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How Do You Stay Connected to Yourself?

November 26, 2010 by Liz Leave a Comment

When Your Head Says Yes, But Your Heart Says No

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When we’re born, our hearts are fully wired to our brains. I’m sure of that. We cry when we’re hungry. We cry when we’re mad. Then we learn about things like “good behavior,” and “inside voices.” Then our brains start thinking about where, when, and how to follow our feelings and when, where, and how to over-rule them.

Figuring out the which is what and where is a complicated burden, so for many of us it becomes easier to choose one — usually the brain — as the default. How many times have you heard someone say, “Use your head. What were you thinking?” Or we might choose a brain default for business and a heart default for social situations.

Seriously, that’s a dis-connection. It’s as if we turn off part of our input and output systems most of the time we’re living.

Inner conflict like that can leave us with no certain direction and huge pent up emotion.
It’s hard to take action when you don’t where you’re going.

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What if we re-connected ourselves to rewire our brains to our hearts — our thoughts to our feelings? It’s not such an outrageous idea. Getting out of our heads to consider situations often gives us perspective into the other people we’re seeing, how they might be feeling, even when to listen.

Being too much in our heads puts our focus on the work not the people doing it, on the product or service not the people who will use it. Being too much in our hearts gets us lost in a labyrinth of feelings without the ability to see clarity of logical reasoning.

But together head and heart can fill out the picture with meaning.

When you’re overthinking, ask yourself what makes me feel this is so important?
When you’re filled with huge feelings, ask yourself why you’re so emotionally invested?
Then check in with your hands and your feet to see which direction they seem to be recommending.

Don’t respond or react until you’ve rewired, reconnected, and rebalanced your view of the situation.

How do you stay connected to yourself?

–ME “Liz” Strauss
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Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, connection, direction, head, heart, integration, LinkedIn

Blog Wisdom from Tim Draayer

March 2, 2008 by Liz 2 Comments

I agree

Find those moments.

Go after them with everything you have. Never mind the fact that you’re scared. Who isn’t? Those moments are the precursor to learning new things. Without learning you cannot grow. And without growth you cannot truly live. —Without the OS!M there is no Personal Development, Leadership OR Growth in Business

We live in moments.

We steal a glimpse, touch a hand, say a word, catch a breath . . . share our lives in moments.

Would want to live without being alive?

Find those moments. Go after them, just as he said.

Yep, we’ve all got lots of moments waiting.

Why are waiting for moments to come to us?

Liz's Signature

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog wisdom, direction, Ive-been-thinking

Decision or Choice: Is the Difference Stealing Your Focus and Your Time?

February 28, 2008 by Liz Leave a Comment

Possibilities and Direction

insideout logo

You walk into an ice cream store. So many flavors sit in the case before you. You consider or you know right away. You place your order.

You have a meeting with your boss only to find out that the job you love is likely to be gone in six months. You have an opportunity to take a higher position in another state or you can stay in the city you love with a fair certainty that your job is going away.

One is a choice. The other is a decision.

One is about possibilities. The other is about direction.

Decision or Choice

Whether we’re thinking about sending a child to private school, where to go on holiday, or buying office supplies, every day we opt for one thing over another. Sometimes we’re choosing. Sometimes we’re deciding. Doing one when the other is called for can get in our way.

Do you know the difference between a choice and a decision? Consider what the words mean and how that might apply to your business and your life.

The Definitions [via Answers.com ]

  • A choice is a selection from a number or variety of options.
  • A decision is reaching a conclusion or passing judgment on an issue.

The Etymology — History of the Words [via Merriam-Webster Online,]

  • Choose — Etymology: Middle English chosen, from Old English cÄ“osan; akin to Old High German kiosan to choose, Latin gustare to taste
  • Decide — Middle English, from Latin decidere, literally, to cut off, from de- + caedere to cut

Synonyms [via Thesaurus.com]

  • Choose — (definition select) — accept, adopt, appoint, call for, cast, co-opt, commit oneself, crave, cull, decide on, designate, desire, determine, discriminate between, draw lots, elect, embrace, espouse, excerpt, extract, fancy, favor, finger, fix on, glean, judge, love, make choice, make decision, name, opt for, predestine, prefer, see fit, separate, set aside, settle upon, sift out, single out, slot, sort, tab, tag, take, take up, tap, want, weigh, will, winnow, wish, wish for
  • Decide — (definition determine) adjudge, adjudicate, agree, award, call shots*, choose, cinch, clinch, commit oneself, conclude, conjecture, decree, determine, elect, end, establish, figure, fix upon, form opinion, gather, guess, judge, mediate, opt, pick, poll, purpose, reach decision, resolve, rule, select, set, surmise, tap, vote, will

When we choose, it’s like picking an item from a menu. If we come back the next time, we can make another choice. But a decision, cuts off — kills — other options. By its very definiton a decision is a turning point.

Is the Difference Stealing Your Focus and Your Time?

Decisions and choices build our character, form our life path. They’re the sum and substance of what makes our resume and our business success. Even so, what is a decision or a choice for you, me, or anyone is, in itself, a decision or a choice.

How we handle decisions and choices deeply affects our lives.

  • Do you angst over every choice as a life-changing decision? Take a look at what you’re investing — time, energy, stress — and what you’re investing in.
  • Do you avoid clear decisions by treating them like choices? Take a look at the options you’re holding onto and how they’re holding you in place.

Those two mistakes steal time and focus and often generate stress.

The difference is fairly simple.
A decision marks a direction.
A choice marks an option until we return to choose again.

How will you use this information?

It’s your decision . . . or your choice.

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

Related:
When Is Being Good Not Good for Business?
7 Ways to Carve a Path to the Future of Your Dreams
How to Know If You’ve Lost Track of Your Vision

Filed Under: Business Life, Inside-Out Thinking, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, Choices, decisions, direction, focus, Inside-Out Thinking, life path, Liz, possibility, vision

Blog Wisdom from Karen Lynch

February 11, 2008 by Liz Leave a Comment

I agree

Other people have accomplished what I want to do. Not all of those people had talent or credentials. And surely they also started somewhere. They weren’t born into it. They had to follow a path just like everyone else. They found a way. I can find a way too. — Karen Lynch, Hold the Vision – Dare to Dream

We can find a way too.

Everyone gets to pick their own destination.

Liz's Signature

Filed Under: Motivation, Successful Blog Tagged With: bc, blog wisdom, direction, Ive-been-thinking

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