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A symphony of tools for creating peace, order and connectedness in daily life...

Issue #8 by Viveca Monahan

For Joy, who always knows what to do..

IN THIS ISSUE: Freedom is the unfettered ability to think one's own thoughts.

• IDEA: Since we choose our thoughts; we can choose to change them.
• TOOL: Discovery and Intention Statements can help you find the "mud" in your thinking glass, and lead you to a whole new vessel.
• RESOURCES: Help for creative problem-solving.

IDEA: Since we choose our thoughts, we can choose to change them.

There was a time many years ago when her sole purpose in life was to "be liked". Everything she did revolved around that one all-important mission. She organized her life around it. It drove her relationships, her attitudes, her morals, her ethics. And still, she never felt fulfilled. How could she when her purpose in life depended on something outside her own conscience or control? Since she never could be certain that someone liked her, She was always uncomfortable, anxious and self-conscious. It was as though everything in her life, including its treasures, poured into a bottomless glass. Whatever goodness may have flowed in, flowed out the bottom, landing with a muddy splash at her feet.

The years passed. Offers to create a false bottom for her glass were eagerly accepted, enabling her to hold her life together and feel worthy and needed. Even so, her sense of discomfort and anxiousness grew. Her glass was full yet she could not drink, for now the mud was in the glass. She could have put it down and walked away.

And one day she did.

TOOL: Discovery and Intention Statements can help you find the "mud" in your thinking glass, and lead you to a whole new vessel.

When something is bothering you, and you can't put your finger on what it is, trust yourself. You are always right. This technique will help you discover the incongruency and set you on an empowered course.

1. Get away from the noise and the haste, where you can be alone with yourself for an extended period of time. (At least 2 hours). Bring your journal or some paper and a comfortable pen. Or, if you prefer to type, and have privacy at your computer, go there.

2. Discovery: Ask yourself "What is bothering me?", and let it all out on the paper. Don't hold anything back. Include all the facts and tell the truth about them. Note your mental pictures and your negative images, describing them in detail. Notice your physical sensations. When you think you're done, ask if there's more. You will know. Keep processing until you feel you've exposed everything.

3. Once you discover and articulate the challenge, continue your discovery by asking "What do I want?" What are the possibilities?

4. Intention: After reviewing your discoveries, create intentions for what you plan to do about the situation. Where are you willing to risk? What if you did nothing? Who can help you? Create small tasks you can accomplish quickly to give yourself momentum. What can you do today?

5. Continue writing intentions until you feel confident that you are able to climb out of the uncertainty.

RESOURCES: Help for creative problem-solving.

• Becoming A Master Student, by Dave Ellis, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1994 College survival tools, techniques, ideas and suggestions for success
• A Whack on the Side of the Head, Roger von Oech . Overcoming mental blocks to unleash the full potential of your mind.
• Change Your Life and Everyone In It, by Michele Weiner-Davis

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