Finding meaning and purpose in daily life
Introspective Topics in Under Five Minutes!
We have the ability to create higher levels of potential and experience in all aspects of our lives. That higher potential leads to the ability to resolve problems and appreciate more of living. What areas of your life need to develop? How?
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finding meaning and purpose in daily life
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Each of our different communities are headed back to school in the next few weeks. In whatever form that may take, it is going to be a big transition. Anxiety is increasing as we get closer to this change.
A friend who is a school administrator related his experience of heading back to school last week after being away since March. Even without the students there yet, he found himself exhausted heading home that afternoon. The thought occurred to me that we will ALL be exhausted at the end of each day as schools try and find their rhythm. Having not been in this cadence since March, and given all of the new challenges, it is taking a lot of effort just to get to where we stand today.
I have a few requests.
Pay attention. Pay attention to your own fatigue and the tiredness of those around you. We are all going to be worn out.
Be patient. Even if you don’t have school-aged children, we are all going to be impacted by the next few weeks.
Be grateful. There aren’t any clear decisions about what is the best way to educate during a pandemic. Try and show some gratitude to the teachers, administrators, staff, and students who are doing their best to move forward.
Thank you to those who have the courage to keep moving during all of this uncertainty. Thank you to those who care, serve, and teach our children at all levels. I wish you the best of luck in the coming weeks. May you have a successful school year. – www.rhoadscoaching.thinkific.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
Introspective Topics in Under Five Minutes!
Brene Brown says we are hard-wired for connection. It is part of our purpose to be connected to others and the world. By not connecting to those around us we are not fulfilling our purpose. In our current environment, how are you staying connected?
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finding meaning and purpose in daily life
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Introspective Topics in Under Five Minutes!
Sometimes we get so focused on the next project, or the current crisis, we lose sight of the big picture, which can make things worse. The key to long term growth and development is a whole person approach to living.
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finding meaning and purpose in daily life
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Want a simple way to develop physical, emotional, and spiritual health? Take a walk! It doesn’t matter how fast or far!
Clearly there has been a lot going on in our lives lately. There has been a lot change and there is a lot to keep track of. Anxiety keeps creeping in. There have been lots of opportunities to get outside and to exercise. Are you including walking in that?
Taking a walk is different that jogging or riding the bike. There is us time to reflect. It is easier to see the world going by. It gives us a chance to slow down a bit.
There are significant benefits to making a habit of walking! Even just a few minutes of walking each day reduces joint pain and stress. It is the simplest, least expensive way to improve our physical and emotional health.
What will it take to make a habit of going for a daily walk? I dare you to not take your phone or music! – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
Introspective Topics in Under Five Minutes!
There is an old parable describing being human in relation to a driver, horse, & carriage. We have to have our head, heart, and body present in good working order to be fully human. Which part(s) need to be developed in you?
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finding meaning and purpose in daily life
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Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Befuddled Coachman Podcast!
Introspective Topics in Under Five Minutes!
In these brief podcasts we will take a look at personal development through a wide variety of topics. Our hope is you will find a different way of looking at the world and new ways of growing yourself into a more authentic person!
All in under five minutes!
Hosted by Rhoads Life Coaching, LLC
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
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What’s your favorite movie? Better yet, WHY is it your favorite? The answer says a lot about who you are. It can be used as a mirror to learn more about yourself and to continue to develop who you are becoming.
I’ve written in the past about Owning Your Story and the idea of a Psychological Mirror. The question of your favorite movie combines these two ideas into an introspective look at how you see yourself. Have you taken the time to ask yourself WHY you enjoy your favorite movie so much?
Is it the hero/heroine you resonate with? Do the cast of characters relate to each other in a way that means something to you? Can you see your own story in the plot? Every movie has a conflict. Something happens and the characters must develop in order to overcome obstacles. We see ourselves in their struggles!
So how is this a useful tool for you? By paying attention to what we like and dislike in our favorite movies we understand more about ourselves. This understanding offers an opportunity to do something different in our own lives.
If I can see myself in the character on the screen, then a piece of the character also exists in me. What if you empowered that character inside you to lead you into your next adventure? How would you appear different in the world? – www.rhoadscoaching.thinkific.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
I’m a little late to the game. I recently discovered Malcom Gladwell’s podcast, “Revisionist History“. In Season 4 he spends three episodes re-discovering the Jesuit decision making tool of casuistry.
As a methods of moral decision making, casuistry was misused in the 18th and 19th centuries by rationalizing and excusing any behavior. That is not my intent (nor was it Gladwell’s) in bringing it forward today. It was originally developed as a way of seeing the individual and their problems in a novel dilemma.
Casuistry asks for a pause and a drilling down into the details of a problem. It is intended for use in circumstances that haven’t been experienced before. First, stop and investigate the details before applying a broad principle to a decision. It asks for a “decent into the particulars”. Something we don’t do very often in our fast-paced lives.
Most importantly casuistry asks us to listen to the details “free of disordered detachments”; without preconceived biases. What would it take for you to listen in our current environment without bias? Maybe that is part of the problem!
Finally, casuistry looks for previous examples that compare to the current new scenario in order to assist with making a decision. The request is for the decision to take into account the combined information.
My request is to consider using casuistry as a tool. Where are you applying broad principles and skipping over the details? Where are you entering into a conversation with your biases front and center? Given some of the new challenges we face in our families, businesses, and communities right now, it might be worth a try. – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
We swim in a culture of comparison. It is so much a part of who we are we don’t even know we are doing it. It is like the air we breath. In order to know where we are in terms of our identity and success, we automatically compare ourselves to those around us. It is how we calibrate.
This comparison is a trap. Either we compare ourselves to those who are less than us in order to feel better. Or we compare ourselves to our idealized version of whatever it is we are trying to measure. Note that I didn’t say, compare ourselves to those better than us. Comparison can be healthy in terms of competition, but rarely do we ever compare ourselves to someone at our own level where it is possible to complete. We compare ourselves to the imagined best. And we end up being “never enough”.
So where do you compare yourself to others? It might be easier to list where you don’t compare. Is it the better job? Or size of house? The marriage/relationship? Their hair? Where they went to school? The team they root for?
The trap in our comparison culture is that it spirals out of control into judgement. ANYTHING you can do to reduce comparison to others is an automatic decrease in stress, envy, jealousy, and conflict. Where is the easiest place for your to start? – www.rhoadscoaching.thinkific.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life