October 07, 2009
The Challenge:
Its time to let the world know how thankful we are for everything we have in life. This week, list 25 people, things, etc. that you are thankful for in your notebook. Then pick 5 people, things, etc. from this list and find a way to show your gratitude towards them.
This task is worth 25-points on your scorecards.
Thought Provoking Questions:
Did you see any trends in the specific areas of your life that you are most thankful for? (work, relationships, family, etc.)
When was the last time you expressed gratitude towards the PEOPLE you are thankful for?
The Lesson:
It’s amazing how good showing your gratitude feels to yourself and those around you. There is something uplifting about people that value everything that has been given to them; they seem to make other people feel truly appreciated. Remember the last time someone gave you a sincere sign of their appreciation, I bet you were eager to help that person in the future.
Don’t be afraid to show your gratitude in creative ways, you don’t have to rely on cards or money, often times a genuine “thank you” is more than sufficient. People just want to know that you recognize their work or effort and in return you get two things. First, you get the satisfaction of know you made someone feel good. Second, you will likely gain more from that person in the future.
“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” - William Arthur Ward
September 27, 2009
The Challenge:
Many people will tell you that the best communicators are expert listeners. Think about Larry King, he is likely one of the worlds best communicators because he listens to his subject and drives the conversation based purely on answers to open-ended questions. During this week, choose someone you would like to get to know more about. Write out 10 open-ended questions and schedule time to “interview” your subject.
This task is worth 50-points on your scorecards.
Thought Provoking Questions:
How long did you speak with your subject?
Did you learn something you didn’t expect to learn about your subject?
The Lesson:
It is human nature to try to speak over those that you are conversing with. Typically, this is a result of our ego’s and the need to prove our self-worth or intelligence. Our ego may be one of the top hurdles to becoming a great communicator, so if you can set aside the need to look smart, you will actually learn far more about your subject.
Two more hurdles to becoming a great communicator is asking general questions and asking questions in which you have no genuine interest in hearing the answer. The largest culprit is asking someone “how are you?” This is fine for an ice-breaker but it will not likely lead to earth shattering conversations. Instead, find something specific to ask and then listen and learn. If your subject speaks for several minutes on a single question, you know you have formulated your question well. Be genuine with your questioning and if you don’t know enough about your subject or their industry, make that part of your questioning or do your research beforehand. Having enough discipline and interest to do research will lead to hours of great conversation and will gain you tremendous respect from your subject.
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” - Epictetus
September 23, 2009
The Challenge:
Who’s stressed out? I am sure many people are feeling the stress more than ever, but it’s during these times of stress that we can more easily find our “base emotion.” Your base emotion is the emotion you revert to the most in your life, and it often reappears during times of stress. During this week, think about your life and try to find the emotion you seem to feel more than any other. It can be anger, happiness, laughter, sadness, anxiety, etc.
This task is worth 60-points on your scorecards.
Thought Provoking Questions:
Are you satisfied with this emotion being your base emotion?
Now that you know, are you going to be conscious when you are reverting to your base emotion?
The Lesson:
It can be very enlightening to look back on your life and find your “base emotion” or the emotion you felt the most during your life. Sometimes, your base emotion can fuel you to do great things, other times; your base emotion can be a major hindrance for you. It is up to you to decide how you feel about your base emotion. If you are satisfied then no changes should be made. On the other hand, if you feel that you would like to change your base emotion, the best thing you can do is just be conscious of your emotions during stressful times.
If you are finding it difficult to decide, sometimes asking someone close to you that has been around you for several years can help reflect. Also, you may have a few emotions that appear frequently, don’t feel that you have to decide on just one but be conscious of them all as you observe yourself over the next few months and try to narrow it down to 3 or less.
“Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.” - Roger Ebert
September 13, 2009
The Challenge:
This week, we are going to work on creating moments of déjà vu for ourselves by collecting 25 images of things that you want to experience in your life. The images can come from anywhere (magazines, online, etc.) and can be about anything, such as homes, gardens, people, travel, places, toys, etc. Place the images in a computer folder or box.
This task is worth 50-points on your scorecards.
Thought Provoking Questions:
How did you feel when you saw the image of what you wanted to experience in real life?
How often are you going to look over these images?
The Lesson:
An amazing power lies in our ability to visualize our future, the clearer our image the more likely we are to experience a déjà vu moment. If you’ve ever had déjà vu, you know exactly how weird it feels when you experience something that you dreamt about. Typically, déjà vu occurs by happenstance from an unknown power showing us images of our future life experience. It happens more frequently for some than it does others BUT there is a way to visualize your future so clearly that you begin to experience déjà vu more frequently.
By collecting images of things you want in your life and looking them over frequently, you can invoke a sense of well-being that helps you attract these visualizations into becoming real. It sounds far-out doesn’t it? Think about this in basic terms, you likely would not take a vacation to place if you did not have pictures of what it would look like when you got there. You are doing the same thing with this exercise; you are building a visual of your destination. NOTE: the key is to feel all the emotions as though you already have what is in the images.
“You become what you think about most of the time.” - Earl Nightingale
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