Title: Why We Laugh
Featured: Sophie Scott Publication Date: 2015 TED Description: "Did you know that you're 30 times more likely to laugh if you're with somebody else than if you're alone? Cognitive neuroscientist Sophie Scott shares this and other surprising facts about laughter in this fast-paced, action-packed and, yes, hilarious dash through the science of cracking up." Primary Role Set (n.) - In Role Theory, the 5 to 8 people you spend the most time with are referred to as your primary role set. These 5-8 people fulfill set roles in your life and you fulfill a set role in theirs. These roles can be consciously or unconsciously chosen.
This week's practice is something you already know and have heard hundreds of times. The difficulty is that though you may hear it constantly, your understanding of it may be quite surface. When you hear people say, "The person you have the most conflict with is your best teacher," you will agree. Most people do. But how is that informing your practice? Have you reached the point where you see conflict and difficult people as the key to your growth or do you still see these things as obstacles? When you tell stories of conflict does your retelling paint you as innocent and describe the other person as completely in the wrong? Title: Stress: Portrait of a Killer
Featured: John Heminway Publication Date: 2008 Selection Reason: This documentary examines how our sense of personal control and our feelings of choice impact our stress levels. When bad things come, when we have to deal with difficulty, or sometimes just difficult people how does the power dynamic impact the effects? More importantly, what can we do about it? He looked at me with that stare that said he was clearly questioning whether or not I could do the task he had just asked me to do. He paused and then said, “So, walk me through how you plan on doing this one.” I walked him through it, he added a few things, and I was off to the races to get things done. This interaction could have gone the way of micromanagement very easily but it didn’t. With adults, and I would argue even with children, we have to respect people’s prior knowledge. Assuming people already know upfront what they need to do and how to do it is the most respectful way to go. We can certainly ask to be sure but asking first wins us the respect that simply telling does not. Title: University of the Arts Commencement Speech
Featured: Neil Gaiman Publication Date: 2012 Synopsis: Neil Gaiman talks about launching into the world without a career plan. He, instead, just had an extensive list of the things he wanted to do in this life. Goal setting and career goals aren't always what we think they should be. Often times, it's a matter of aiming toward what we want, doing the work, trusting life, and learning to pay attention to the signs that help us along. Back on Week 1, you covered how to start a gratitude practice. Gratitude increases patience and also helps to retrain negative thinking toward the positive. Every thought you think is like putting a seed in the soil. Your focus and attention waters each seed with your attention. As you focus more on the positive, you are watering those seeds, which then become plants, and over time they grow larger and larger. As you stop watering the seeds of negativity, those plants slowly begin to wither and die away. Summer is rapidly approaching and many of us remember back to our summer reading lists. Why not embrace that idea again as an adult? Check out some newer titles and some of the more established staples in the mindfulness and emotional intelligence world to keep your knowledge and abilities growing during the summer months.
Title: Ultimate Love and Passion (Katie Courac interview)
Featured: Dr. Gary Chapman Publication Date: 2014 Synopsis: A primer for understanding the very basics that different people need to be shown love in different ways. It's also a glimpse into seeing how you most need to be shown acceptance and care. Baby Steps (n.) - Baby Steps are the smallest movement you can take to move forward toward a goal. Often when a goal is selected, it can be difficult to stick with it because the interim steps set to achieve the goal are too large. If the goal is really wanted but no movement is occurring, the steps to get there need to be broken down more and more to become smaller and smaller -- and, thus, more achievable. |
My Writing and Other Resources for StudentsA growing collection of writing and other resources for students to use to continue their growth.
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