Practice of Wisdom Psychology

Life is a Choice!

2012-01-28T06:53:00.002+11:00

Palliative care nurses work with dying people, typically for the last three to twelve weeks of their lives. When patients were questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again:
1. "I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me."
2. "I wish I didn’t work so hard."
3. "I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings."
4. "I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends."
5. "I wish that I had let myself be happier."

Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness!

Rational Lies!

2012-01-07T07:04:00.003+11:00

Making a complex decision is never easy. Your unconscious mind makes a snap judgement based on feelings, while you conscious mind attempts to come up with reasons for what you're feeling. It's hard to know if you're really making a rational choice for the "right" reasons, or if you're telling yourself "rational lies"!

Find out more at the Decision Apps for a Wiser World workshop in Sydney January 18, or in Melbourne February 24. You can get information and registration here.

Optimum Trajectory!

2011-12-27T09:28:00.002+11:00

This is from George Clooney in the movie The Men Who Stare at Goats (2009): "Optimum trajectory. Your life is like a river. If you're aiming for a goal that isn't your destiny you're always going to be swimming against the current. Find out what your destiny is and the river will carry you. Sometimes events in their life give an individual clues as to where their destiny lies".

What are the clues in your life?

Decision Apps for a Wiser World!

2011-12-17T16:13:00.008+11:00

Well, it's taken 2 years of research in collaboration with the University of Wollongong, but we're finally ready! We're delighted to announce the first workshops using our refined DPS (Decision Processing Survey) and other University-trialed tools to help you and your clients make wiser decisions! This could be the edge you're looking for in coaching, leadership, strategic thinking, innovation, organisation change, or professional development in 2012.

We invite you to attend the one-day workshop "Decision Apps for a Wiser World" in Sydney, January 18, or in Melbourne, February 24, 2012 (includes completing the DPS online and debriefing your report at the workshop).

Find out more and register here.
Download the flyer here.

Hope you can make it! Visit the Decision Apps website here.

Kind Regards,
Peter Webb & Dr Barry Partridge

Hallelujah!

2011-11-11T16:37:00.005+11:00

Nobody should be allowed to sing Leonard Cohen's anthem "Hallelujah" except K.D. Lang! Saw her live at the State Theatre in Sydney last night and she pierced our hearts with that song. How is it that music can be such a powerful channel for human emotion?

Be Happy!

2011-10-11T07:17:00.004+11:00

Saw a screening of "Happy!" the movie at the Randwick Ritz last night with 600 of our closest friends, sponsored by Wake Up Sydney! Such beautiful imagery, and such a moving affirmation of how happiness is accessible to all of us, no matter where we are or what happens to us.

See the Trailer here:

Over Thinking!

2011-09-27T06:40:00.002+10:00

Overly using intellect causes the mind to become busy and fragmented. According to Tibetan Medicine, every state of mind is associated with its own energy, so that the subtle nervous system can become busy vibrating with various conflicting energies. This can lead to a painful condition the Tibetans call 'lung', meaning frustrated energy at the heart. It is important to know when to relax, put aside intellect, and let the mind settle into its natural state of clarity.

Stardust!

2011-09-20T06:27:00.003+10:00

"Life is debris" according to cosmologists. The building blocks of life come from nucleo-synthesis, the process of heavy element creation from deep within stars. When these stars exhaust their fuel, they blast their material out into space to begin the generation of new stars. And from generation to generation an abundance of heavy elements forms the planets, comets, asteroids, and the things we human beings are made of. Nucleo-synthesis suggest that all life is merely a product of natural processes and not unusual to our world. We are all made of stardust!

The Tree of Life!

2011-08-22T07:41:00.002+10:00

Saw the movie, "The Tree of Life" yesterday. What a frustrating, yet wonderful experience! A haunting metaphor on the search for God. And how the Universe and all creation can be found in the intricate dynamics of a single family. "Where were you?" whispers the voice-over. Wherever love is, seems to be the answer.

Running Your Own Race!

2011-08-15T17:01:00.005+10:00

Just me and 85,000 of my closest friends at the end of the 2011 City2Surf 14Km run from Hyde Park to Bondi Beach yesterday! I realized that no matter how much you compare yourself with others around you, you are always running your own race. We are, each of us, alone with our own narrative, even in a sea of people!

Time and Space!

2011-07-20T09:51:00.003+10:00

Flying from Sydney to Dubbo the other evening I was reflecting on our perceptions of time and space. I define my space by the seat I am sitting in and the physical parameters of the aircraft cabin. Time passes within this dimension. Yet outside I can see a limitless horizon. I am experiencing time and space there too. I realize that when I am caught by the demands of "inside" time, I fail to notice the limitless availability of "outside" time!

Immunity to Change!

2011-07-15T11:22:00.004+10:00

What's going on when you find yourself actively preventing the very change you want to make? Bob Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey (2009) call this our "immunity to change" and it's made up of three dimensions: Our change-prevention system (thwarting challenging aspirations), our feeling system (managing anxiety), and our knowing system (organising reality). How you manage change depends on your "healthy adult" grasp of these three systems.

Why Worry?

2011-07-06T11:34:00.002+10:00

As the 8th-century Indian Buddhist scholar, Shantideva said: "If you can do something about the problem, why worry about it? If you can't do anything about it, why worry about it?"

Attachment!

2011-06-29T20:14:00.005+10:00

Attachment is when you exaggerate the positive qualities of something, like the happiness you expect to feel when you get your hands on those new shoes! Attachment is also when you exaggerate the aversion to something unwanted, such as "life will be so much better if I could only get rid of these headaches!" In either case, you're not seeing these things as they really are.

Moral Disarmament!

2011-06-15T15:26:00.005+10:00

At the public talk in Melbourne over the Long Weekend with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and 5,000 of our closest friends! We need a secular moral ethics based on affection and respect, he said. There is too much emphasis on "we/they" when the new reality is that all the world is part of "me". He expressed the hope and desire that we could build the latter part of the 21st Century into a "happy Century", but only if we practice "moral disarmament" and introduce ethics free of religion.

Many Perspectives!

2011-06-09T11:32:00.005+10:00

I was fascinated watching Professor Anatol Lieven respond to a question at the Lowy Institute for International Policy lunch yesterday: "Should we be concerned about Pakistan?" I could actually see the "ripple" of multiple perspectives play across his face as he struggled with historical, political, strategic, geographic, and ethnic considerations. After what seemed a full minute his reply was distilled into a simple "Yes!"

The wisest people I know find it difficult to contemplate issues in simple black and white terms. Life is inherently complex and unpredictable. Anyone who tells you otherwise is probably trying to sell you something!

Decisions, Decisions!

2011-05-29T08:00:00.005+10:00

It's hard to make decisions. For most of us, making decisions is influenced by attachment. Ensuring security of our attachment to some-thing or some-one. Or protecting against loss of some-thing or some-one we are attached to! But what are the consequences of our decisions? Who is impacted? And what do our decisions say about striving to maximise the common good for every-one?

After the End of the World!

2011-05-26T07:05:00.002+10:00

We are all still here! Explanation: 21 May was something like a dress rehearsal for the real show on 21 October!

In the USA, a group called Eternal Earth-Bound Pets has been offering to take care of the household pets of Christians who are taken to heaven in the Rapture. A payment of just $135.00 can save one animal per residence! Furthermore, Eternal Earth-Bound Pets representatives guarantee that they'll stay around because they can't be raptured: they are "atheists, do not believe in God / Jesus, and ...have blasphemed in accordance with Mark 3:29, negating any chance of salvation."

Apparently, they have been receiving bookings.... Only in America!

Dreamboat Willie!

2011-04-17T14:27:00.004+10:00

I remember being called "Dreamboat Wille" in grade 4 for not paying attention in class. The teacher led me around the classroom by my ear as an example! At that time daydreaming was a way for me to imagine possibilities and futures. Now, daydreaming is understood as an essential prelude to inspirational ideas. Perhaps it was my teacher who should have been led around by the ear for failing to recognise and support creativity!

The Shamatha Project!

2011-04-03T14:27:00.008+10:00

After a one-week Shamatha meditation retreat with B. Alan Wallace, March 25-31, I realize I have an "ordinary mind" when it comes to focus of attention! Shamatha is the cultivation of attention, and research from the Shamatha Project shows that practicing Shamatha meditation: Enhances attention skills; enhances emotional balance; allows you to sleep less with more energy; and may even decrease the rate of telomere shortening which is a marker for longevity!

The GFC - Where to from Here?

2011-03-17T09:55:00.005+11:00

Columbia University Professor Frederic Mishkin is a renowned expert on banking, finance and monetary policy. I heard him present to the Lowy Institute for International Policy yesterday about the GFC and its aftermath. "It was actually much more of a shock than the Great Depression", he said. "Only the active involvement of central banks to the limits of their authority prevented a catastrophe!"

Australia, Chile, and China were the only countries to come through relatively unscathed. Compared to the U.S., Australia didn't have to make sub-standard loans, we had fewer financial institutions, the right commodities, and principles-based supervision by our central bank which worked!

Mishkin says the future now depends on the "path of fiscal debt in the U.S., particularly around promises we can't keep", and "whether the Europeans get it!" Weakened independence of central banks, and lack of discipline in debt-restructuring will mean recovery will be slow.

The Big Shift!

2011-03-15T10:19:00.004+11:00

What does it feel like when you can no longer trust the security of the ground beneath your feet? Japan has shifted 8 feet to the left of where it once was. Tens of thousands have been swept aside. Impossible images on our TV screens. Nuclear reactors melting down. It must surely seem like the end of the world in Sendai Prefecture right now. Is this the act of a jealous god? No, rather the cause and effect of dynamic geo-tectonic forces. Our planet is still forming. Certainty changes in the blink of an eye.

Cracking Up!

2011-03-03T10:38:00.002+11:00

Has anyone noticed how the recent uprisings in the Middle East seemed to correlate with the Christchurch earthquake at exactly the opposite side of the planet? Could this be the Gaia hypothesis at work - the idea that Earth acts to maintain its homeostasis in response to our collective consciousness?

Schemas!

2011-02-17T16:51:00.002+11:00

Here's a picture of me at age 6, loaded with schemas and ready to fly! Schemas are important beliefs and feelings about yourself and the environment which you accept without question. They are self-perpetuating, and are very resistant to change. The schema fights for its own survival, and, usually, quite successfully. Success in life is often still not enough to change the schema. The schema usually does not go away without therapy.

Keep on Running!

2011-02-16T10:53:00.003+11:00

This is me after completing the Inaugural Sydney Morning Herald Sun Run from Dee Why to Manly (7 KM) early this month. Just happened to be one of the hottest days on record! But, as in life, no matter what the circumstances it's important to keep on running. Continuous movement towards a desired goal is one of the hallmarks of living a positive life.

After the Flood!

2011-01-18T16:52:00.003+11:00

After the devastating floods in Queensland last week comes the clean up. A useful metaphor at the moment - after the inundation of the GFC comes the recovery. Time to clear out what is no longer useful and prepare for the new. But of course it can never be fully restored to the way it was. Recovery represents a new kind of normal. Yet, it also presents new opportunities to see life differently, perhaps even better than before.

Therapy IS the Therapist!

2011-01-02T19:47:00.002+11:00

"The King's Speech" - What a beautiful and eloquent movie! Colin Firth deserves an Oscar for his role. But more significantly, this is an exquisite depiction of the true meaning of therapy. It's not what the therapist does so much as who the therapist is! What did you think of the film?

Turning Points!

2010-12-21T13:38:00.002+11:00

When asked, "what is the primary impulse in human beings?" His Holiness The Dalai Lama replied, "we care". We don't have to cultivate it. It's already there. Caring is our deepest, most fundamental attribute. We turn towards each other through caring. When we stop caring we turn away or against each other. This is also the essence of all the great religious traditions. To remind us of our true nature. We are sentient beings, who care.

Sneakers!

2010-12-20T20:59:00.003+11:00

Is it just me, or does the whole Wikileaks saga look like the 1992 movie, "Sneakers"? Julian Assange could easily pass for the sophisticated hacker played by Ben Kingsley. "Just imagine, Marty" he says to his old hacker friend played by Robert Redford, "how different the world would be if there were no secrets!" In the end the "good guys" win, with a little coercion from the CIA. Art imitates art!

Terracotta Warriors

2010-12-09T05:51:00.002+11:00

Viewing objects from the time of Qin Shihuang (259-210 BCE) at the Art Gallery of NSW over the weekend I was reminded that the lessons of history are forever repeated. At the end of the exhibition hangs a quote from the Han Dynasty poet and statesman Jia Yi (201-169 BCE) about the Qin empire:
"Qin, beginning with an insignificant amount of territory, reached the power of a great state and for a hundred years made all the other great lords pay homage to it. Yet after it had become master of the whole empire...its ruler died by the hands of men...why? Because it had failed to rule with humanity and righteousness and to realize that the power to attack and the power to retain what one had thereby won, are not the same".
Iraq, anybody?

The Search for Consciousness!

2010-12-02T11:53:00.012+11:00

We spent a week-long silent meditation retreat with Alan Wallace (author of about 30 books, including "Mind in the Balance" and "The Attention Revolution") and 50 of our closest friends in the Blue Mountains recently. It's amazing what you hear when you stop talking! I discovered that the only way to truly know what consciousness is, is from the inside of your own mind. All the neurological correlates are only poor imitations of what's really going on between your ears!

Why Do We Say "Yes" When We Mean "No"?

2010-11-02T06:59:00.008+11:00

Jeffrey Young's Schema Therapy suggests it has a lot to do with your family. He suggests 11 schemas or "mental representations" we hold as a result of our childhood experience. Which one(s) do you hold?
Abandonment: The feeling that people you love will leave you, and you will end up emotionally isolated forever.
Mistrust and Abuse: The expectation that people will hurt or abuse you in some way - that they will cheat, lie to, manipulate, humiliate, physically harm, or otherwise take advantage of you.
Dependence: You feel unable to handle everyday life in a competent manner without considerable help from others.
Vulnerability: You live in fear that disaster is about to strike - whether natural, criminal, medical, or financial. You don't feel safe in this world.
Emotional Deprivation: The belief that your need for love will never be met adequately by other people. You feel that no one truly cares for you or understands how you feel.
Social Exclusion: Involves your connection to friends and groups. It has to do with feeling isolated from the rest of the world, with feeling different.
Defectiveness: You feel inwardly flawed and defective. You believe that you would be fundamentally unlovable to anyone who got close enough to really know you.
Failure: The belief that you are inadequate in areas of achievement. You believe you have failed relative to your peers.
Subjugation: You sacrifice your own needs and desires for the sake of pleasing others or meeting their needs.
Unrelenting Standards: You strive relentlessly to meet extremely high expectations of yourself.
Entitlement: Associated with the ability to accept realistic limits in life. You feel special. You insist that you be able to say, or have whatever you want immediately.
You can find out more here: http://www.schematherapy.com/id73.htm

Cycle of Change!

2010-09-23T21:04:00.003+10:00

The thing about change is that it's so incredibly difficult to do! When we're threatened with change we all default to our False Self and the stories we tell about who we pretend to be. Underneath - where we typically feel most vulnerable - is the True Self. How can any of us uncover the essence of who we really are and deal with the changes we face on a daily basis?! It takes time and a supportive coach/therapist/mentor.

Running the Human Race!

2010-09-20T06:53:00.005+10:00

After successfully completing the 9 Km Blackmores Bridge Run yesterday it occurred to me that we are all running the race of our lives. Each of us having a separate running experience and yet contributing to the collective spectacle of the human race.We start and finish. But the race continues.

Independents day!

2010-09-07T17:35:00.007+10:00

An historic transition in Australian political history today! I watched each of the independents give their speeches to the media about who they were prepared to back to form a minority government. Bob Katter sided with the Coalition but both Tony Windsor and Rob Oakshot supported Labor. What struck me was the thoughtful way in which each outlined their reasoning. There was a measure of wisdom rarely seen in politicians! I particularly liked the way Rob Oakshot referred to the "going home to my children" test of his decision. Never has the articulation of what makes a wise decision been more evident in political discourse than today!

What did you think about independents day?

Core Values!

2010-08-30T21:00:00.003+10:00

What are you most passionate about? What moves you? We tend to do more of what serves our core values and less of what takes us away from them. But are you truly moving in the direction of your values? Here are seven groups of values. Which ones do you most closely align with?
1. Prosocial
2. Power
3. Spiritual
4. Control
5. Pleasure
6. Achievement
7. Health

Decision Preferences!

2010-08-09T15:53:00.003+10:00

How do you make a good decision?

You can use a rational information processing mode to "calculate" the best decision under the circumstances. Or you can use your intuitive mind to "sense" the best way to go based on your experience. But still something's missing. Where's the moral element or the appeal to higher values that best represents the impact your decision might have on others?

You need to use a reflective process of thinking. Like a "third mind". A good decision is one arising from the balanced use of both the rational and intuitive processing modes, together with a high level of reflective thinking. is this how you make wise decisions?

How to Make Wise Decisions!

2010-07-20T13:41:00.005+10:00

Wisdom is most evident through the decisions we make, like King Solomon’s decision to cleave the baby in two, thus revealing the true mother. We call this wise because it reveals knowledge of human behaviour, understanding of social context, compassion, moral consideration, and above all a pragmatic appraisal of which decision outcome best serves the common good.

Accomplish More by Doing Less!

2010-06-30T18:20:00.003+10:00

In his book, "Less: Accomplishing More by Doing Less" (2009), Marc Lesser (yes, that's his real name!) sets out clear and practical guidelines for breaking the addiction to busyness. It helps that he's a Zen teacher with an MBA. But his thesis is that we live in time, not through time. Living in time is to be bounded by "clock time". Useful in planning and measuring. But it's not the same as absolute time. Time which is unbounded. Timeless. We need to be capable of stopping. To view our life as part of this flow. Only then can we choose our aspirations and make a conscious effort to accomplish whatever it is we came here to do!

Five Minds!

2010-06-17T07:24:00.002+10:00

In his book, "Five Minds for the Future" (2008), Howard Gardner laments the fact that much of corporate education is too narrowly focused on skills and competencies. "we don't think deeply enough about the human qualities that we want to cultivate in the workplace" he says. And now, post-GFC, it seems corporations still don't know how to nurture and cultivate those who are prepared to go beyond self-interest and do good work for society and for the planet.

End Poverty Now!

2010-06-16T21:33:00.003+10:00

"The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems."
- Mahatma Gandhi

The Relevance of HR!

2010-05-30T15:51:00.007+10:00

What's the most significant issue facing Human Resources professionals today? Being taken seriously! But instead of fighting to defend budget cuts HR professionals should be at the core of meaningful business, not struggling at the margins. How? By building a sustainable philosophy of enterprises as places of human being rather than human doing. Too idealistic? What do you think?

Phases of the Moon

2010-05-03T19:24:00.004+10:00

How is it that some days I can accomplish so much and others just turn to mush! Does it have anything to do with the phases of the moon? The human body is mostly water so it stands to reason that we are pulled by the same tides. And the brain is sensitive to changes in hydration. So perhaps if I'm dehydrated at high tide and when the moon is full I might not be as "switched on" mentally!

Vale Cherie

2010-04-27T14:36:00.003+10:00

Our dear friend and close neighbour for 6 years, Cherie, "lost her battle with cancer" early on Anzac Day morning. At least, that's how the news will report her passing. But if there was a "battle", the cancer lost. The senselessness of cancer is that it destroys its host. Cherie lived her life fully, seven stars all the way. And she will be gladly remembered by whole communities of people. No one will remember the cancer.

What's Good about Good Friday?

2010-04-02T17:17:00.004+11:00

It's Easter Good Friday today. A time to reflect on the difference between religion and science. But are they so different? Both are dogmatic about an epistemological framework that puts a priori evidence (either the Bible, or accumulated knowledge) ahead of reasoning, and direct experience. And yet the contemplative tradition in all the major religions emphasises personal experience as the most direct path to knowing. We can't know or not know until we have the direct empirical evidence for ourselves. Isn't that just good science? Todays metaphysics may be tomorrows physics.

Avatar!

2010-03-15T07:02:00.003+11:00

Finally got to see Avatar the movie in 3D last weekend. Surely the most astonishing and breathtaking experience depicted on screen since the first Star Wars movie! OK, so the plot devices were predictable and there are several ways of "interpreting" the storyline. But did you pick up on the implications of transference from human to Na'avi? What happens when you completely and irreversibly shift your consciousness into a different physiology? talk about the ultimate culture transformation!

Positive Psychology!

2010-03-04T16:44:00.005+11:00

Here we are at the 2nd Australian Positive Psychology and Well-being Conference at Monash University, Caulfield, February 13, 2010. This is at the end of my workshop, "Wise decisions: How the psychology of wisdom can be applied to everyday life" where a small group of enthusiastic delegates followed a six-step process for making a wise decision when faced with a dilemma!

Wise Decisions!

2010-02-14T15:18:00.004+11:00

Here's a way of running a difficult decision through a series of filters. Do you remember the archetypal story of "The Wizard of Oz"?

1. First, take Dorothy's position - all she wants to do is "get back home to Kansas". What do you most wish for from this decision?
2. Next, Dorothy meets the Scarecrow. He wants a brain. So what calculations can you make about your decision?
3. Dorothy's next companion on the Yellow Brick Road is the Tinman. He wants a heart. What do you feel most strongly about this decision - what's your gut feeling?
4. Then Dorothy meets the Lion. He wants courage. What are your signature strengths? And what strengths do you need to exhibit most to make this decision?
5. Finally, the friends arrive at the Emerald City and there they meet the great and terrible Wizard of Oz. In essence he asks, "what is the wisest thing to do?
6. But before Dorothy and her friends can achieve their desires they must go on a quest to kill the Wicked Witch of the West. What kind of quest are you on? What does this decision mean in relation to your life journey?

Face-to-Face

2010-02-06T12:02:00.005+11:00

Have you noticed how you can feel so self-justified in an argument? Usually when you know you've done something to upset the other person yet you defend your actions valiantly! What are you defending against? Seeing the stark reality of your default nature stripped bare. The very antithesis of "who it is I say I am". The constant companion. Walking beside you in the shadows. You must meet this nature of yours face-to-face and engage him if you have any hope of slipping his sub-conscious and reactive hold.

No Worries!

2010-02-02T10:25:00.004+11:00

Despite being a pathological optimist I've done a lot of worrying over the past year. I put it down to the GFC. But how much worrying is too much? Chronic worrying - fretting - is associated with a need to control events in life. Does it work? Research shows it's a good idea to worry productively about those things that you can definitely influence. But fretting actually undermines the body's ability to react to stress, weakens the cardiovascular system and disrupts normal emotional functioning. I try not to worry about that!

How Dare You!

2010-01-29T17:36:00.004+11:00

Whenever I feel frustrated, impatient or angry I realize I am defending a proposition. The proposition that "I am" is significant, "How dare you!" "Can't you understand!" "Don't you know who I am!"
When I cool down and step back from the situation, the person, or my own inner dialogue I notice that I've been caught up in the delusion of protecting something that doesn't exist - "I". My "I" is only a figment of the narrative running through my head. And I see that what I'm actually protecting is the idea that my narrative is somehow more significant or important than your narrative. Yet I can choose to be of service to you through practicing compassion, detachment, patience, and above all, wisdom!

Good versus Evil!

2010-01-26T11:12:00.004+11:00

Reading Bob Thurman's 2004 book, "Infinite Life: Seven Virtues for Living Well" at the moment. He gives a mathematical formula to prove the triumph of good over evil:
Infinity x 1 (evil) < Infinity x Infinity (good)
"The unenlightened and evil are defined by self-centeredness", he says. "Whereas the enlightened and good are defined by other-centeredness". No matter how many bad thing self-centered beings do to others, they are soon exhausted since their drive is based only on their own appetite and will. Yet other-centered beings strive to make the world a better place and so they are able to draw on the emotional energies and needs of an infinite number of others. "Therefore, other-centered beings will always last longer and perform more capably, since their source of energy is so much greater than that of self-centered beings".

Seeing Clearly!

2010-01-05T07:35:00.003+11:00

At the start of a new year and a new decade here are 7 aspects of life I see more clearly now:
(1) We are all connected to more people who hold us in positive regard than we realize.
(2) Correspondingly, we influence more lives than we think.
(3) Yet, there is a tendency to imagine that others are just as vitally engaged in my story as I am. They're not. This is one of the great self-delusions.
(4) Everything is as it should be. Life moves on with or without me.
(5) My story is only a fabrication of my dreams, my desires, my actions and reactions.
(6) Others place their own interpretations on my life. I have no influence on that. But I can be the author of my own epic, even to the final chapter.
(7) The fear of death is only frightening when viewed from the imagined perspective of others. What will they say about me? Will they remember me? What will I have amounted to?

Blind-sided!

2009-12-30T09:38:00.002+11:00

On Wednesday December 16th I noticed a "blob" in the peripheral vision of my right eye. I checked in to my Optometrist first thing next morning, December 17th, and within 3 hours I was being operated on for a detached retina! What followed was 5 days in support equipment to keep my head down for 22 out of every 24 hours. And with a gas bubble in my eye I was also unable to fly to the Gold Coast for a family Christmas "reunion" Boxing Day lunch (first in 11 years!). The surgery was successful with 100% recovery of sight. But what was I not seeing? Coming out of a long and difficult year, how has my "vision" been affected?

Moral Ethics

2009-12-09T13:24:00.003+11:00

His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was at the Mind & Its Potential Conference last week. He participated in a vigorous panel discussion with Marty Seligman, Director of the Center for Positive Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania USA; Marc Hauser, Co-Director of the Mind, Brain and Behaviour Program, Harvard University, USA; and Alan Wallace, President of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies USA.
The question was asked, are there really any moral truths? His Holiness replied, "if based on religious faith then moral ethics becomes very narrow. But a secular moral ethics encompasses any action which brings comfort or benefit to the community and to oneself in the long-run, and which avoids discomfort or taking away benefit. That is moral. Nothing to do with religion." His Holiness also commented that "compassion is the most important emotion".

What's Mine is Mind!

2009-12-08T09:00:00.003+11:00

The "Mind & Its Potential" Conference at Darling Harbour last week was a real smorgasbord of neuroscience, psychology and philosophy. I particularly liked the definitions of mind given by various speakers. Baronness Susan Greenfield, Neuroscientist and Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain, described the mind as the "personalisation" of the brain. Dan Siegel, Psychiatrist and Director of the Center for Human Development USA, said the mind is "an embodied and relational process that regulates the flow of energy and information". Michael Valenzuela, Research Fellow in Regenerative Neuroscience at the School of Psychiatry UNSW, described a hierarchy of "mindedness", but claimed to be in awe of the phenomena of mind himself!
It got me thinking that wisdom is most likely an emergent relational property of culture in the manner of Dan Siegel's latest book, "Mindsight".

Charter for Compassion

2009-11-24T08:27:00.009+11:00

"The principle of compassion lies at the heart of all religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, calling us always to treat all others as we wish to be treated ourselves..." Sign up to the Charter for Compassion here: http://charterforcompassion.org/

Boom go the Resources!

2009-11-19T13:57:00.004+11:00

Attended the Lowy Institute 2009 Lecture at the Intercontinental Sydney last night, delivered by Marius Kloppers, CEO of BHP Billiton. BHP used to be "the big Australian", now it's just big! Australia has always prospered on the back of its resources, Marius said. But the next boom is set to eclipse anything we've ever known. He emphasized the need for " getting this right", by which he referred to key factors such as fiscal stability, government policy, labour market flexibility, and capital availability. But I wonder if psychological capital might be an equally important factor in "getting this right"?

Happy Birthday!

2009-11-09T09:16:00.003+11:00

It was my Birthday last weekend (Happy Birthday Peter!). At this stage of life the clock is ticking. I believe the best is yet to come, but it's like being in an aeroplane accelerating for take-off. So close to getting airborne but I seem to be running out of runway! It strikes me that whatever one's life themes are they will keep recurring at any age. There's really no there in getting there!

Inner Happiness

2009-11-03T16:09:00.004+11:00

Attended a talk by Alan Wallace the other evening. He's the Director of the Santa Barbara Institute for Consciousness Studies and an interpreter for the Dalai Lama. Western technology has achieved great things in the external world he said, but failed to conduct the same level of empiricism on the internal world. Psychology, the study of the mind, still can't define consciousness. Three things are needed for inner happiness:
1. Ethics - for social and environmental flourishing.
2. Cultivating the mind - for psychological flourishing.
3. Wisdom - to know reality as it really is.

I asked him what he thought of the field of Appreciative Inquiry in the context of organisational change. "Yes", he said. "Encouraging what works best rather than focusing on the deficiencies would seem useful for avoiding cognitive fusion (with the problem)."

The Great Crash of 2008

2009-10-26T14:34:00.003+11:00

At a packed event at the Lowy Institute the other evening I heard Dr Ian McFarlane, past Governor of the Reserve Bank, and Prof Ross Garnaut, author of the Garnaut Climate Change Review, try to explain the economic machinations that led to the GFC. They both admitted to being caught off guard by the speed and depth of the "great crash of 2008". In Ross's book of the same name he traces the earliest sign to the collapse of a US mortgage originator called Merit Financial in May 2006. The company was owned by a former football star and ran up more that $2 billion of mortgages over 5 years specializing in clients with a bad credit history. Many of the loan officers were ex-footballers, one an ex-Hooters girl. Their training consisted of a 19-step program lasting an hour!

I bought the book and asked Ross to sign it for me. I told him I was a psychologist with an interest in behavioural economics. He wrote, "it has taken too long for me to give it the importance it deserves, but Shiller's perspective is certainly part of the story" (behavioural economist Bob Shiller is the best-selling author of "Irrational Exuberance").

Careful what you wish for!

2009-10-12T14:05:00.004+11:00

After months of watching the tide go out it's now starting to come in. If all these opportunities start to come in at the same time it's going to look like a tsunami (but in a good way)! Most of what we need to learn we discover at the bottom of the cycle. Then we can apply those learnings in the upswing. The trick is having patience and insight enough to capture the learning when all around is uncertain and fragile.

Hungary for Climate Change!

2009-10-01T17:00:00.003+10:00

This week I had lunch with the President of Hungary, Prof. László Sólyom, at the Lowy Institute for International Policy. Turns out he's the "Al Gore" of Europe! Since the Club of Rome in 1972, the "limits to growth" have been predicted. Sub-systems have been changing slowly, but suddenly they go past their tipping point. For example, Atlantic Sea ice is melting faster than predicted. How far can we go before these changes become irreversible? According to an article published in Nature just last week, we've already gone past the tipping point for some sub-systems! Can Human Kind change in time? In 1989, with the fall of the "Iron Curtain", half of Europe changed within a year without the usual violence and destruction. So it can be done. "The only hope", the President said, "are people themselves!"

Living on Mars

2009-09-28T07:17:00.005+10:00

This was the scene from my office window in Pyrmont early on Wednesday morning, September 23, All that day we experienced "living on Mars". Sand from the ancient heart of this great southern land sweeping through the glass canyons of the robber barons of Macquarie Street. We who live in our kindergarten cities are so disconnected from the consequences of our daily decisions. And yet we, collectively and consciously, create the world of our imaginings. On this day we had a dramatic reminder that the "sands of time" are running out!

SE Asian Terrorism

2009-09-22T07:57:00.003+10:00

Listening to Bill Patterson, Australia's Diplomat for Counter-Terrorism, at the Lowy Institute lunch last week - a calm and reasoned perspective on the headlines. "Terrorism has a long history", he said. "But in the end, local issues drive it". The key motivators are alienation, poverty, and lack of opportunity. Which is why development assistance plays a major, long-term role. In Indonesia for example, AusAid have been engaged in curriculum training for teachers and the construction of schools. What more can we do to encourage economic participation and build resistance to malignant small group interests amongst our SE Asian neighbours?

Rubik's Cube

2009-09-14T17:52:00.002+10:00

After struggling and pushing to create momentum I have a feeling at the moment that everything is dropping into place, effortlessly, purposefully, and in it's own time. Kind of like watching the colours on a Rubik's Cube line up. I guess you have to persevere long enough to give the various permutations and combinations time to sort themselves out!

September 11

2009-09-11T17:15:00.002+10:00

September 11, 2009. The 8th anniversary of that event. A nightmare dreamed by all of us simultaneously. A searing scar across the face of humanity. And a shocking reminder that whatever virtual reality we inhabit can too easily break through into the reality of flesh and bone. If we can dream it we can be it. So, let's begin a collective dream of wisdom and compassion!

Ouch!

2009-09-03T14:58:00.004+10:00

I stepped back off a ladder over the weekend but missed the step. Well, all but the third toe on my left foot missed it. The toe peeled back like a small banana. A trip to the local Medical centre turned into a visit to the Hospital. The wound was considered too fragile to stitch. So, they super-glued my toe instead! What's the Universe telling me, I wondered? Should I slow down? Am I feeling "unbalanced"? Have I "misplaced" my confidence? Am I in danger of "stepping back" just when I should be moving forwards? Or did I just have a damn stupid accident?!

Rogue Economics

2009-08-19T12:46:00.004+10:00

Just finished reading Loretta Napoleoni's "Rogue Economics: Captitalism's New Reality" (2008). Another bleak view of how the world is burning (I've got to get out and smell the roses)! We like to think governments are in control and they can protect us from harm. But that's a comforting illusion. The GFC has shown us that. Napoleoni's "new reality" is the tide of capital that lifts or drops all boats and is largely governed by collective self-interests. Beneath the veneer of social justice and environmental protection is the rather too cynical machinery of thuggery and buggery! Should we give up now? I for one, still believe it's inherently human to work towards the common good.

Utopia

2009-07-28T09:29:00.003+10:00

Just finished reading John Gray's 2007 book, "Black Mass". He is Professor of European Though at the London School of Economics. I met him briefly at the Sydney Writer's Festival last year. Gray contends that much of the destructive history of the Twentieth Century and beyond can be blamed on our religious and political desire for Utopia - a mythical "perfect" future. At the core is "my willingness to defend to the death my idea of Utopia over yours!" We need to learn to be more realistic, says Gray. Life is inherently uncertain and history can just as likely go backwards as forwards. "Religions are not claims to knowledge but ways of living with what cannot be known", he says. There is no Utopia. "Interacting with the struggle for natural resources" concludes Gray, "the violence of faith looks set to shape the coming century".

Tectonic Plates

2009-07-22T10:54:00.002+10:00

Can you feel it? Our emotional "tectonic plates" have been shifting. The Global Financial Crisis was the earthquake we had to have. It signaled the release of hard, rigid, "me-first" forces that had been building for some time. Something had to give. And we're all feeling the after-shocks. But sooner or later the same tectonic forces will settle into a new equilibrium. Which doesn't necessarily mean "better"! But it does mean "different". What does this new emotional landscape hold for us?

What's Your Story?

2009-07-17T13:52:00.006+10:00

I saw Mark Scott, CEO of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, deliver a keynote presentation at the first Australian Leadership & Coaching Conference for Educators at Macquarie University on Tuesday. "The Greek playwright, Euripides maintained there are only 4 stories", he said. "A man and a woman; a woman and two men; betrayal; and a journey". "Leadership is a journey" he said. What's your story?

Make a Decision

2009-07-15T15:21:00.003+10:00

At the first Australian Leadership & Coaching Conference for Educators at Macquarie University yesterday, I was struck by a comment from Dr Doug Reeves, founder of The Leadership and Learning Center, Boston, USA. He said we only have 3 choices for action: " (1) Wait until the action is perfect; (2) do nothing; or (3) try something, even if it's imperfect". Life is short. Have a go!

Doughnut Wisdom!

2009-06-26T11:29:00.002+10:00

Buddhist thinking claims we are both self and no-self. Rather like a doughnut. The hole in the doughnut is like our self-identity. It's defined by the doughnut. But in itself it is empty. Does the hole exist? Yes. So long as the doughnut exists. Our sense of self is both evident and non-existent (or indeed, everywhere) at the same time! So what do I defend when I feel affronted? Only the doughnut. Since my essence is the hole of the doughnut, and therefore indefensible. Get it?

Float Your Boat!

2009-06-22T11:27:00.006+10:00

lately I've been imagining myself as a boat, beached, waiting for the tide to come in. In the meantime I've been scraping off the barnacles, repainting, and re-jigging. But what kind of boat am I? Last year I would have said I was a harbour cruise boat, taking on tourists and meandering around points of interest. That was before the tourists left and the water disappeared! Now I see myself as a sailing yacht. Ready to venture outside the harbour. Sleek, robust, efficient, tacking against the wind to reach my destination - well, that's what I intend to do when the tide comes in! What kind of boat are you?

Spiritual Capital

2009-06-15T17:22:00.004+10:00

I got my copy of "Spiritual Capital" signed by the author, Danah Zohar at the Australian Human Resources Institute Conference 2009 launch in Sydney last night. What a re-imagining of business culture post-GFC! She says we need to re-define the meaning of wealth. Not just for the lucky few, but for the whole planetary community.

The Cosmic Dance

2009-06-04T10:06:00.004+10:00

Cosmologists believe the Universe came from the Big Bang, from a singularity in time-space, and has been expanding over Billions of years, generating progressively higher orders of complexity. From simple elements to complex molecules, from reactive sequences to consciousness. We are the product of that far distant starburst. And our lives together on this planet at this time are a wondrous expression of the cosmic dance!

The Tide is Turning!

2009-06-02T17:31:00.002+10:00

Today I had a feeling the tide was turning. call it intuition, or the collective consciousness, but I had a strong sense the economic tide is turning and the water is coming back. It's still out of view, but somewhere out there the polarity has just flipped!

Wind me up!

2009-06-01T21:59:00.004+10:00

When I feel overwhelmed I notice my neck twisting like a wind-up toy. But it's not some weird cosmic force. It's me. I'm doing it to myself! And I have to step back and reflect. There's really nothing going wrong. All is exactly as it should be. And I remember the words of the mystical vision of Juliana of Norwich, "and all thing shall be well; and all thing shall be well; and all manner of thing shall be well." Amen!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road!

2009-05-18T20:10:00.004+10:00

I've been thinking about "The Wizard of Oz" lately as a template for making good decisions. Dorothy represents your "wished for" outcome. Tinman is the "heartfelt", emotional aspect of your decision. Scarecrow represents the "pro's and con's" analysis. Lion symbolizes your awareness of the "unknown". The Wizard of Oz asks you "what is the wisest thing to do?" And the Wicked Witch of the West represents the thing you most need to overcome personally through this decision. What do you think?

How to Fake Authenticity!

2009-05-11T13:23:00.003+10:00

What does it mean to be Authentic? Sure, I can be honest with myself and with others when life is going along swimmingly. But when I'm feeling out of my depth, or uncertain about the future, or when I want a particular outcome to occur, then I find my old "default" patterns coming back. I rationalize, I procrastinate, I disconnect. How "authentic" am I then? Perhaps authenticity is simply knowing what it's like to be fully human. And more importantly, letting go of the “don’t you know who I am!” pretentiousness, and beginning to really notice and pay attention to what’s happening for other people, even beneath their sometimes petty jealousies, sarcasms, negativity, and personal agendas.

Following in the Footsteps

2009-04-21T15:54:00.005+10:00

Knowing where you've been is just as important as knowing where you're going. I've had cause to reflect on the notion of birthright and genetic heritage following my father's 80th Birthday last weekend. It's not so much a case of where do we come from as who do we come from! Tracing your family heritage is a fascinating insight into the threads of DNA that inform your perceptions and judgements today. It's inescapable. We are - all of us - locked in to a particular strata of time and space. But we are also linked to surprising treasures from the past, just as we have the capacity to weave our stories of tomorrow. There is a reflective wisdom in viewing yourself as the outcome of many lives lived by family ancestors, don't you think?

Star Trek

2009-04-18T07:10:00.006+10:00

"It's a recession Jim, but not as we know it!' This low demand environment is not from another galaxy. It's probably the "new normal". So where to from here? I've been reflecting on intention lately. Everything starts with an intention and nothing can proceed without it. But intention carries both a force and a direction - it's a vector. For any decision we carry competing intentional vectors. The resultant vector dictates what actually happens rather than what we wish to happen. The key is to get very clear about your intentions, both positive and negative, so you can better align with what you choose. This will increase the probability of seeing the means to achieve that choice.

The Big Shock

2009-04-14T10:06:00.004+10:00

Listening to Professor Warwick McKibbin at the Wednesday Lunch at the Lowy Institute last week I was struck by how the GFC can be understood as an "underlying debilitating disease" with the first symptoms dating back to 1997. Professor McKibbin stepped through the "major shocks" from the Asia Crisis (1997/98) through to the collapse of Lehman Brothers in late 2008. But the truly "Big Shock" has been a "synchronized loss of confidence". And now the number one policy for government agencies around the world is to "instill confidence!" Makes you realize how fragile we are doesn't it? You can read more at: www.sensiblepolicy.com

Beached!

2009-04-03T16:46:00.004+11:00

The GFC. How far is the "tide going out", and when will it come back? Sobering statistics at the Australia China Business Council meeting I attended last night. Some Chinese constructions firms have seen demand go down to 20% (not down BY 20%, but down TO 20%)! The Chinese have never experienced a recession and they're worried. The view was put that such a dramatic fall in demand will take years to return, if ever. We have just entered a new era of low demand. This is the new normal. The tide has gone out and perhaps we won't see it come back, at least not to the same level it was before.

Wisdom in Buddhism

2009-04-01T09:07:00.004+11:00

We hosted breakfast yesterday with Ven Robina Courtin, an Australian Buddhist Nun with a fiery inquisitiveness and a laser intelligence! Ven Robina is also the founder of the Liberation Prison Project, based in San Francisco. What is wisdom, I asked? It is the clarity of mind that comes from removing delusion, she said. All our anger, frustration and panic that arise when "attachment doesn't get what it wants" are delusions of the "I". When we begin to notice these attachments and practice separating from them, then we begin to see what's going on around us more clearly. Wisdom-in-action is simply evidence of this. We all have the capacity for wisdom, although each of us will demonstrate varying wisdom-ability. It depends on how much inner work we have done "removing the pollution from the water"!

End of the World

2009-03-27T09:53:00.007+11:00

"Graham Dyer's Newsletter" from February 2009 chortles that he predicted "the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression" and "you ain't seen nothin' yet". There are always people predicting "the end of the world as we know it" and eventually they'll be proved right. But 2009 could be a little premature. And while this has the potential for being a particularly nasty recession, life will go on.

Resilience

2009-03-13T13:12:00.003+11:00

Resilience means to jump back to the original shape after compression. From the Latin re-salire 'jump'

At the Melbourne Business School's Sydney Alumni Dinner last night, John Hartigan, Australian CEO of News Limited, spoke about the need for "character" in difficult times. I think he would have agreed that resiliency is an important aspect of character.

How do you build such a character? I think it derives form core values, experience of 'jumping' back from failure, ability to tolerate complexity, willingness to imagine the future, and courage to take action. In short, wisdom!

The Wisdom of Politics

2009-03-10T09:24:00.006+11:00

Billionaire Warren Buffett says the US economy could recover in five years, likening the current battle against prolonged recession as a Pearl Harbour-like situation during World War II.

Buffett, who heads the holding company Berkshire Hathaway, said the Federal Reserve's "prompt and wise action" had prevented the situation from "getting even worse" as the central bank cut interest rates to virtually zero and took other steps to reign in turmoil.

Asked about the poor economic recovery and plunging inflation, he said "it will depend on the wisdom of government's politics".

So, how do public officials enact wisdom in these difficult times? And, perhaps more importantly, how do those same officials protect against folly in decision making?

Wisdom Research

2009-03-09T11:28:00.005+11:00

I've been following the "Highlights of Wisdom Research" from the University of Chicago since it was set up last year. You can subscribe by sending an email to: wisdom@uchicago.edu

As expected, the focus is pretty much on the philosophy of wisdom. What I'm vitally interested in is how to create an experience of practical wisdom, particularly for leaders of public and private enterprises. I want them to come away from a one-day workshop with profound insights into how they confront dilemmas, and some working templates to apply in making wise(r) decisions.

Now is surely the best time to explore wisdom at work, in the Global Financial Crisis/Obama era of integrity management!

Gloom

2009-03-07T07:20:00.007+11:00

My favourite social commentator, whimsical cartoonist and poet, Michael Leunig published a "Guide to the Glooms" in the Sydney Morning Herald Weekend Edition, February 28 - March 1, 2009:
Common House Gloom: "a popular and reliable gloom imported from England".
"The Bad Blanket": "a creeping nocturnal gloom causing insomnia and paralysis".
"The Brown Banana": "a cocooning gloom causing a curved downcast stoop".
"The Slug": "a slow, heavy, dragging sort of gloom".
"The Double Mattress": "an unwieldy, exhausting gloom for two".
"The Grey Constellation": "a group of frightening glooms in orbit around a person in a spin".

Phronetic Leadership

2009-03-03T14:30:00.010+11:00

Frenetic or Phronetic?

Phronesis (Prudence, Practical Wisdom):
* A virtuous habit of making decisions and taking actions that serve the common good.
* A capability to find a “right answer” in particular context.
* Deliberate reasoning and improvisation which synthesizes particulars and universals.
* Can be acquired only through high quality direct experiences.

Coaching for Wisdom

2009-03-02T19:43:00.007+11:00

Coaching is an intentional dialogue between a leader in an organization and a coach who uses a wide variety of behavioural techniques and methods to shape a journey from one place of identity and meaning to another place, from which the leader can more wisely manage their own life and the life of the organizations they serve.

I use an intentional process in coaching sessions to elicit wisdom-thinking, wisdom-decision making and wisdom-performance, which I call the “FORMat” model of coaching for wisdom.

The highest purpose for coaching in troubled times must be to make the leader’s implicit wisdom resources more explicit and to help them shape those resources into a personal “compass” to make wise decisions in the service of a common good!

Enhancing Wisdom

2009-03-02T19:36:00.007+11:00

There are three ways in which wisdom-performance may be enhanced:
(1) Life experience
(2) Teaching skills and ways of thinking, and
(3) Short-term interventions.

Coaching is a deliberate intervention to move the client along “the path of progressive development” toward some higher level of functioning as a person, and particularly as a leader, for the achievement of agreed goals. Coaching questions intentionally activate the individual’s conceptions of personal wisdom depending on their developmental preparedness, their level of engagement with the coach, and the particular outcomes expected of the coaching assignment.

The Berlin Wisdom Paradigm

2009-03-02T19:17:00.008+11:00

At the Max Planck Institute for Human Development and Education in Berlin, wisdom is defined as “expert-level knowledge in the fundamental pragmatics of life”. They described five dimensions of wisdom-related knowledge:
(1) rich factual knowledge: general and specific knowledge about the conditions of life and its variations;
(2) rich procedural knowledge: general and specific knowledge about strategies of judgment and advice concerning matters of life;
(3) life-span contextualism: knowledge about the contents of life and their temporal (developmental) relations;
(4) value relativism: knowledge about differences in values, goals, and priorities; and
(5) uncertainty: knowledge about the relative indeterminancy and unpredictability of life and ways to manage it.

Wisdom as Personality

2009-03-02T16:49:00.007+11:00

Who is wise? Recognizing wisdom in others presumes that there are characteristics that reside within the person.

Associate Professor Monica Ardelt (2003) measures wisdom by assessing the attributes and personality characteristics of wise individuals. She identifies the simultaneous presence of three dimensions of personality as both necessary and sufficient for a person to be considered wise:
(1) the cognitive dimension: a desire to know the truth and attain a deeper understanding of life, including knowledge and acceptance of the positive and negative aspects of human nature, of the inherent limits of knowledge, and of life’s unpredictability and uncertainties;
(2) the reflective component: self-examination, self-awareness, self-insight and the ability to look at phenomena and events from different perspectives; and
(3) the affective component: sympathetic and compassionate love for others.

Wisdom as Balance

2009-03-02T16:45:00.007+11:00

Wisdom decision making is all about balance, in knowing what to do on what task in what situation and against what timeframe. From the PACE (Psychology of Abilities, Competencies, and Expertise) Center at Yale University, Bob Sternberg (2005) has defined wisdom as “in large part a decision to use one’s intelligence, creativity, and experience for a common good”.

Wise leadership involves synthesizing intelligence (academic, and practical/tacit), creativity (skills and attitudes), and wisdom (balancing interests and responses, moderated by values, in pursuit of a common good) to achieve wise outcomes for all possible stakeholders.

Wisdom as a Pathway

2009-03-02T16:41:00.005+11:00

Richard Kilburg (2006) makes the claim that wisdom in leadership, particularly in executives of large commercial and government enterprises, is a special case. Taking a lead from the Berlin wisdom paradigm he defines executive wisdom as “an expert system in the fundamental pragmatics of organized human life” (Kilburg, 2006).

Executive wisdom emerges as a result of discernment (a combination of rational and intuitive perception), decision making (time frame, perspective and planning), and action (implementation) linked dynamically and interactively with each other through experience, feedback, and evaluation.

Investment Decisions

2009-03-02T16:39:00.006+11:00

It’s the Scare-Market crash! What are you invested in? Before you think of asset class, think of which emotions you’re most heavily invested in right now.

Barbara Fredrickson, a social psychology professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has found that people who experience positive emotions show heightened levels of creativity, inventiveness, and “big picture” perceptual focus.

Importantly, the return on investment in positive emotions is that you relax back to physiological baseline after stress much faster than those invested in negative emotions. In short, you live longer!

Changeable You

2009-03-02T16:33:00.006+11:00

Bob Kegan, Professor of Adult Learning and Professional Development at Harvard University and Co-Director for the Change Leadership Group, suggests any intentional shift from our old identity (X) to a new identity (Y) takes 6 steps:
1. X is the old way of being - familiar, comfortable, acceptable.
2. But then we get a sense that there’s “something else out there for me”, even if we don’t quite know what that is yet. This step is represented as X(y).
3. As we develop a clearer sense of what we want (Y) we begin to feel anxious about what we’re leaving behind (X). “What if I can’t do it? What if it’s not real?” This is represented as X/Y.
4. Then we get excited about the change. “I wish I could be more (Y)”. Yet there’s still a fear of loss of the old way of being. This step is represented as Y/X.
5. The next step is a deliberate declaration of the new identity represented as Y(x). We avoid people we used to associate with at X. We become resistant to criticism. “I love it here and I won’t be pulled back!” Yet there’s still __baggage__ from the previous identity (x).
6. Finally, at Y we fully embrace the new sense of self. “This is a new life - a second chance!”