Attitude- You Get to Be Right

I was recently facilitating a FISH! for Schools session for 100 staff and educators and one person said, “this is great, but it just won’t work because we don’t have the support.” Legitimate concern from someone experiencing a change.  An obstacle. A roadblock.  You might even say resistance.

My response was, “You know what, you get to be right.”

That’s the funny thing with attitude.  We DO get to be right – each and every time.  If you believe it “won’t work” and “we don’t have support” you will undoubtedly find 59 ways between now and tomorrow to reinforce your point of view. And then, yep, you get to be right.

The same thing works if you said, “This is really easy, I can see how this fits.”  And yep, you too get to be right.  You will also find 59 ways to reinforce your belief.  That’s the crazy thing about our beliefs we will work really hard to prove ourselves right.

I’m not asking you to be pollyanna.  Just be USEFUL.  Is what you have chosen useful?  If yes – keep it.  If no, choose again.

Whichever attitude we choose to wear, there is going to be great comfort in that.  It’s like your favorite sweatshirt, it feels so good. The best thing about attitudes, is we can change it – just like that sweatshirt.

Try it out.  Today, choose to believe your day is going to really hard, rough and tough.  Just for the next couple hours, see how many times that can be reinforced.  Then just before your breaking point, CHOOSE to believe that the rest of your day is going to an absolute piece of cake, everything is going your way, and it’s really effortless.  And then, just be aware.  (a good clue is going to be watching all the traffic lights greet you with the bright glow of green!).

What will you choose?

ps…you’ll get to be right!

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How do you learn?

A while back, this question was posted on LinkedIn and I shared the following”

“I need to be totally engaged! For me this is about setting goals in the beginning of any learning program – classroom, self help CDs I listen to in my car – What do I truly want from this experience. I need to engage not just my mind, but the body. Get up moving. Try it out. Experiment. Run around – if applicable. Lastly, I need a group or cohort. Someone to bounce ideas off of, learn from and challenge my thoughts on ideas. This is key for me – both as a learner and facilitator. I believe the CONTENT of learning is created by the participants. With this belief, as a facilitator, I try to model what I need and encourage others to tell me what they need. This is where the juicy content and learning emerge. And then…it sticks!”

How do you learn?  What engages you?

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Make The Difference Break

I facilitated a workshop today for 200 teachers and administrators in PA using the FISH for Schools curriculum.  Teaching educators how to engage students in a way that makes them feel safe, involved, and ready to learn.

During the mid-afternoon break – I called this the Make The Difference break and set the intention for the next 15 minutes.  The intention was that everyone would be able to enter the room and in some way, shape or fashion would have had their day made.  I let the group know I was going to ask them when they came back from the Make The Difference break who was able to have their day made.

This was going to take ACTION. The kind of simple action that literally can change the way you and I think about things.  It’s the kind of action – that also heightens our awareness to the very presence of noticing and being aware.  So for the next 15 minutes educators and administrators buzzed about.  This was different.  I could feel something happening.  I felt the energy shift, but I didn’t know if the intention could be realized.

When people came back in the room.  I asked them to stand up if there day had been made, if someone engaged them differently over this break than before, did someone notice and make an effort with you.  And – really, to my surprise as this was the first time I tried this exercise -  200 people rose to their feet.

200 people decided to act. When I asked, “what occurred?”  one participant stood up and said I decided I was going to make the difference for people.  And it happened. By a simple decision to CHOOSE.

And 200 people noticed a difference that was made – in just 15 minutes.  Can you imagine the impact this can have on a district of kids?  Can you imagine the impact this can have on us all? And it stemmed from a simple CHOICE.

Take your own Make The Difference break today.  See what happens. Create that intention for you and those around you.  What do you have to lose?

Better yet, what do you have to gain!

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Improv 2 Improve

Yesterday afternoon I got the chance to work with a group on Creativity. Spending Friday afternoon learning tools and methods for idea generation and evaluation. Seems like heavy lifting for late in the week. One of the concepts I discussed was the idea of adding Improv into the workplace. 

Using Improv in our daily lives to improve can be as easy as a set up to a very skilled comedian.  I find the more I can practice the skills of saying, “Yes, and” the better off I am of being more creative and productive in life.  Adding the every popular, “Yes, and” vs. the “Yeah, BUT.”  But stops the story every time. It doesn’t allow for idea generation or creativity. 

Here’s how you start:

Suspend your judgment.  

Easier said than done?  Not really if you are focused on truly listening to what is being said.  

Approach the conversation with a “build on” attitude.  

New ideas start with just a single thought, great ideas take that down the road a bit and build on it.  

Don’t let it end.  

Open yourself and your language up to discovering multiple options and possibilities.  Practice by saying, “Yes, and!” Catch yourself – or just note when others blurt out – “but.” 

Take it further now:

  • What in your life can benefit from a little Improv? 
  • Where have you said, “Yeah, but” in your life? 
  • What would be the benefit of giving this a little “Yes, and” approach the next time around?
  • What new things could you discover if you let yourself?

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