageous step of doing a different one of those things each day for the next week. And see how it feels to proclaim to yourself: These are conscious choices I am making! I have the freedom and the courage to make them! I am not asleep here!
“Introduce us to the person you will still be!”
Listen (again) to The Rose.
If you were to die tomorrow, what would your soul most regret not having been brave enough to ‘live’. Do it. But you don’t need to take the steepest face. Sometimes our narrative paints the most difficult path, with the worst downsides, just to justify our inaction. But if you commit to doing it, then you can organise an easier route, with way points and steps, and a safety net if you need it.
As Eleanor Roosevelt would tell you: It is never to late to be the person you might have been!
You may find the following resources helpful in tackling your challenge or in gaining further benefits from the skills and insights you develop
Charlie Green’s helpful guidance on the adventure of building deeper better relationships, with yourself and with others
Youtube video of Bette Midler’s The Rose, with the lyrics in the video
6 minute introductory talk on the topic
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Useful links:
Introduction to Leading by Adventure | What we mean by spirituality? | Why Adventure
Adventures to date | I did it, but it didn’t work very well | How do I know if it is working
Bringing this thinking into your meetings | Adventure & Mental Health
Leading by Adventure community | Explore Strategic Support options
#wellbeing #paradigms #adventure #habits #selfimprovement
