Seems to be a theme for me the past couple of weeks but the power of music has really blasted me in the gut...in a good way. My car had some recent problems with the fuel pump so I had to take it in earlier in the week to get it fixed. Guess they tend to wear out when you have a car with 199,385 miles on it (did I mention I am the only owner and its a 2002?). I have an iPod cord that hooks into my deck and I am constantly listening to it when I drive. Now that I have a 50 mile commute everyday to work and back i have appreciated my over 2000 songs even more. So when I had to take my car into the shop and was driving my wife's car which is sans radio (someone broke into it two weeks ago and stole everything out of it) I found myself missing my music.
The more I thought about it and the music on my iPod the more I realized that I had some stuff on there that was duplicated, of poor quality because I "borrowed" it from a file sharing site, or that the name of the song/artist was misspelled and so forth. So I spent some time in my iTunes cleaning everything up so when I got my car back my music experience would be even better. Needless to say it was and I am even more aware of just how powerful music can be whether it is driving on the freeway, singing in the shower, or worshipping God with my praise band.
So am I to look at my fuel pump going out and costing me hundreds of dollars as a blessing? Hmmmmm..........
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Wk 4 Comment on Sarah Hodge's Blog
The example of the boss not listening to changing the perspective to a more positive one taught me a very important lesson. I love this example and part of the book because it teaches us to be problem solvers. Instead of carrying the attitude, “should’ve, could’ve, would’ve,” we become enlightened as to asking ourselves “Where do I go from here?” I believe there is an appropriate time to evaluate past experiences and mistakes as to not repeat them again. However, the problem comes when we start dwelling on them so much, that we lose our focus on what happens next. We get so stuck in the past, that we forget the here and now and the possibilities of what can happen next in the future.
“Love is neither about self-determination nor sacrifice. It is a context in which two people build the life they want together” (Zander & Zander, 2000, p.158). I learned this lesson a while back. I think this can relate to all types of relationships whether with a spouse, a friend, or a family member. The great thing about relationships is the opportunity to serve and care for someone more than you do about yourself. It is not a burden and does not feel like a sacrifice because bringing them happiness also instills in you that same feeling. Joy comes from serving them and doing things to make them happy. When you have two people doing that for each other, you have an extremely happy relationship. This isn’t an easy thing to do, but working at it is part of the building process. And through the may experiences, you get wonderful results.
Sarah -
I completely agree with your statement that "the problem comes when we start dwelling on them so much that we lose our focus on what happens next". Too many times I have found myself focusing on my past failures to the point that it makes it hard for me to forgive myself and move on even though I know better. I don't do it often, however often enough that your first paragraph resonated with me a lot.
I always find it funny when people say that relationships are a 50/50 split in everything. I believe that it should be 100/100 because if you are constantly doing things for the other person and they are doing the same then happiness is a result no matter what. Just like you said though this is not an easy thing to do but the results will speak for themselves. Nice post miss Sarah
“Love is neither about self-determination nor sacrifice. It is a context in which two people build the life they want together” (Zander & Zander, 2000, p.158). I learned this lesson a while back. I think this can relate to all types of relationships whether with a spouse, a friend, or a family member. The great thing about relationships is the opportunity to serve and care for someone more than you do about yourself. It is not a burden and does not feel like a sacrifice because bringing them happiness also instills in you that same feeling. Joy comes from serving them and doing things to make them happy. When you have two people doing that for each other, you have an extremely happy relationship. This isn’t an easy thing to do, but working at it is part of the building process. And through the may experiences, you get wonderful results.
Sarah -
I completely agree with your statement that "the problem comes when we start dwelling on them so much that we lose our focus on what happens next". Too many times I have found myself focusing on my past failures to the point that it makes it hard for me to forgive myself and move on even though I know better. I don't do it often, however often enough that your first paragraph resonated with me a lot.
I always find it funny when people say that relationships are a 50/50 split in everything. I believe that it should be 100/100 because if you are constantly doing things for the other person and they are doing the same then happiness is a result no matter what. Just like you said though this is not an easy thing to do but the results will speak for themselves. Nice post miss Sarah
Wk 4 Comment on Abbie Toy's Blog
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous-
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
-Marianne Williamson
I found this quote in Ch. 11 (Frameworks for Possibility) in our textbook, and it opened up a world of possibility for me! I have so much fear in my life (which I mentioned in the discussion boards for this week) and this quote identifies the fear, reminds me I am a child of God, and encourages me to be myself without fear!
Abbie -
It takes a lot to talk about your fears especially on blogs and discussion boards so for you to do that is really cool. The quote you used reminded me of a MercyMe song entitled "Who am I" with a portion of the lyrics basically saying who am I that you would care to know my name that its not because of what I have done but who You are that makes me. Keep facing your fears head on with the strength of Him and charge forward with reckless hope and trust.
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us. It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same."
-Marianne Williamson
I found this quote in Ch. 11 (Frameworks for Possibility) in our textbook, and it opened up a world of possibility for me! I have so much fear in my life (which I mentioned in the discussion boards for this week) and this quote identifies the fear, reminds me I am a child of God, and encourages me to be myself without fear!
Abbie -
It takes a lot to talk about your fears especially on blogs and discussion boards so for you to do that is really cool. The quote you used reminded me of a MercyMe song entitled "Who am I" with a portion of the lyrics basically saying who am I that you would care to know my name that its not because of what I have done but who You are that makes me. Keep facing your fears head on with the strength of Him and charge forward with reckless hope and trust.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Wk 4 Reading - Art of Possibility Ch 10-12
The one constant with this book is it's ability to make me agree and disagree with it usually within the same paragraph and the last three chapters were no exception. The chapter on "being the board" was so far out there with what I considered random thoughts it was hard to figure out where it was going. When it finally did make sense I was so appalled at what it was implying that I wanted to call up the Zanders mysef and ask them if they really live their lives this way. For instance, "gracing yourself with responsibility for everything that happens in your life leaves your spirit whole, and leaves you free to choose again" goes against everything I believe in. Grace is a gift from someone else that you don't deserve but is freely given anyways and any notion of being able to "grace yourself" goes against the very meaning. Another example is "give yourself the power to transform your experience of any unwatned condition into one with which you care to live" is just another way of saying that it is all up to you and your power to create the truth and world around you. I wholeheartedly disagree with this statement and what it implies. I believe the Creator has the power and it is up to us to find ways to understand how awesome it is and how He intends to use us for His purpose. In the words of the band MercyMe, "how refreshing to know You don't need us, how amazing to find that You want us".
Then all of a sudden the book switches gears and I find myself getting past my appall-ed-ness and start to nod my head again. The story of the youth orchestra in Brazil is a great example of how using common sense and allowing kids to view things from a different persepective rather than being punished equals better behavior. As good teachers and parents we all know this to be true. The more you discipline the wrongs without praising the rights turns into unhappy kids with no motivation to do anything but that which will not get them in trouble. Kids are smart, they know when they screw up, and one of the best ways for them to learn is not to punish them to an extreme but rather allow them to figure out how to fix it. There is nothing worse than teaching seniors in high school (or now adults) who have had someone else tell them how to fix everything and have no concept of how to do it on their own.
I appreciate this book for what it was and I am glad it was part of the assigned reading for this course. I plan on using some of the ideas and concepts to help better myself but at the same time understand that my true meaning and purpose do not lie within me but in the grace of Someone else.
Then all of a sudden the book switches gears and I find myself getting past my appall-ed-ness and start to nod my head again. The story of the youth orchestra in Brazil is a great example of how using common sense and allowing kids to view things from a different persepective rather than being punished equals better behavior. As good teachers and parents we all know this to be true. The more you discipline the wrongs without praising the rights turns into unhappy kids with no motivation to do anything but that which will not get them in trouble. Kids are smart, they know when they screw up, and one of the best ways for them to learn is not to punish them to an extreme but rather allow them to figure out how to fix it. There is nothing worse than teaching seniors in high school (or now adults) who have had someone else tell them how to fix everything and have no concept of how to do it on their own.
I appreciate this book for what it was and I am glad it was part of the assigned reading for this course. I plan on using some of the ideas and concepts to help better myself but at the same time understand that my true meaning and purpose do not lie within me but in the grace of Someone else.
Wk 4 Publishing and Leadership Project 3/3
After looking at more opportunities to present my Keynote I have narrowed it down to the top two. My first choice would be to be able to present it for the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) at one of the many state and national conferences they hold each month. I attended the national conference in Chicago this past May and I have to say that I was not impressed with the presentations. The material was great, the resources were sound, the subject matter experts (SMEs) were very knowledgeable however they were attacking it with a business mind instead of a teaching mind. So I would love to show them how you can create trainings for businesses with a teacher's mind and show them the difference. My second choice is the E-Learn conference for Corporations, Government, Healthcare, and Higher Education. The conference that is being held in Orlando just completed its submission so I would have to wait until the 2011 in the spring but I feel it would be a good place to present because of the healthcare side of things. I look forward to actually going through this process in month 12 and it would be pretty cool to say the least if I was actually able to present this in front of a larger audience.
Wk 4 Publishing and Leadership Project 2/3
So after looking more at the option of writing and presenting I have definitely decided that a presentation is in order. That being written, I have completed my Keynote slides and notes I am excited to present my rough draft in front of my classmates and JBB. The question now is where do I want to submit my idea for a conference? I looked at the options provided by JBB and one of them has some definite promise. The E-LEARN 2010 - World Conference on E-Learning in Corporate, Government, Healthcare & Higher Education looks like an arena that would fit well with what my company does. I realize that my lesson on Excel isn't necessarily healthcare related but since my company is a behavioral health provider I thought it might be a great way to network and see what else is out there. Plus, if they have demos of software and what not that we could use for out expansion it would be worthwhile. It looks like that is the front runner for right now but will keep you posted.
Wk 4 Publishing and Leadership Project 1/3
I feel my AR site is well put together so I am interested to see what the powers-at-be feel about it. I had no idea that they wanted us to be able to submit this for publication/presenting so I am nervous but excited for the opportunity at the same time. Initially I am leaning towards presenting because I feel the project I choose along with my skill set lends itself to being better suited for a presentation. I didn't realize how much I had to create for the last week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)