I used to start all my presentations, seminars and clinics with a statement of gratitude. I thanked the group for the opportunity talk because it gave me an chance to reflect on my thoughts, feelings, knowledge and experience since the last time I spoke on that topic. I was always amazed at how much I learned in the in-between times. It didn’t seem to matter if it had been a week or a month or a year. There was always a new revelation, insight, or nugget of knowledge.
As I have become busier, I stopped that practice. I don’t know exactly when and I don’t know why. All I know is that it popped into my awareness this week as I was preparing for the Emotions in the Arena clinic.
I have been reading a book recommended by my friend Mike Simmons called “Look Again: The power of noticing what was always there.” Funny enough it opened my eyes to an amazingly important and powerful piece of the ways we can overcome fear and anxiety. It is a piece that I have always know and has been hiding in plain sight. I just had not noticed it. My new awareness of the powerful impact of habituation, both positive and negative, was incredibly exciting to me and will be an important part of what I present in future clinics.
One of the blessings of this realization is that is was just a starting point. It ignited in me a reflective curiosity that I used to experience all the time. A curiosity that energized the question, “What have I learned and how have I grown?” We talk about “best practices” all of the time. We usually are referring to the best way to do a job like teaching or training. I am inspired to think about “best practices” as those practices which bring out the best in myself.
I will start Emotions in the Arena a week from Monday with a statement of gratitude, simply because the opportunity to prepare and teach this course is and has been an opportunity to connect and continue to create my best self.
What are your best practices? ~ Paul
I used to start all my presentations, seminars and clinics with a statement of gratitude. I thanked the group for the opportunity talk because it gave me an chance to reflect on my thoughts, feelings, knowledge and experience since the last time I spoke on that topic. I was always amazed at how much I learned in the in-between times. It didn’t seem to matter if it had been a week or a month or a year. There was always a new revelation, insight, or nugget of knowledge.
As I have become busier, I stopped that practice. I don’t know exactly when and I don’t know why. All I know is that it popped into my awareness this week as I was preparing for the Emotions in the Arena clinic.
I have been reading a book recommended by my friend Mike Simmons called “Look Again: The power of noticing what was always there.” Funny enough it opened my eyes to an amazingly important and powerful piece of the ways we can overcome fear and anxiety. It is a piece that I have always know and has been hiding in plain sight. I just had not noticed it. My new awareness of the powerful impact of habituation, both positive and negative, was incredibly exciting to me and will be an important part of what I present in future clinics.
One of the blessings of this realization is that is was just a starting point. It ignited in me a reflective curiosity that I used to experience all the time. A curiosity that energized the question, “What have I learned and how have I grown?” We talk about “best practices” all of the time. We usually are referring to the best way to do a job like teaching or training. I am inspired to think about “best practices” as those practices which bring out the best in myself.
I will start Emotions in the Arena a week from Monday with a statement of gratitude, simply because the opportunity to prepare and teach this course is and has been an opportunity to connect and continue to create my best self.
What are your best practices? ~ Paul
