Videos Worth Watching

After writing last week how writing can be really difficult for me when I am looking for a result or a specific impact, I remembered this video and how it has appealed to me in many ways. So I thought I’d share it here with you and just be curious what it does for you…

Here’s what it did for me:
First, I find this song energizing and I like listening to the music. I feel like getting up and moving my body.
Then, what a cool idea to play together on one guitar! Creating all the sounds from voices and one instrument. I would not have thought so many people can actually gather around just one little instrument. I can feel how my need for physical space is screaming that I wouldn’t be able to do this… Also their faces and the way they bring in their different pieces just appeals to my weird sense of humor. And then I think how cool that guy on the right is… would be the worst role for me: having to wait for most of the song to play my 3 notes and not miss the moment.

I’m imagining how much fun it was to create this piece and how much precision it takes to make this look fun and easy. I usually get carried away by their very own interpretation of the music and the imaginative way of playing it together. I laugh and the next moments of my day certainly have a new lightness.

You know what – just watch them. There are many more cover songs by Walk off the Earth on youtube…

This was my start into my day today when I sat down in front of my laptop. What a beautiful reminder of what should really count, of what I want to give my attention to.

In this moment, when we get ready for some endings and new beginnings, for holidays with family, it is helpful advice: focus on what really matters to you. Rather than giving attention to the perfect decoration, the perfect food, the most exquisite presents, why not think about the moments we spend together? What we want to say, what we want to feel and what we want each other to know and to remember…

For me, the practice will be to carefully look at how much I want to really get done before 2018 starts. I will be with my family and my clients… and maybe not write, certainly not plan. I will however make sure that every day when we are off includes some time with “just me” and some time with “just us, family”. No program, no action, just room to let creativity build our day.

 

Enjoy just being!

I’m still struggling with this…to simply and plainly enjoy what’s happening right now. I’ve been seeking intense moments for most of my life, intense work mostly, intense movement, intense anger, intense ambition.

What I realized only recently is that the intensity provided me with some kind of “noise” that covered the more quiet and deep emotions. And why would I do this if I seek intensity? I started seeing that being quiet and accessing those deeper levels was somehow uncomfortable, almost like forbidden terrain.

I like how in this little video (from 1:30), Brené Brown describes how scary joy can be. That we get terrified because what we love or enjoy so much can be taken away any moment and we would like to be prepared for that loss. And it makes a lot of sense to me, after all those years of upholding the myth of being strong and self-sufficient.

I’m looking forward to putting my armor down more and more, to practice gratitude every day and enjoy life!

How about you? What is your way of muting joy? And: what are you really grateful for today?

Has this ever happened to you? So hilarious if others do it… Watch this little video by Brené Brown and see how with blaming we can spoil our relationships – and our lives.

Isn’t it just so liberating to know exactly who’s guilty when something bad happens? To be able to blame someone will help us release our anger and prevent us from feeling the pain…

And, blaming also prevents us from learning in those situations. If it’s someone’s fault then why work on changing things or doing things differently? What is an uncomfortable truth that I do not have to face thanks to blaming and raging? And, what story do I not hear when I only listen for “the guilty” or “the root of the problem” in order to find the quick fix solution?

What I found relieving about stopping to blame others, circumstances or the weather for my misery is that I discovered how much I actually can influence by myself. That I don’t have to go into victim mode and that I’m able to be in charge of my life. I can be stuck in traffic and decide that there’s something I can do in my car other than complain, I can activate my strengths and creativity to overcome a difficulty, which often exists only in my head anyway.

So, what are situations in which you feel like blaming? What could you do instead?

… different from sympathy.

OK, I am a huge fan of Brené Brown and the practical wisdom that she extracts from her research on shame. Her books have accompanied my learning journey and they also accompany my clients in certain situations. She’s a rich source for practices and insights, over and over again.

Now, I just stumbled over this little animation video by her on empathy and how it is different from sympathy.

In times, where “being empathic” is an increasingly important criterion in leadership and social life, it’s a beautiful reminder how empathy really  looks like and feels like and how difficult it is to give, as we have to connect with our own sometimes difficult emotions or experiences.

In short, by being empathic, you dig into your own painful stuff and what you can gain is true connection in your interactions. I think it’s worth it!

and… there’s more to come on this site on Brené’s work!