Jul 21 2011

Choosing Courage!

Business and personal

                   

courage come in as many

                     

different packages as there

                         

are people on Earth

                                      

 To decide to live (personal or business) instead of to die takes courage. Being brave enough to step up conscious effort far surpasses the alternative of choosing to give up, give in, quit. Choosing death (personal or business) takes no inner strength, no conviction, no belief, no sense of self-worth, no guts. Yet both choices have their advocates, don’t they?

~~~~~~~~

 

I know many who have chosen life over death in spite of suffering:  and they are my heroes —  all of them!

I have unfortunately also known some who have simply chosen to die rather than fight to live and face the reality of their fantasies. We are rarely aware of these poor souls living among us in our work settings, neighborhoods, and families… until they bring us great sadness! 

How –after all— do we assess someone’s gumption? Isn’t gumption a (if not the) key attribute of courage?

Maybe we’re not consciousness-raised enough to tune in to others’ plights, or perhaps it’s just too overwhelming to think about? One need not be a shrink in order to sift through some obvious clues. Great amounts of ongoing, chronic, pain can often be a quit-life sign. Overall failure to adjust attitude or to respond instead of react are others.

Don’t go running around now trying to psychoanalyze your employees and family. Thoughts presented here are simply meant to trigger some awarenesses and prompt some introspection.

Perhaps the biggest and most dramatic difference between those who choose life over death has to do with whether people live most of their lives in the mentally and emotionally unhealthy “then and there” past, or the “if and when” future, vs. the far healthier and happier conscious stability of “here and now” present moment reality. 

Mental and emotional good health –even with physical suffering– means paying attention to and appreciating every present “what’s happening” moment as much of the time as possible. It means authenticity. It means seeing and hearing and responding to what’s right in front of one’s face. It’s Gestalt.

Do past and present ever come into play? Of course. We’re human.

Gestalt thinking and practice recognizes that past and future indulgences have value when they’re managed from the present. Past memories, for instance, can have a great soothing effect and enormous learning value. Future thinking is essential to survival because we must all plan and schedule.

The trick is to constantly work at keeping focused on the here and now. Generally, the more someone has one foot grounded in the existing real time world, the healthier she or he is apt to be, and the better prepared he or she will be to live (and continually choose to live) a rewarding and meaningful, make-a-difference life. 

How to get to the point of maximizing life requires some major letting go of behaviors that may be comfortable in favor of taking new pathways. And that bit of transition and personal growth takes courage.

                                            

# # #

Hal@Businessworks.US  

  Open minds open doors. 

 Thanks for visiting.

   Make today a GREAT day for someone! 

3 responses so far

Apr 09 2009

ENTREPRENEURS & SELLERS ASK THEMSELVES…

“Is what I am doing right now

                                             

helping me get

                                                                                 

where I want to go?”

                                                                                         

     This is a very Gestalt question in some ways because it prompts a focus on the here-and-now, present, what’s-happening moment that’s right smack in front of your face (…which mentally and emotionally, is the healthiest place your mind can be!).

     In other ways, though, it may seem too futuristic a focus for Gestalt purists because it could be construed to be entertaining or spotlighting the destination or finish line instead of the here-and-now journey. 

     But no matter how you philosophize it, the bottom line is that the question works!

     In fact, the more often you consider this question, the greater its impact. Of course, you are the only one who can answer it. And it should probably go without saying that it can only be as effective as you are honest with yourself. But what will prompt you to ask yourself in the first place?

     If it’s not beneath you, or too contrived, or too childish, there really and truly is no better way than to plaster your life with it. Print it out in different sizes and colors with different fonts. [If you’re the artistic type, try different shapes and illustrations to go with the words–a clock, a goalpost, a stack of money, a portrayal of you as the boss, or physically fit, or in perfect health, or whatever result you seek.]

     Next, tape the different versions to your bathroom mirror, your closet shelf, the inside of your refrigerator, your dashboard or sunvisor. Put a small version on your watchband or watchface frame, your rearview mirror, inside your wallet or pocketbook, inside your briefcase, on your TV screen frame and remote control, on your computer monitor, as a screen-saver . . . anyplace you will see it during the day . . . and leave these question prompts up for three weeks.

     Take them down in 21 days, when you will hopefully no longer need them (at least if and until you find yourself drifting back into wasteful behavior patterns: dwelling too much on the past, for example, which is over and you can do nothing about anyway, or worrying too much about the future which hasn’t come yet, and may never anyway!).

     This brings us back to the journey. It is more fun and healthier all-around to be tuned in to where you are instead of where you expect to end, but that doesn’t mean you should gloss over your goals. Always keep them (your goals) on the horizon you aim for, but pay closest attention to each step you take–as you take it–instead of tripping over your own feet while you become preoccupied fixing your gaze on the distant target.

     My question: Is whatever you are doing right now helping you get where you want to go? Your answer?

Good Night and God Bless You!  halalpiar     

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