I presented a one-day workshop last week. The participants were all psychologists. A new group of people for me. To be frank, before I presented I felt a tad intimidated. However, the day went well... I think. At this event, I garnered some lessons, insights and epiphanies. Here's a selection from these from the day:
Change/goals: The reason I'm focused on making changes first and less concerned about goal creation, is because once we acknowledge that we need/want to change the first thing we need to do is take an action. A goal is either a plan, or desired result. Making a change can occur almost immediately, either intellectually, emotionally, or physically. Because goals are either an aspiration, or a projection into the future, they are less immediate. Change can be put into action far more expediently.
Clean language: Experts in this arena, tell us that less is more. Furthermore, they add that we need to continually ask appropriate questions; have an opinion, yet never be opinionated. Also, maintain an optimistic view of life, even when not in the frame of mind to do so. In short, clean language is about being super vigilant about the way we articulate, how we communicate verbally, and that we continually hone our verbal skills.
Sacrifice: I firmly believe that making sacrifices is necessary, when endeavoring to become successful. Whether in business, being a parent, perhaps becoming a successful human being, sacrifices are an essential part of the mix. It's more than delaying gratification, because it entails giving something up in order to achieve... "Great achievement is usually born of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness." -- Napoleon Hill. Mr Hill's quote resonates with me, because I personally find it to be accurate.
Leading questions/good questions: For me, a good question is underpinned by a healthy curiosity and good intentions. I find leading questions have a specific agenda/motive, they're more suggestive. Good questions are more open, therefore, a good question might be: "How is your mother"? You are genuinely interested, yet know that this is a good way to connect with this individual. And if one is an entrepreneur/self employed, making a connection is imperative. In short, a good question tends to be on the softer side of questioning. It's about thinking us, not just me. "What people think of as the moment of discovery is really the discovery of the question." -- Jonas Salk
Emotion/passion: For me, the difference between conveying emotion and passion is the effect it has on others. For instance, one suddenly feels a wave of joy and wants to share this positive emotion with a colleague. However, the colleague is in the middle of writing an important proposal, therefore, would not appreciate the interruption. So, by managing our emotions, we learn to choose the appropriate times to share positive emotions. Passion, in business, in my experience, is a desire to encourage buy-in. Perhaps to include others into your belief system. In my opinion, emotional behavior tends to be all about us: exclusive. While passion: inclusive, is all about us.