How do you view prejudice in your life and the world around you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
“Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.”
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.”
“Dogs bark at those they do not know.”
Image from Unsplash by Steve Johnson
Many people live their lives going in circles.
Like a revolving door to one of those fancy hotels in a big city, if we don’t exit at some point we keep going around and around.
How often do you take new roads and go through secret gates?
Where are you both looking and stepping around the corners of your world to discover new wonderful places around the bend?
What may be stopping you from going beyond your safe, well-worn paths?
EXERCISE:
How would a bit more “Hobbiting” in your life lead you to new and wonderful places?
What adventures may await you!
Image from Unsplash by Kyle Glenn
It’s pretty common at this point in the year for people to continue wishing each other a happy new year. I feel comfortable doing so even into early February.
As the days after the winter solstice become slightly longer and we pine for an early spring, many of us hope that 2023 will be a better and brighter year.
What were some of the most significant decisions you made in 2022?
How did they influence where you are today and the trajectory of the months ahead?
Perhaps it may be time to head back to school and expand your educational opportunities.
EXERCISE:
Instead of—or in additional to—formal schooling, please be sure to enroll in the “university of you.”
Consider creating your own personal and professional curriculum.
What would you like to learn? Who will be your teachers?
How might the lessons learned help you look more closely at the world and make even better decisions moving forward?
Image from Unsplash by Nick Fewings
I am writing this post in my favorite chair in my upstairs office, with only the sound of my furnace operating in the background. As it kicks off only occasionally due to the recent frigid temperatures, I can now hear the slight sound of the ceiling fan that circulates the warm air.
Although I very much enjoyed the busy holidays with family and friends, I also have a strong desire and need for solitude and silence to regroup and re-balance. These cycles of extroversion and introversion feel like the beating of my heart and the pace of my breathing during and after a workout.
EXERCISE:
How loud and noisy is your life?
How and when do you explore the sounds of silence to discover the hidden messages between notes?
Consider reading or re-reading Susan Cain’s wonderful book—Quiet—for some additional perspective on this topic.
Image from Unsplash by Brett Jordan
No one likes to be criticized and judged. We like the way we are doing our lives and anyone who disapproves is clearly wrong!
Oops! What just happened? How can it be that we, too, may be just as critical of others, and they don’t care for it very much either?
What if instead of blocking this feedback and defending our positions, we simply paused to consider their perspective?
What would happen if we actually looked for the potential value in what was being said?
How might new ways of looking at ourselves create new opportunities for growth and self-improvement?
EXERCISE:
How would slowing down for the seemingly critical speed bumps offered by others make your travel through life smoother?
How might the ideas that are shared actually fit if you “try them on” for size?
If you still find them too tight, loose, itchy, or the wrong color, you can take them off.
How adventurous are you? Here are a few related posts you may have missed.
Tap into a sense of pure possibility. What are your hopes and dreams?
My dad, Martin Demp
In mid-December we had the unveiling of my father’s headstone. With the frigid temperatures at this time of year it was heartwarming to see the family and friends who showed up to honor this wonderful man.
As a person of few words, my dad let his actions set an example for the rest of us. By simply watching him in his roles of loyal son, husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, and friend we were all coached on how we, too, could lead a meaningful life.
EXERCISE:
Who are the good people in your personal and professional communities? In what ways are you living true to their good examples to be on their list if asked?
Image from Unsplash by Jordan Whitfield
Over the past several years, I have discovered and embraced the wisdom of the adage, Less is More. With two young grandchildren the idea of more love for people and less love of things really hits home.
As we add a new year to the mix, life seems to be accelerating. Spending our time and energy to hold on and maintain previously hard-won victories makes less and less sense with the acknowledgement of life’s impermanence.
EXERCISE:
Where is it time to let go of things you previously valued? How can your open hands help you grasp far more of what is even more important at this point in your life?
Image from Unsplash by Aziz Acharki
Where did the concept of moderation go out the window over the holidays? Consider the following list and add some of your own:
Where did getting out of balance present a cost that you regret? Where was the payoff worth it?
EXERCISE:
How and where might you pursue the happiness found in moderation as you settle into the rhythm of the new year?
Image from Unsplash by Andrew Ridley
Where are you headed today, this week, in the new year? Where are you planning to go, and what are you going to do along the way and once you get there?
Like Christopher Columbus and Magellan, how can and will you find new possibilities and potential by embracing the explorer within?
This all sounds exciting! However, many of us are anchored in our seemingly safe and comfortable harbors and rarely set sail toward new horizons.
One of my favorite TV shows is The Amazing Race, in which 12 teams of two travel the globe to experience new places and explore different cultures.
Although many roadblocks are built into their adventures, virtually all participants acknowledge the significant impact of going beyond their own limitations to realize far more of their potential.
EXERCISE:
In what ways can and will you set sail in this new year? What amazing adventures and opportunities might you discover beyond your own personal horizons?
