http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk Formula for Change is cutting edge coaching, designed to help you think your way to achieving your desired changes. en-us Copyright 2009 Helen Noble Epiphany: from the Greek epiphaneia, meaning appearance or manifestation: as in the manifestation of a deity; or an intuitive grasp of reality through something such as a simple and striking event. This ‘tale’ is told through the eyes of Jed, a life sentence prisoner, and is closely based on true life experiences. Danny is a fellow prisoner and spiritual companion; Alisha is the love of Jed’s life and mother of his son. The scene is set within Danny's cell in a high security prison. Danny once asked me if I ever played the drums. I thought he meant a full-on drum kit, so I was a bit surprised when he pulled out his bodhran, a hollow, wooden, circular instrument with some weird design, 'Celtic', Danny called it, covering the smooth skin stretched over its top. He explained that he’d had it for years, since he was a kid, and every time he was transferred to a new jail, it was confiscated by the staff who were overly suspicious of anything out-of –the –ordinary in prisoners’ cells. It had been subject to regular security checks, but he’d managed to hold onto it. Danny started to tap the drum rhythmically; gently and quietly, while I listened. After a while Danny told me to close my eyes and he started to tell me some weird tale. ‘So you’re walking along this path, right? You’ve turned off the road and you’re cutting along some scrubland, heading towards the woods. The sound of the traffic on the road behind you is fading into the distance and the twigs snapping underfoot are the loudest sound you can hear now. You’re sweating as it’s a hot summers’ day and the sun is beating down on the back of your head as you approach the entrance to the woods. A stillness descends around you and you feel welcomed by the cool shade’. By now I’m staring wide –eyed at Danny, who’s still tapping on his drum, eyes closed. ‘Stay with me on this one Jed’, he said in this firm tone, without opening his eyes. I was used to listening to Danny talking for long periods of time, so I relaxed into what he was saying. I remember him telling me to find a hole in the ground somewhere. ‘Use your imagination’ he said still drumming, eyes closed; and I noticed a bead of sweat forming in the crease of his frown. ‘What do you mean?’ I felt uncomfortable. ‘Think of the last time you were in the woods’. ‘What woods? I ain’t been in any woods’. ‘What, never? Not even as a kid?’ ‘Hey man, I was a city kid…born and bred in brick. Danny looked up from beneath his frown with a curious expression, shrugged and proceeded to explain the significance of getting back to nature. He told me about the shaman doctors who healed people by helping them connect with the ancient spirits of the earth, which often appeared in animal form. ‘So this is some religious shit? Listen, man, I ain’t interested…’ ‘Not religious, spiritual. This stuff isn’t about God or Allah or whoever, it’s about connecting with the earth, the place where we’re all from and where we all end up.’ ‘What’s this got to do with me?’ I asked, half interestedly. ‘It’s a quest, a sort-of-journey people take when they want to know the answer to a question’. I didn’t have any questions. Well, there was one thing on my mind. Impulsively I said ‘Ok, let’s do it’. Danny picked up the beat on the drum and ‘guided’ me towards an old tree stump in the midst of a clearing. I was told to look into it. I could see only black, empty space. ‘If you look carefully, you’ll see grooves dug into the sides. Climb down using your hands and feet, as if you’re on a ladder’, Danny instructed me. I closed my eyes and imagined myself reaching for the grooves. I had expected them to feel muddy, as if made of soil, but it felt more as if I was climbing down on the struts of a wooden ladder. ‘Keep climbing’ Danny reminded me as if he sensed my attention wavering, ‘you’re getting there’. All this time I was conscious of the gentle drum beat in the back round. Curiosity was keeping me going. ‘Ok, stop’ Danny banged the drum once and announced ‘you’ve reached a place, where are you?’ I was in a barn, having just climbed down from a hay loft. ‘What can you see? Look around you’, Danny urged. I could see hay, wooden stalls, and the smell… ‘Are there any animals around?’ I could see something moving behind one of the stalls. It was a horse, stamping one hoof and snorting. ‘Go over to it and ask it a question’. I found myself looking into the face of the horse wondering whether or not Ma had heard the promise I had made to her at her funeral. It was like I was tripping. I knew it wasn’t real, but it was happening. I opened the door to the stall and let the horse out into the barn. It was a magnificent creature, strong and serene. As I stroked its chestnut mane, standing tall and elegant, it started to walk towards an opening at the furthest end of the barn. Momentarily blinded by the strength of the sunlight, as the heavy barn door opened, then I could feel myself astride the creature, eyes closed and head down, as she trotted ahead steadily. As the drum beat picked up and the horse broke into a canter, I leaned into the rhythmic lull with my fingers firmly entwined in the horse’s mane. When she slowed I opened my eyes to see a steep grassy incline ahead. I could feel her struggle to carry my weight to the top of the rise, and gripped tightly when she lost her footing on a few occasions, slipping on the smooth grass under hoof. At the summit, I saw we were perched on a dusty ridge, like the spine of the earth stretching out behind and in front of us as far as the eye could see. To the side was a steep, rocky descent into a fast-flowing river below. For me the way forward was obvious, however the horse was pacing restlessly, as if undecided on which direction to take. I knew at this point that I had no control over this creature; I just had to trust it with my fate. Then the fearful pounding of my heart was drowning out the sound of the drum, as I realised we were heading down amongst the loose lying rocks to the river below. I felt angry and frightened of being dragged down this way, however, those feeling were drowned out by the thunder of the hooves and I could only succumb to the relentless pounding and dodging of the missiles the horse was kicking up around us. As we neared the bottom and she started to slow up I sighed in relief at the realisation that I was surviving. Then the sound of scraping hooves, slipping on wet rocks. We were splashing in the shallow water, heading downstream where the river opened out as an estuary into the sea. I slopped about on the back of the horse, as all my constricted muscles had relaxed , my chest leaning over the horse’s head, breathing deeply and slowly. As the waterway widened in front of us, so the horse’s steps faltered fearfully, before grinding to a halt. I shakily dismounted and bent over to look into the deepening water beneath. I could see Alisha’s face. It was smeared with dirt and tears, her soulful brown eyes now black and sunken. She looked so small and helpless; no longer the strong, feisty woman in face off with me that day in court. I closed my eyes in an attempt to escape Alisha’s image and walked, immersing myself in the water. I was wading in, the icy water rising around me, lapping at my chest and the chill closing in around my neck. I felt a pull too strong to resist and could only bow under the pressure. Then with a sudden gasp, I became aware of the need to breathe. I could hear Danny’s strained voice urging me to ‘come back’ and I coughed and spluttered. Then, feeling that I couldn’t get the water out, I panicked. The next thing I knew there were two officers attempting first aid on me. ‘What brought this on?’ I heard one ask in a panic. ‘I thought he was stable on asthma medication’. ‘I bet he’s been dealing it’, snorted the other. ‘Look, he’s drenched in sweat; put a call out o the net for the doctor’ ‘What’s been going on here, Danny?’ (c) Helen Noble 2008, All rights reserved http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=0 Helen Noble Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Are you a convergent thinker? Is it important for you to deduce all the relevant information in order to prove a point, QED? This sort of thinking has its place and serves a valid purpose (such as the development of Western medicine, with all of its benefits ); however as with most things, it also has a ‘down side’. The thought process, by design, is exclusive of apparently extraneous considerations, which could, in theory, result in a decision that wasn’t really intended. Or the process could be used to justify an outcome which was well and truly intended, such as the 1701 Act of Settlement which was designed to exclude anyone of the Catholic Religion from sitting on the throne of the then ‘Great Britain’. It’s effect extended to the actual disempowerment of the vast majority of the people of Ireland, as the act clearly states its intention that ‘the said Crown and government shall from time to time descend to and be enjoyed by such person or persons, being Protestants’. This Act, steeped in religious division and exclusion still sits on the statute books today…unchanged in its wording and implications for over 300 years. Time for a change? So, now cast the net of your minds into the open sea of divergent thinking, described by Guilford* as searching about or going off in different directions. This process of thinking is not goal orientated and so free to explore new directions. Jamison* notes that divergent thinking is in essence, fluid, rapid and flexible; with a heightened ability to merge ideas and thoughts which appear to have no conventional connection. Potentially exciting… with the ‘down side’ being that such thinking is highly characteristic of the high or ‘manic’ thinking experienced during bi-polar behaviour (more on the links between creative thinking and mood disorder later). However, divergent or ‘out of the box’ thinking is how the abhorrent African slave trade was abolished by the same parliamentary process one hundred or so years later. Although the high profile campaigning is rightfully credited to William Wilberforce, it was James Stephen, a skilled lawyer specializing in the laws governing Great Britain's foreign trade, who’s divergent thinking led to great change. The text of his book titled ‘War in disguise; or, the frauds of the neutral Flags’ eventually led to the wording of the legislation which effectively abolished the slave trade, where more direct approaches had previously failed. Currently, the developing divergent or creative thinking forms part of the rehabilitation programmes for recidivist offenders within the US and UK, in anattempt to enable prisoners to break their cycle of offending. The message is very simple and direct – diverge to emerge. *Guilford, J.P. (1950). Creativity. American Psychologist, 5, 444-454. ** Kay Jamison ‘An Unquiet Mind’ 1995 http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=1 Helen Noble Thu, 11 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Create your own future; visualise whatever you desire, live in the now and imagine how it will feel when you are living your dream. This is the ‘secret’ to living the life you want whilst you are here in human form on planet earth. Creation, visualisation and momentary awareness are all skills which can be learned and successfully put into practice. As noted by Gilbert * it is the emotional component which causes us difficulties and perhaps serves to hijack the whole process – we are not so good at predicting how a future event will make us feel, especially if it is a situation that is completely novel to us. So how to improve insight into and understanding of our emotional behaviour and its implications? A consideration of emotional intelligence might be a good place to start. As intellectual achievement is linked to IQ scores; happiness and success in all areas of life have been linked to EQ. Emotional intelligence is comprised of a set of skills which are critical for the creation and maintaining of positive, successful relationships. Research has endeavoured to describe the way the brain processes emotions – which, it has been discovered, is similar in nature to the way it processes ideas. The same brain functions that can be seen in intellectual intelligence also apply to emotions, in that there is the equivalent process of interpretation, analysis, reflection, and decision making that occurs on the intellectual plane. Damasio**, amongst others, stresses the importance of one small part of the limbic system of the brain- an almond-shaped cluster called the amygdala in the processing of emotions. He believes that the amygdala can be likened to a ‘storehouse’ of emotional reactions. As he explains it, people without access to or understanding of this storehouse are rather like explorers without a compass or a map; they can spot alternative routes, but they have no idea how to evaluate and therefore make effective use of them. Hence the rise of the Emotional intelligence movement. The early Emotional Intelligence theory was originally developed during the 1970's and 80's by the work and writings of psychologists Gardner, Salovey and Mayer. Whilst a more recent behavioural model of EQ rose to prominence courtesy of Daniel Goldman*** For an accessible and positively human approach to understanding and developing your EQ, check out the information at: http://www.6seconds.org *‘Stumbllng on Happiness’, 2007 **’Descarte’s’ Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human brain’, 1994 *** ‘Emotional intelligence’ 1995 http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=2 Helen Noble Sun, 7 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT So what can you do when you’re feeling besieged by life; by the demands of work and home life; when it starts to feel as if things are beyond your control? Take a break? If that’s a possibility, great! If not, what next? With the many and varied responsibilities we juggle; and the many guises in which we perform our differing duties, what is a viable option to leaving it all behind for a while? And is leaving it all behind for a while really such a satisfactory solution…? Will a radical shift in the nature and extent of your personal and/or professional responsibilities have magically occurred whilst you were away? How much of your holiday or break time was actually spent with you mulling over what could/should be happening at the office/business/at home? Or what you intend to do to improve things when you get back… You can take the body out of the working environment and place it somewhere comfortable, maybe warm and sunny; however the mind can still choose to reside in the dustiest files at the back of the filing cabinet. The urge to text your colleagues may be too compelling, even if the e-mail option has been well and truly excluded. So you find yourself somewhere new, exciting, maybe sipping some exotic cocktail – but your mind is wandering along the corridors of responsibilities; headed directly for that all too familiar door marked ‘urgent priorities’. This is how we are. Simply ‘switching off’ is not a realistic option for many of us. Even if we make a conscious effort to turn our mind to other things, the old, ingrained, routine thinking will rise to prominence at some point and reclaim our conscious attention. If we dissect the elements of the benefits of taking a break, we might conclude that what we really value and appreciate is the momentary release from the perceived constraints of our daily existence; the xistence that we create, to varying degrees, for ourselves. Apart from the obvious, non-negotiable time constraints such as office opening hours; public transport timetables; and nature of our duties or responsibilities, we have scope to fashion the style of our lives. Once we have grasped that concept and accepted the responsibility, then the balance of power has shifted in our favour. We can choose whether or not to incorporate the beneficial aspects of a holiday into our daily routine. Allowing ourselves just a moment’s peace and reflection in the midst of the mayhem, can serve to boost our inner levels of resilience. Breaking out from the time- honoured perspective in a situation can allow a whole new vantage point to become apparent, and new options to become available. Think of it as something akin to taking a gentle stroll in the fresh air and discovering beautiful new scenery. However, if this sounds rather idyllic and perhaps fanciful, and not anything that you are likely to engage with then it’s worth thinking about what it is that works for you. For a ‘scientific’ perspective on this notion of resilience it might be useful to consider it as the property of a material to absorb energy when it is elastically deflated, and then, upon up or re-loading to recover the previous level of energy. Essentially, resilience is the maximum energy per volume that can be stored. Acknowledging that the ‘yield’ stress is the point at which the plasticity of a material begins to deflate or deform; and that once the ‘yield’ point has been passed, then it is inevitable that some degree of the deformation will become permanent, hence precluding the capacity for re-inflation to previous levels. The obvious solution here is to ensure awareness of level of overload is carefully monitored and adjustments made when overload is a pending challenge or threat. Thinking of resilience from a socio-political perspective, it is interesting to note the creation of the Institute of Security and Resilience Studies at University College London, chaired by former cabinet minister John Reid. Here we see the concept of resilience being utilised as part of a government initiative to respond to natural disasters; international events; and acts of terrorism www.ukresilience.co.uk/ For a concise and useful reference as to how you can take practical steps to develop psychological resilience in your life, check out www.apahelpcenter.org/featuredtopics/feature.php?id=6-19k- http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=3 Helen Noble Mon, 1 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT And so the paradigm shifts; the picture is slipping out of it’s old familiar frame; and the old (financial) order is well and truly past its ‘sell by’ date. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all for any economy stabilisation efforts, and can see that the rule of law and democracy still stand strong ... Indeed, one transcendent principle subsists, that which states ‘knowledge is power’. Knowledge, or at least the effective dissemination of it, will still allow you to accrue wealth, status and power. What has changed, is the nature of information that will be viewed as valuable. Take the recently toppled ivory tower of global finance, for example. How much information does the ‘average person’ now have about the workings of the stock markets? I, for one, have learned more jargon and developed more insight into the economic processes since the advent of the current ‘crisis’. I believe that institutions such as finance and law believe they profited from exclusivity; from being a minority in control of information which could benefit the majority. Indeed, psychologists have suggested that our brain has ‘evolved’ largely due the realisation that if we can know what someone else thinks they need, we can gain an advantageous position for ourself by ‘supplying’ it. However, this perspective taking skill can be significantly enhanced with even the most minute degree of empathy, and result in a whole new phenomena. Once the realisation dawns that we all, as humans, experience the same emotional and physical sensations (love and pain), our perceptions and decision making processes are irrevocably altered. This includes our choice to information share, Isn’t it obvious that the more insight and information that people have, the better informed their choices and the benefits for all become more apparent. You may be thinking ‘what about the people who choose to ‘mis-use’ the information? Well, I believe people generally act in such ways out of fear; and it’s fear of such behaviour that prompts people to limit information sharing. However, a lack of insight or information will never prevent someone from choosing to perform an anti-social or destructive act if they so choose. It’s just a lose-lose situation, a negative spiral of a misguided attempt to ‘control’ the actions of others. The use of emotions such as fear, guilt and shame to manipulate the actions of others is an outmoded model of social control, which has only resulted in the creation of greater levels of fear, guilt, shame and one of the most damaging and devastating emotional experiences - isolation. Anyway, any break –down or break- up, is always an opportunity for the creation of new connections; and with that comes new choices. We now have the opportunity to invest our money, and our energy in a positive way; to support people and organisations we can trust to create positive change in our world. Choose to invest wisely. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=4 Helen Noble Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT there’s a way. It’s true! The human will is more than just an abstract psychological construct. Farber (1966) has suggested that the important choices we make in life are not consciously experienced as choices, but can actually only be inferred after the event. This has been expanded upon* by use of the commonly held conception of the will in cognitive terms as a central executive system. If you adopt this approach, then you can view the ‘wilful’ process as responsible for the filtering, organizing and integration of the vast array of feelings, thoughts, desires, needs, goals and expectations that constitute our personalities and inform our life choices. However, due to the limitations of capacity of the conscious mind, the mind must surely, in part, operate on an unconscious level. Have you ever been asked ‘how’ you managed an ongoing responsibility; or achieved something great, against the natural odds for success? If so, it’s possible that you could not provide a full explanation. Perhaps, like me you felt the urge to explore the phenomenon a little further. PSI (personality systems interaction) theory** is an integrative framework that explains personality functioning in terms of the dynamic interplay between cognitive and affective mechanisms. It seeks to explain the nature of personality in terms of human creativity; intuition; sense of self; depression; and volitional action or wilful behaviour. This functional approach offers a precise scientific language for existential concepts such as will, self and intuition. Thus addressing Jung’s assertion that ‘ scientific knowledge…in the eyes of modern man, counts as the only intellectual and spiritual authority’*** this approach can be seen as useful to help overcome the discomfort of rationalist and scientists with the metaphysical models of experience and existence. Although far from a simple formula, the approach acknowledges the complexity of the workings of the human will; highlights the many ways in which healthy will may be frustrated; and seeks to help overcome the obstructive feelings of guilt, anxiety and alienation, without which we stand a much better chance of psychological growth. *Greenberg, Koole and Pyszczynski ‘Handbook of Experimental Existential Psychology’ ** Kuhl (2001) Motivation and personality: personality systems interactions *** Jung (1957) The undiscovered self. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=5 Helen Noble Sun, 5 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT The Legal Services Act, which received Royal Assent on 30th October 2007 and comes fully into force in 2012, reforms the way legal services in England and Wales are regulated and puts the consumer interest at the heart of the regulatory framework. The Act ushers in important opportunities for solicitors to team up with non-lawyers and to attract capital for their businesses in a carefully regulated environment. As a result, the framework of the regulation of legal services will change radically. Stephen Mayson, head of the Legal Policy Institute think tank set up to examine the implications of the Legal Services Act has recently argued in several prominent speeches that the legal services reforms are intended to bring about upheaval and reform in the legal services market and that the forces unleashed could be catalytic. Law firms will need to restructure and possibly refinance to consolidate, to recruit, train and promote sensibly, and to engage in even more sophisticated strategy and management. Mayson predicts that many law firms will be forced to consolidate or go out of business. Some have likened the fallout to the profession to the effects of the big bang on the universe itself…I wouldn’t go that far! Richard Susskind’s new book, ‘The End of Lawyers?’ (subtitled, Rethinking the Nature of Legal Services), points to a future in which the legal profession needs to undergo a significant transformation. According to the book the legal profession will need to react to two market forces: an irresistible pull towards ‘commoditisation’ of legal services; and the ongoing development and uptake of information technology which, it is envisaged, will become increasingly important for cutting costs and delivering legal services to the web generation of consumers. As with all changes, there will be those with the tendency to resist the (inevitable) situation, seeing it as an insurmountable problem; and those who will choose to view the changes as an opportunity and/or a challenge. There is always a choice. Even a choice to do nothing is still a choice. However, in this situation it seems like those who are resisting the changes are resisting the law itself… Have lawyers ever rebelled or revolted? I’ve never heard of a QC’s picket line... Perhaps it’s just the high street legal practitioners who think they are affected? Will the practitioners of the law just cease to function or are they willing (and able) to formulate a new function for success? Interesting times! http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=6 Helen Noble Tue, 16 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT A while back I read Malcolm Gladwell’s ‘The Tipping Point”. At the time it made perfect sense to me, I was able to see how apparently one small act could create a significant change, or shift in social or economic circumstances. It’s a theory that fits in well with my notion that that by taking responsibility for our own actions and lives we are able to bring about changes within the bigger picture; and in time to reframe the situation entirely. It is a useful, empowering concept, or tool, to use within the context of coaching; one that illustrates the significance of networking, of creating and maintaining constructive connections. So there I was trying to create a meaningful and motivating environmental policy for the fledgling legal practice, which is by design conservation conscious; wondering what contribution a local, office based, professional service which already prides itself on its recycling, energy conscious practices, can provide to make a notable difference…when again I stumbled across the term ‘tipping point’, but this time in the context of ecology. http://www.ecotippingpoints.org/ state that: ‘tipping points are levers for restoring sustainability to our imperilled environment. Small actions can make a big difference when they tap the inborn powers of nature and human societies to heal themselves.’ Also an article in the July/August edition of the Ecologist recently explained how: ‘Nature is dynamic. Nature is often non-linear. Nature is complex and interconnected. All of these features can create tipping points’. An example of the ‘runaway chain reaction’ is provided in the incidence of the spread of the virulent pathogen ‘chytrid fungus’ currently in the process of devastating the frog population. This epidemic can easily occur where there is tight coupling of elements in an ecological system. The emergence of an ‘abrupt threshold’ is an example of a non-linear tipping point. Take the collapse of the Atlantic Thermoline Circulation into consideration. The flow of this current is currently being adversely affected by the increase in global temperature, and as a result renders the possibility of Northern Europe becoming locked into a deep freeze at some time in the not- too distant- future. Then there is the interplay of the feedback loops, such as the Amazon rainforest. This natural wonder generates much of its own rainfall, as the dense vegetation quickly recycles moisture and returns it to the atmosphere. However, with the progression of deforestation, less water is vapour is recycled and the advent of cloud and rain declines; which in turn provides for a greater incidence of drought and forest fires. These global perceptions, coupled with local insight helped me to form a template, a basis on which the legal practice can make a difference with seemingly small contributions. We have recently secured a lease of land for a local charitable association who have now successfully reclaimed and regenerated some coastal land to create a natural, healthy, out door facility for local residents and tourists alike. This may just eventuate as a one- off project; or it could act as a catalyst for many more…causing a domino-like effect, raising awareness, highlighting a cause; and rousing others into action. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=7 Helen Noble Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT Last night I watched the last few minutes of TV programme investigating the phenomenon of chimerism. Essentially, this is ‘condition’ where the DNA of different humans or animals in the very early stage of development, merge to form one being. Therefore, it is possible therefore for different organs of the same body to develop from genetically distinct sources. This makes something of a nonsense of our concept of ourselves as discrete, boundaried beings. Although we are still each a unique collection of intelligence arranged in the format of blood, skin, muscle and bones, and we are generally able to trace our historical and cultural heritage; on a deeper and more immediate level we can now appreciate that we are more than the sum of our previously perceived ‘parts’. We may also consist of facets of people we have never met, who will never play any part in our life. This throws a much broader beam along the continuum of DNA research and application. How widely distributed amongst the population is this phenomenon? How accurate are DNA paternity tests? What about the role of DNA evidence in criminal investigations and trials? The outcome of both such situations for the individuals concerned could be radically different from the ‘truth’ of the scenario. People may live their lives in the mistaken belief that they have, or have not, been responsible for something; and others may forever wonder how such a ‘scientific’ result could ‘disprove’ the actuality of a situation. It could go some way to explain the diversity within families; and the diversity within individuals; why some fathers cannot accept ‘their’ children; and why some long-standing prisoners maintain a stance of innocence? So what about the psychological effect on people when this ‘new’ information about themselves surfaces? Surely most would experience an existential wobble at the thought that they are not who they have thought themselves to be all their lives? The psychological ‘sense of self’ is viewed as a strong component in our ability to function on an individual and integrate on a social or collective level. After the initial ‘shock’ perhaps we might be able to reflect on the situation and consider the news from different angles. As with all new perspectives, we can choose to resist changes or we can choose to pick out the positive elements and make them work for us. This must surely be the most useful way forward when we unearth some new information that we need somehow to make sense of before we can resolve the issues raised and continue on our way? http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=8 Helen Noble Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT On first reading this might sound like a banal question, however the psychology behind the notion of ‘favourite’ people is rather more interesting. Recent research reported from Japan* required its participants to select persons whom they found attractive, with the aim of determining whether seeing a favourite person induces positive emotions; and if so, to analyse the psychological and physiological effects, if any, on the individual. The participants reported feeling positive emotions after watching footage of a favourite filmstar; and the ensuing chemical effects monitored in the body, suggests that there were positive influences the functioning of the immune system. The authors claim that this research serves to extend the ‘broaden and build’ theory of positive emotion** which asserts that positive emotions have a powerful energy to expand thinking and consequent action; therefore facilitating the building of personal resources, so boosting resilience, and psychological and physiological health and wellbeing. On the flip side of this issue, is the assertion that the pain of rejection by a loved one or being on the receiving end of an act of social exclusion is more than metaphorical. Brain imaging *** studies have revealed that the brain systems that are activated during such events include an element of physical pain. It is believed that we, as humans, experience the world from a very personal perspective and when reminded of this fact, the ensuing sense of isolation creates a desire to connect with others who we perceive as sharing our subjective experiences. This is termed ‘I sharing’ by an emergent sub-field of psychology, ‘experimental existential psychology’ or XXP****. This discipline believes that such existential concerns play a major role in the lives of most people; and yet are processed somewhere other than in our conscious awareness. In addition to the more traditional existential issues of awareness and fear of death, XXP has sought also to explore other issues in an attempt to shed new light on the human condition, including the phenomenon of personal identity. In XXP terms, the self is viewed as a multiplicity of identities, socially constructed, and with a thread or storyline allowing some sense of coherence throughout the duration of a life. It is also noted that we tend to take ourselves very seriously. Pyszczynski asserts that although taking ourselves less seriously could help us deal with some of the less desirable aspects of our experiences, we are contending with powerful psychological processes which are urging us to become important, significant and heroic. Others have argued that our existential concerns are integral to our (human) nature; and running away from them can cause a myriad of problems. And so contemporary existential thinking has it that confronting our existential angst can prove a source of strength, and assist with psychological growth and well-being. Perhaps this goes some way to explaining why, following the breakdown of a relationship or other personal or social disappointment, we sometimes enjoy a visit to the cinema with a group of like-minded friends, to view the inspirational exploits of an attractive hero/heroine ? *Matsunaga; Yamauchi; Nogimori; Konagaya; and Ohira, ‘Psychological and physiological responses accompanying positive emotions elicited on seeing favourite persons’ The Journal of Positive Psychology, Vol. 3, No 3, July 2008, 192 – 201. **Frederickson, B. L. (2004) ‘The broaden- and- build theory of positive emotions’. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, 359, 1367-1377 *** Eisenberger, N.A., Lieberman, M.D & Williams, K.D. (2003) ‘Does rejection hurt?’ Science, 302, 290-292 ****Greenberg, J., Koole, S. & Pyszczynski, T. [Eds] (2004) ‘Handbook of experimental existential psychology’. New York: Guilford Press. The Psychologist, vol. 21, no.7, July 2008 http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=9 Helen Noble Sun, 6 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT The first commercially viable bionic arm, controlled by the thoughts of the individual to whom it is fitted, is currently featuring in UK news coverage. For you who were watching US or UK TV in the 1970s, the technology envisaged in the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, has now become something of a reality. Indeed the journey into artificial intelligence has proved an enduring one. In recent times, cognitive neuro-psychology has been ‘discovering’ that decision- making is not a purely intellectual endeavour. Now it is widely believed that both rational and emotional factors influence our decisions. Check out the endeavours of www.semaine-project.eu , a multi-million euro project which is seeking to develop emotion recognising computers. Essentially, the concept is to enable the machine to recognise signs of user frustration, boredom or tiredness, by reading your facial expression and responding accordingly… Imagine this, feeling somewhat jaded at the end of a work-heavy week, with the large project laid out in front of you still in need of much attention; and all you can think about is how you can get away from it all during the weekend; when you boot up your machine, as usual, and whilst waiting to click on an icon, a cheery voice chirps up with ‘Hi [Helen], how are you feeling today?’ And this is no pre-recorded gimmick. The voice is waiting for an answer. It’s poised to analyse the intonation in your voice; gauge the relative light or heaviness in your breath; and maybe even identify the slightest hint of sarcasm in your verbal response? What if there is no voice, just the silent scanning of the camera, searching out recognisable emotionally induced facial expressions, as contained within the tell-tale signs of every fold and crease? The project’s authors accord that the computer’s recognition of expression is only as good as the human information contained within the form of algorithms which allow the computer to ‘learn’ the combination of nuances which, in turn, denote ‘normal’ expressions of human emotions. However, humans are notoriously unsuccessful at reading expressions and other forms of body language, for example just consider the amount of research available into the unsuccessful detection of the incidence of lying…And what about the art of false smiling? With the computer be able to detect the deflecting act of putting on a brave face, and beseech the user to come clean with her true feelings? Will the machine be programmed to empathise; and will it ever challenge a stubborn or bored user? What about the user employed by a large corporation who ‘logs’ a high level of negative emotion. What might be his fate on audit? And as to the user who logs a complete lack of emotional response…? Will displays of excessive, inappropriate emotions constitute a breach of the terms of employment? Maybe there will be a test case or two, where the issues of constructive dismissal or the (employer) dreaded discrimination legislation may be put to the ‘test’ in relation to emotional conditions or behaviour? Perhaps the gathered data will form the basis for a longitudinal study into the emotional life of the workforce? Let’s hope it takes account of the fact that higher (than expected) levels of paranoia have been identified in the general public; and that when being watched we tend to behave differently than when we think we are unobserved. How long until we routinely attach electrodes to measure our pulse and sensors to measure bodily secretions? Ok, that might be going too far but, really, can there ever be a true (artificially constructed) reflection of the nature of human emotion? And are we headed towards the attempted creation of artificial emotion? Hmm, smacks somewhat of the Stepford Workplace template to me… What are your thoughts? helen@formulaforchange.co.uk http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=10 Helen Noble Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Look back on your life and the chances are that the things you are good at and enjoy, and the things that you have succeeded at, are one and the same. So why should this come as any surprise? Perhaps that we have been taught to value things other than our innate abilities…or others may have not (yet) recognised our skills and abilities and so we are not sure of them either? It may be that we measure our successes by the standards of others. If so, we are employing a falsely-premised referencing mechanism. The thing is no-one else can know all of the relevant details of our existence and subjective experiences to be in a position to provide a full in-depth and accurate analysis. Some may be able to pitch quite startlingly apt suggestions at us, but really only we have access to the myriad of folders of our memories of thoughts, feelings, images and ideas which make us the unique creatures that we are. That information only becomes known to others if we choose to reveal it though words, pictures, sounds or actions; and/or if we are both highly unaware of, and demonstrative with, our non- verbal communications. The thing is, we create our own memories, by taking all the information available and constructing it in a way that we like, that makes ‘sense’ to us, that suits us! In doing so we write our own story. If we accept that we tend to define others in our lives by the nature of their actions (friends who we eat and drink with; employers/employees/colleagues with whom we discuss work/career issues; peoples of other cultures whose practices of which we have no experience or understanding); and in the process infer that they perform in a certain way because they think or feel a certain way, for example 'she refuses to answer my calls because she's selfish, all wrapped up in herself'; rather than 'she's not returned my calls because she is busy, having many tasks to attend to'; it is useful to consider that in comparison, we tend to define ourselves, and our own existence in terms of external events, such as the demands of our ‘job’; family commitments; our geographical location; current bank balance and such like…. Then, for our story to be more accurately representative of the form of ourselves, it needs also to be written in terms of our own beliefs, thoughts and feelings. After all, these are the agent provocateurs which actually form who we really are, (in terms of ego) and thus how we behave accordingly. On a human level, we can choose the words we use; the images we wish to convey to others ; and the emotions we wish both to feel ourselves and to invoke in others. And as we tend to store somewhat rose tinted memories and have limited ability to predict how we will feel in the 'future'; then an honest appraisal of what we are thinking and how we are feeling right now is a good place to start. And so, with this power, why create a story of anything other than shining success? http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=11 Helen Noble Wed, 4 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT I have been mulling and musing over the concept of momentum lately. It all started when I was exerting myself on the cross trainer and could feel the extra energy ‘around’ me; the force that kept moving me forwards at a seemingly similar pace, even when I put in less effort. According to the laws of physics, P=MV. That is where P is the momentum; M is the mass; and V the velocity. Momentum can be defined as "mass in motion." All objects have mass; so if an object is moving, then it has momentum - it has its mass in motion. The amount of momentum which an object has is dependent upon two variables: how much ‘stuff’ is moving and how fast that ‘stuff’ is moving. So as expressed as above, in terms of an equation, the momentum of an object is equal to the mass of the object times the velocity of the object. Thus, if I wanted to quantify the value of the energy I (or the mass that is ‘me’ ) was producing, or contributing to the production of, I could apply this formula. However, not being too concerned with producing a definitive measure (as if there is ever such a thing?) I started to think more about the theme of energy in general. When approached on my doorstep by two ladies from a local church with strong views about God, human behaviour and the nature of the ‘afterlife’; I found myself once again reducing things to the conceptual level of energy. One of the fundamental tenets of physics is that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one state to another. So how can we ‘die’? What would happen to our energy, the stuff that’s been facilitating our existence, if we suddenly just failed to subsist? Well there seem to be at least three options… • Energy will dissipate from an area of higher energy to one of lower energy, without the input of additional energy. Think about how the hot tea in your mug soon ‘warms up’ the porcelain you have your hands wrapped around; how the colour from a new piece of red clothing tints your favourite white shirt a uniform pink! So is this an explanation of how our human warmth, mood and expression can directly affect the feelings and therefore the actions of others? • For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. This means that as I push the footplate and handles on the cross trainer, during the very act of pushing or exertion, I will also experience being ‘pushed back’. This is the principle at work behind the propulsion of jet planes and rockets, which expel gases in the opposite direction, and are themselves pushed forward in the process. Therefore it would seem that energetic explosions are, in essence, cyclical and reciprocal. Thus if you instigate a change, something will undoubtedly and noticeably occur within your sphere of influence. • The traditional laws of the conservation of energy and of mass state that these phenomena are intimately intertwined and state that, under normal conditions, the total energy of a contained system and the total mass of that contained system will remain constant. However, fairly recently, though observations of a minute loss of total mass in a closed system have been noted, and this has been attributed to the fact that the mass itself had actually changed into energy. This has led to a modification of the laws, which now assert the provision that mass and energy can actually change into each other. So how to translate or interpret this? It serves as a nice reassurance that whilst on the cross trainer I might well be able to burn unwanted fat! But how about the transformation of energy into mass or matter? The transformational power of thought, maybe? http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=12 Helen Noble Wed, 28 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT So we have developed the cognitive ability to think about the future; to make plans for what or how (inaccurately) we think we want our futures to be; but there are huge glitches in the system; so many errors of understanding; flawed assumptions. Imagination cannot easily transcend the boundaries of the present and project into the future, as we need to use our skills of perception, which are deeply rooted in the present! As is our tendency to judge the actions of other people in the past, by own current thinking and principles, as opposed to how we might have been thinking at that time. Think of George Orwell’s 1984, and how life actually transpired during that year; and ask yourself, is our 2010 about to resemble A Space Odyssey? Yet we have this desire to know and to some extent control what happens in the future. We have developed a considerable array of tools in order to help us achieve this; ranging from psychological personality assessments designed to identify current trends and therefore predict future personal choices; astrological charts to provide a map the influence of the energy of transiting planets on our daily lives; scientific, medical research to enable us to treat and eradicate the occurrence and/or proliferation of bacterial and/or viral infections which we consider a threat to the survival of our species. Predictions about the future are made in the present, they are inevitably influenced by the present, for example a declaration of undying love on your wedding may be heartfelt, however, it will be the feelings and thoughts you are experiencing at a later date, for example perhaps when consulting a divorce lawyer, which determine how you act at that point in the proceedings; and certainly not the way you felt on your wedding day. If we routinely and mistakenly attribute feelings, perhaps failing to feel good about an imaginary future as we are busy feeling bad about a current event, and so we mistakenly conclude that we will feel tomorrow as we feel today, ‘ Ill never finish this project on time’, or forever procrastinating in the belief that ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’; ‘my new exercise regime will start on the weekend’; or I’ll go on a diet after the holiday’, in the genuine belief that we will feel more motivated or energised at some point in the future. Is this then a situation of continuing conflict between reality-induced feelings and imagination- induced feelings… a fulcrum at which we uncontrollably pivot? Bernoulli’s theory that what we objectively achieve (e.g. wealth) is not the same as what we subjectively experience when we get it (increased freedom, choices etc); and so the wisdom of any decision could be calculated by multiplying the ‘probability’ that the decision will give us what we want, by the ‘utility’ of getting what we want. In essence, Bernoulli might be interpreted as asserting that when presented with the hundredth red rose, we will not experience the same amount of pleasure as when we initially received the first (of what would we could not know would amount to a hundred) bloom(s). As human behaviour can be largely regarded as habitual, Gilbert suggests that we become immune to the big picture constantly surrounding us, continually adapting and finding that the uniqueness lessens and as such the overall situation becomes less pleasurable for us (think of the disparity in pleasure experienced on receipt of the hundredth rose, in comparison with the joy of the novel or spontaneous situation of the initial rose received). This desensitization to the bigger picture could also go some way to explaining why the catastrophizing approach to global warming issues does not alarm most people into serious preventative action? Gilbert* posits that as we currently stand in the company of six billion or so other interconnected individual humans, we could use the experiences of others to help us to make more accurate and rewarding choices for our futures. Although we tend to define ourselves in terms of differences between us and others, we are in effect, at least as much like others as we are different from them. He suggests that if we want to predict how we will feel about something tomorrow, we could do worse than seek out someone to whom the same thing is happening today and ask them how/what they feel about it. And as we actively seek out the company of people who we regard as much like ourselves, then we have already narrowed the margin of error. He concludes that it is only by endeavouring to understand how things are, how they work, that we can ever hope to achieve greater success in creating a desirable future for ourselves. In looking for explanations, which if found, serve to reduce the emotional impact of an event, we are thus able to tuck them away into satisfactory categories for storage; and in doing so… we can free ourselves up - to progress on to the next conundrum? *’Stumbling on Happiness’, 2007 http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=13 Helen Noble Sun, 4 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT You’ve probably heard them all, how to: ‘create your own reality/ make manifest your dreams/harness the power of intention/ make thoughts become things’; Albert Einstein is widely quoted as believing that ‘Imagination is more important than knowledge’; and more recently the human brain has been described as an ‘anticipation machine’ * So, how did we, as humans learn to preview in our imaginations, events and occurrences which have not yet come to pass? Development of the frontal lobe of the human brain is believed to have occurred sometime in the last 3 million years, forming what we now recognise as our modern, 3 pound brains. The frontal lobe enables human adults with the capacity to consider their own (and others’) extended existence through time. Those without effectively functioning frontal lobes sometimes appear to be living in a permanent state of ‘the present’. Damage to the frontal lobes whether through surgery (in the form of a lobotomy to reduce the incidence of anxiety and depression) or injury, is often seen to interfere with the individual’s ability to plan, or project into the future. However, adults with healthy lobes have, in effect, a ‘time machine’; the ability to ‘journey’ into the future and anticipate how things might look and feel. In contrast, small children cannot say what they want to be when they grow up, or rush themselves when told they are ‘going to be late’, because they have no understanding of the concept of ‘later’. How frustrated I remember feeling when requesting something like a weekend visit to the beach, to receive the habitual adult response of ‘we’ll see!’ ‘We’ll see what? And when?” This was a most unsatisfactory answer to my question or suggestion, although no doubt my parents believed they had successfully and non-committingly dealt with the matter! However, at some point we learn the concept of ‘later’ and start behaving as if we can determine the future events of our lives, by planning and arranging a rosy scenario for ourselves, and sometimes others. Harvard Professor of psychology, Ram Dass, in his classic 1970s text ‘Be Here Now’, states his belief that the key to happiness is to stop thinking about the future, which is primarily achieved by the practice of meditation. Why then does this pose such a challenge? Why does it take years of practice for us to be able to meditate effectively, and how can we ever measure our progress? Daniel Gilbert** asserts that in doing so we are, in effect, battling the very nature of our own highly evolved, frontal lobe functioning. The act of thinking about the future is a source of pleasure. It gives us a sense of control, so assuaging our sense of self-efficacy, which in turn increases our level of happiness. Also Gilbert posits that our fear and anxiety- fuelled thoughts serve to help steer us away from bad choices. So why is it that when we realise that we are in the midst of a happy projection, one we made earlier and stored on the shelf, so to speak, until the time is right, it always feels very different from how we recall imagining it would be? Perhaps you remember the post -exam euphoria you had anticipated following your university ‘finals’, which actually turned out to be just another evening in the regular student haunt, watching the usual suspects drinking too much before dropping their trousers to flash a ‘moonie’…or the birth of your first child, the magic of which quickly dissipates, dropping you onto a treadmill -like routine of changing nappies and preparing of midnight feeds, in-between snatched moments of precious sleep; or that first day of that new job, wearing that new suit, embodying all the empowering status associated with the corporate position, which actually left you feeling over-awed and under -qualified? So how does this mismatch occur…this hiatus between what we imagine and what actually eventuates? Well, the unreliability or fallibility of memory is well documented and now the concept of ‘faulty’ thinking is being applied to the function of imagination. For example, if our memory of feeling happy about something in the past is unreliable in relation to its accuracy, how can we adequately compare our present, let alone our future state of happiness? We all perceive and remember and therefore project our experiences in unique ways. When we attempt to evaluate the apparent experiences of another (for example fame, beauty, success, wealth, famine, tragedy, destitution) we are indulging in an essentially faulty thought process. However their state of experience may appear to us, we have no real concept of how it actually feels for them. Accordingly, when we project ourselves into their ‘shoes’, or seek to import elements of their life into our future existence, in the mistaken belief that those or similar circumstances will make us happy, we are comparing subjective states, filling in the gaps in our knowledge with our fantasies, and therefore can only succeed in drawing faulty conclusions. This is the undoubted result of our human psychological process that ‘combines what our eyes see with what we already think, feel, know, want and believe.*** However, although our brains fill in the gaps with whatever is already encoded in our memory, it appears to ignore other crucial information. For example, as an undergraduate I researched the ‘fear of crime’ for a criminology module. What I discovered was that the least likely’ type of’ person to become the victim of a crime such as personal assault and/or robbery, was an elderly lady living alone. However, when this statistically rare occurrence receives major press coverage, the general public are left with the impression that there is a much greater risk of this type of occurrence and so our ‘fear’ becomes disproportionate to the risk of the event. Gilbert** also asserts that when we consider the distant past or the distant future we tend to express our thoughts in abstract terms, and seek to present them in terms of ‘why’ they occurred or will occur; whereas when dealing with the near past of future, our thinking is more detailed and concrete, expressed more in terms of ‘how’ things happened or are about to happen. Thus it appears that our ability to focus on the ‘now’ is much more detailed and accurate than our ability to project into the past or future. Hmm. More on this to follow, later… *Dennett, D ‘Kinds of Minds’, 1996 **’Stumbling on Happiness’, 2007 ***Kant, I ‘Critique of Pure Reason’ 1781 http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=14 Helen Noble Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Unless you are ultimately financially ‘independent’; or choose not to invest any interest in financial affairs, the looming ‘fear’ of the US ‘credit crunch’ will probably have featured in your thoughts recently. Recent UK news coverage has included reports of the reduction in availability of mortgage products available for prospective property owners, and the word is that, following the lead of the US, the UK property market is facing a severe slump. Economies are essentially cyclical in nature – subject to the processes of expansion and contraction. I remember the last major contraction in the UK property market, it occurred in the early/mid 1990s, when interest rates soared to 15.9%. As a property owner facing increased repayments and a subsequent situation of negative equity at that time, I now find myself some 15 years later still afloat, apparently more financially able and stable, yet still remaining subject to potential economic fluctuations. I have no expertise in economics qualifying me to offer financial advice here, but as with any challenge, (threat, fear, opportunity – however you wish to frame it) I can assert that the only control you can ever hope to exert is on internal, as opposed to external events. Fear is paralysing. The fear of something is also often greater than the effects or consequences of the fearful ‘thing’ itself. If everyone chose to become paralysed by their own sense of fear then surely the consequence would be a societal/economic breakdown? Without doubt, some people will respond with fear and paralysis or other defence mechanisms; others will adopt a philosophical stance; and many will invest in a pragmatic approach. Perhaps the most useful approach in money-relating matters is pragmatic – doing what can be clearly seen to be needed, when it is/will be most effective. For example, if a source of finance or work should dry up, then time and energy might be best spent by out- sourcing, or exploring other potential options, as opposed to bemoaning the current state of affairs. Openness to unexpected opportunities can be optimised at this time. Steps, which may at first appear to be backwards or sideways orientated, might actually prove to be the first steps along whole new avenues of developments. In a climate where availability is limited, it might pay to increasingly avail of yourself. Adopting a flexible approach to your own role and abilities you will open yourself up to greater opportunities; others may view you differently; and you may gain greater prominence in what is usually a saturated market place. Accept that change is needed and embrace the opportunities that come your way. If you are prepared to alter your pace and slip into the contemporary momentum, the ride might prove more fluid and fortuitous for you. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=15 Helen Noble Fri, 4 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT Often find yourself on the fringes; on the edge of the unknown; treading a path where the next step isn’t clear…but you somehow know where you have to go/ what you have to do? Perhaps you can (un)usually always see ‘both’ sides of the current story; or recognise multi- faceted dimensions to the picture that no- one else appears to have considered? Maybe you identify strongly with more than one culture, speak a variety of languages; have a range of diverse interest/talents; a few unpredictable career changes detailed on your CV; and generally feel like you don’t belong or fit in snugly to just one place. And yet you are highly successful, an achiever of great things. If so, you could be one amongst the fastest growing and most influential demographic group in Europe and the US, one of ‘The Cultural Creatives’ of our time*. The ‘edge’ has been defined as a position at which choices are created and decisions are made. This is the territory where the familiar and the unknown unceremoniously meet, where openness facilitates and vital learning occurs. By nature this is not a comfortable place, but something akin to the edge of black hole – where from an apparent totality of nothingness, new ideas appear to magically become manifest. Successful edgewalkers are characterised by their trust in their vision and their optimistic belief in success. People who continue to pull new ideas out the hat can be likened to the positive electrons which appear at the edge of a black hole, those that float away from the point of creation and grow or morph into bigger things. Interestingly, it is the negative electrons which ‘fall back’ into the hole, so serving to increase its density and ultimately contribute to the inevitable atomic explosion that occurs. However, having escaped the ‘black hole’, many entrepreneurs; agents of social or cultural change, scientists, often face the paradigm police. These ‘pioneers’ often risk their reputations and economic positions on what appears to be an non-rational proposition, one that does not appear to be ‘measurable’ by way of current statistical frameworks, and is therefore treated with suspicion and viewed as best kept ‘in check’. The nature of the risk is that the walker will ‘fall over the edge’, taking their idea(s) with them. Thus survival depends on the skill of balancing the new with the existing; of keeping the passion for the new alive whilst remaining effective, albeit in a somewhat detached from, in the current (professional) existence. It’s about viewing roles and responsibilities as ‘bridge building’ between the established and the new; as facilitating the flourishing of ideas without becoming embedded in their detail or practical application. Something like keeping your eye on the goal/prize/intended outcome whilst also watching how the rest of the team are playing and seeing where you can best intervene to assist the achievement along its intended direction. Sound like you? www.edgewalkers.org http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=16 Helen Noble Wed, 5 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT Much has been written about the social and psychological differences between ‘generations’ of individuals. I once read somewhere the assertion that people resemble their ‘times’, to a greater extent than they resemble their parents. Also, that social and/or cultural conflicts can be attributed to generation ‘gaps’. The current generation ‘Y ‘ category that comprises the young adults amongst us (18 to 30’s ish), amounts to some 20% of the population. Also known as the ‘echo boomers’ or ‘millenials’, this section of contemporary society has been subject to much speculation and some psychological research, appearing to emanate largely from the business and marketing sectors. Generation Y employees are generally said to be: • Highly independent and financially savvy due to childhood experience in dual income or one parent families. • Racially and ethnical diverse to the point that the category of ‘minority’ holds no meaning or relevance for them. • Personally empowered due to an over- indulgent parenting style designed to promote high levels of self –esteem and optimistic outlooks. They are believed to be highly influenced by, and dependent on, the constant stream of technological advances, which they embrace fully in all aspects of their life. Popular stereotypical images include the 20something listening to his ipod whilst talking to/texting someone on his mobile phone and surfing the internet for free music downloads whilst sitting in casual attire at his workstation… or something like that. Essentially, it is asserted that today’s 20somethings are not seeing themselves as constrained by the career climb of us preceding generation ‘X’ ers. They choose to view work as one woven aspect of their life, not as a separate entity. It has been suggested that Y’ers see their lives more as a journey with themselves in the driving seat, able to switch routes without viewing their path as ‘disjointed’ in any way. The recognition of the flexibility and drive for high standards of this generation of ‘workers’ has been tempered with observations that in the pursuit of excellence, Y’ers are characteristically more aggressive, impulsive and narcissistic. So, in the hope of gaining some further insight into this , I conducted some small scale, home spun, phenomenological research consisting solely of self report, based on a semi structured interview conducted with the Y’ers currently living at home with me. I sought to address the broad themes outlined above and found that: • On-going education is viewed as a vehicle to greater earning opportunities and high financial reward is equated with investment in education. • Working for oneself, on a full time basis of about 40 hours per week, is considered a likelihood. • Doing something not classed as enjoyable is not considered as a work option. • Staying in one job is viewed as necessary to achieve a specific goal. • Using state of the art technology for work purposes is a given. • Leisure time at evenings and weekends is highly valued. • Constant performance/achievement feedback is viewed as a necessary part of higher education and the training/work experience. • Good relationships, both personal and those encountered in a work setting, are valued. • Assertiveness and having a positive attitude are valued as personal skills to help achieve success in all areas of life. • Branding confers a degree of certainty – as in ‘straight away someone knows what they’re dealing with’ It seems as if the ‘Y’ers have a strong picture of what they desire and expect from the education system and the fast approaching world of work. Personally, I can identify major differences in the attitudes and experiences of the ‘Y’ers, and me and my ‘X’ generation contemporaries. And I have to say that I see much healthy positivity in the outlook of the ‘Y’ers . It would be good to see this translated into a generally more relaxing and rewarding lifestyle, from which the ‘Z’ generation can springboard into the future. www.csmonitor.com www.rainmakerthinking.com http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=17 Helen Noble Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT In my opinion, psychology is a relatively ‘new’ science; and a relatively ‘newer’ profession. It has strived for acceptance as a ‘science’, rather than just to be viewed as ‘common sense’, by developing theories; evidenced through experimental studies and published by way of articles. In very basic terms, the role of science is to provide explanations and develop understanding of phenomena and having done so, formulate effective interventions in an endeavour to produce desirable change and advance scientific ‘progress’. In a professional sense, the practice of psychology is subject to a supervisory body (the British Psychological Society, or BPS in the UK) with a code of ethics, and soon to be regulated by a statutory body, the Health Professions Council. To qualify as a graduate member of the BPS you have to obtain an accredited psychology degree (Bsc); and to obtain Chartership status you have to pursue a higher degree (Msc, Phd) and training in a specific field. To maintain your professional role you then have to continue with further training/studies, known as Continuing Professional Development; and to receive ‘supervision’ from someone more qualified/experienced than you in your particular field. All well and good. Professional standards are crucial for credibility and client care. However, as the BPS themselves state, psychology is the ‘scientific study of people, the mind and behaviour’. And although it is important to enable people to research, investigate and develop expertise, from which others may benefit , I’m presently looking at the situation from a different angle. How important is for people generally to have access to this ‘specialist’ information? Information on health issues such as the importance of a healthy diet; the need for regular exercise; the benefits of giving up smoking and the need to prevent infection through the adoption of personal hygiene practices, proliferate in the popular press, TV advertisements offering assistance for those wishing to cease smoking; and through government incentives, such as the healthy eating policies in school. Commercially produced educational information and entertainment for children now often contains useful psychological tools and practices. This is all good stuff, and the fact it is so easily accessible to all now, will hopefully result in people developing healthier habits and so generally enjoy better health and development. All these aspects of our existence have a sound, scientific knowledge base and are now being widely disseminated for the benefit of all. So what about our sound knowledge base of human emotional health? I’m not talking about the extreme psychiatric or psychological conditions which have been the subject of much research over the years. This is about our day to day psychological functioning, which for the vast majority of us tends to stay mostly within the boundaries of what is regarded as ‘normal’ on the continuum of human experience and behaviour. However, within this ‘norm’, people widely report experiencing such conditions as anxiety; mild depression; general emotional management issues (such as road rage); insomnia; low levels of confidence and/ or of motivation. These are aspects of ourselves which can serve to determine our general happiness and satisfaction with life. These issues are also the subject of much research and current knowledge. However, these issues are still widely regarded as the domain of clinical psychology, which approaches them by applying the ‘dysfunctional’ model of diagnosis, analysis and treatment. I believe if people had more access to this information, presented in a general and applicable way, then something like the intention that Andy Warhol wished to achieve with his art movement of the 1950s, could be achieved with contemporary, relevant psychological insight. Warhol wanted more than an elite few to experience and enjoy the phenomena of art. By creating his (now infamous ) pictures of coke tins and cans of soup, he was trying to inform people that we all have similar experiences, regardless of how educated or rich we are (or not!). When people perceive stuff as relevant to them, they tend to consider it more carefully and value it more highly. Surely to allow people to more openly experience some of the psychological knowledge and know-how previously held within the domain of ‘expert knowledge’ could only serve to improve the range of choices that people perceive; and result in more informed decisions/behaviour. The role of low self-esteem in eating disorders is now a commonly accepted factor. People now freely state that as part of the reason for their past difficulties. However, when it comes to other individual and social ‘problems’ emotional issues are still largely left undercover. Of course, the arguments against popularism tend to focus on the ‘deskilling’ nature of the process. Many a fine art critic has been know to assert that Pop and more recent forms of art are created by people who do not possess the skill necessary to produce a piece of what would be classified as ‘fine art’. However, there is a difference in sharing psychological knowledge and practicing when unqualified to do so. Although there are moves to bring more psychological knowledge to society in general, such as Richard Wiseman’s sole academic Chair in the Public Understanding of Psychology, in my personal view, bringing more contemporary, relevant knowledge into the public domain can only be a positive move. The sooner that concepts such as resilience become embedded in the popular culture, the better for everyone, as far as I am concerned. When people feel able to freely seek advice on their anxieties, along with other ‘physical’ health issues, then they will be better informed to make the necessary changes to improve their lives and the lives of those around them. Rather than fearing our own shadow (s) we might begin to acknowledge, recognise and integrate them. And from the professional standpoint, when psychological knowledge becomes embedded in the popular culture, surely it’s postion as an accepted scientific practice will be more widely established? The Philosophy of Andy Warhol (From A to B and Back Again) 1975 www.richardwiseman.com http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=18 Helen Noble Thu, 24 Jan 2008 00:00:00 GMT The way I see it, there are three types of New Year’s resolutions, 1. The desire, or a vague idea to change something in some way 2. The decision to break a habit or change old behaviour 3. The intention to create a new habit or develop a new skill Vague resolutions such as to ‘be more healthy’, ‘take more exercise’, ‘lose weight’, or ‘get a better job’ need to be given the smart treatment. If they are ever going to progress past the wistful stage, they need to be: S pecific M easurable A achievable (or agreed, if planned in conjunction with someone else) R ealistic T ime bound For example, if wanting to lose weight or change your body shape, firstly ask yourself WHY? This will help you to clarify and strengthen your intention in your own mind. When you are clear about what you want, others are more likely to be able and inclined to help you. Specify HOW you intend to make the desired changes. For example, you may decide that you need to change your eating habits and exercise routine. Ask yourself how much weight do I want to want to lose or WHAT size or shape am I aiming for? This is important as we gain greater motivation for change when we can see that we already have, or are making progress towards our goal(s). Be real about it. Set yourself too unrealistic a target and you are just setting yourself up to fail. That’s not a useful loop to set yourself up in. Given the variables of time; resources; and current level of ability, set yourself an achievable goal. Ask yourself, could most people achieve this? If the answer is yes, then, in the absence of some rare idiosyncratic variable, then so can you. Decide WHEN you are going to take the necessary action and WHERE you can find support and resources. Ask yourself WHO can help you, and take any assistance or advice that is offered. The more information you have available to you, the more informed will be your choices and the greater your chances of success. When trying to break a habit, I have found it most useful to replace the said behaviour and accompanying/supporting behaviours with another activity. It is important to acknowledge the other habits that might support the main behaviour, as they provide you with more opportunities to intervene. For example, if you routinely smoke at certain times, rearrange your schedule so you no longer have that time available; if you tend to eat unhealthy foods at certain places, choose an alternative place to eat; and if you engage in particular activities (that you now wish to avoid) with certain other individuals, avoid being in their company. The changes do not have to be dramatic or absolute, just one small change, such as doing something different one evening a week can help to break down the old routine and kick start the build up of a new pattern of behaviour. Basically, take responsibility for where you go, and what you do with whom. You created the habit, or recurring situation and you can now create something different. Allow yourself alternative choices; and actively create new opportunities for yourself. This in itself, can then become a new habit. If trying to establish a new habit be realistic about your existing ability, time for practice, current schedule of responsibilities, available resources to discern what and how you can expect to progress in what time. For example if you wish to develop your yoga practice, · Decide which stage you are already at, and where you would like to be at · Work out how much time you can devote to the practice and the time/days that are most convenient for you to practice. · Some people find that scheduled classes are more motivating, in that a new social support networking opportunity is created. If that’s you, check out the classes in your area. · If you prefer to practice in private or at a time when classes are not scheduled, source a variety of DVDs and plan a month’s schedule for yourself, in advance. When trying to make or break a habit, it is effective to recall a time when you have managed to achieve a goal and reflect on how you managed it. What steps did you take? Which aspects of the process were you good at? Humans are notoriously unsuccessful at transferring the skills we use in one situation to another, especially problem solving. However, once aware of our strengths it is possible to apply them in what appear at first to be a very different scenarios. Remember, the change starts NOW and is a current, on-going process. If you’re not practising your change of routine, you’re practising the old, well- rehearsed routine… again! And, as practice improves performance, new practices need constant attention. Keep your intentions and actions live in your attention and they will strengthen and become more comfortable. Lose your concentration and you will automatically default to the old settings and habits. This may sound an exhausting process, but if you try it you will be pleasantly surprised. Resisting things always takes more effort and energy than simple awareness and focus. For a timely reminder of the psychological stages of change we progress through, check out the previous blog of 7th January 2007, titled ‘Are you ready?’ If you feel yourself being enticed away from your new behaviour or are close to relapsing into your old habit, remember the first step is your thought to do so. It’s at that thought stage that you need to intervene. Identify the first thought that leads down the road towards your old habit, and you can switch routes at that earliest stage. However, intervention at the action stage is still possible. For example, if you reach for that cigarette or drink, it is always possible to intervene as soon as you are aware of what you are doing and correct your choice of actions. Remember at all times and in all situations you have the choice, The choice to stay or to leave The choice to continue or to desist The choice to change It is crucially important to reward your own efforts No-one else can know (or appreciate) the full extent of your efforts, so you are best placed to support and encourage yourself, in whatever way(s) work(s) for you. And finally, if you have the tendency to be hard on yourself, especially in scenarios of perceived failure, remember that people effectively shut down when treated in a negative manner whereas we thrive on positivity. Be generous with your positivity, then sit back and witness the growth of well-being and prosperity inside, outside and around you. View creating change as a cycle within the great cycle, circle or sphere of existence; and choose a clear, bright creation to reflect the change in you. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=19 Helen Noble Thu, 27 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT I wonder if everyone in the Northen Hemisphere feels like slowing down this time of year, working less and resting more? Probably not everyone; but possibly quite a few. Is it about the shorter days and colder weather? I would reason so. So, it’s instinctual behaviour? Perhaps a response to the environment? I would say so. So what about it being the end of the year? Well that’s a psychological construct. A man- made demarcation of the passage of time. It’s not really the end of anything, and it would follow that the New Year is not really the beginning of anything, either! So why do we choose to see it as such? It’s how we make sense of things. The human brain is a self-organising system and in the absence of external prompts, which we can choose to adopt or ignore, we tend to create our own rituals. These are practices which help us to make sense of our experiences, both in the form of individual habits and collective practices, such as organised religions. Give me an example. Ok. At the end of each calendar ‘year’ I have developed the individual ritual of reflecting on all of the achievements/positive events which have affected me personally, and the lives of those with who I am closely associated. I choose to represent these as steps, or perhaps more poetically, I visualise myself walking to the sea’s edge and then turning around to admire the tracks, patterns and loops made by the footprints in the golden expanse of sand on a beach. When I’m happy with that, I start the ‘New Year’ on some fresh sand, always knowing that when I stop to look back I will have left an irrefutable trail. The only unknown here is where I will choose to make that first imprint… http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=20 Helen Noble Tue, 11 Dec 2007 00:00:00 GMT The time for change is now. You cannot change what has been; or what is yet to come to pass. However, you can now change how things are (for you, and others). Behaviourist psychologist Meichenbaum developed a system of ‘cognitive behaviour modification’ around the discovery that people talk to themselves; and Dowd* has asserted that ‘all human activities and emotions are mediated by cognitive activities – such as thinking interpretive errors, self-statements, irrational thoughts; and personally unique, idiosyncratic meanings we often use to explain phenomena’. Cognitive hypnotherapist Dowd believes that ‘humans are meaning makers and will assign their own idiosyncratic meanings to events if none are obvious’. These meanings are constructed from both explicit knowledge and tacit -or our ‘unconscious’ knowledge, if explained in Freudian terms. Tolle** states that ‘the mind is a superb instrument if used rightly’; and that ‘the moment you start watching the thinker, [that is you as expressed in the form of your thoughts] a higher level of consciousness becomes activated.’ Tolle recommends that we listen to the inner voice(s), impartially – without judgement or condemnation. Then we will become aware of ourselves as objective, independent witnesses to our own thoughts. He asserts that our concept of time, both past and future, is merely a psychological construct which serves to distract us from functioning fully in the present. We can ruminate and so remain 'stuck' in the past; or we can put our lives on hold until some magical time in the future when all will be well. He believes that to effect change we must acknowledge that we only ever have such opportunity in the ‘present moment’. *E Thomas Dowd ‘Cognitive Hypnotherapy’ (2000) **Eckhart Tolle ‘The power of Now’ (2005) http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=21 Helen Noble Sun, 11 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT If someone told you that you could have everything exactly as you want it, in all aspects of your life as long as you could paint a clear, accurate picture, incorporating symbols of everything that you want or think you need, how much effort would you put into it? Would you trip yourself up at the outset by saying ‘I can’t paint?’ Maybe your way would be to take yourself off to research the whole history of art and artists in order to gather all the information you need to know to create a picture of your own? Perhaps you would sign up for art classes, telling yourself that when you are highly skilled at watercolours, oil on canvas or line drawing you will start work on your personal masterpiece? It could be that you are already adept with the paintbrush but are presently toying with different styles and not exactly sure of your genre? And what about other people? Would they understand where you were coming from? Would they like your work? What if someone was offended by your picture and refused to speak to you ever again? Then, of course, there’s the possibility that you would be letting everyone who looked at the picture into some of your most closely held secrets… I’m sure there are also many additional reasons why the painting, once completed, might never see the light of day. Of course, there are a myriad of ways to create the life you want to lead, and just as many ways, reasons, excuses we can employ to avoid the responsibility for the creation. You actively choose where and how you live; you choose who shares your life; and how you make your money and spend your time. We all use symbols to create meaning, for example, words are symbols of communication that we use to express ourselves and create a meaningful existence in the form of relationships with others. Although it’s rewarding when other people recognise and appreciate our symbols, we still have and constantly use our own personal symbols on a sub-conscious level, regardless of approval from others. Conscious choice, including close attention to detail to our symbols can result in a more vivid and rewarding reality. For me, such details as beautiful locations; quirky situations and genuine, happy people feature as some of the symbols I choose to express my chosen experience of existence. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=22 Helen Noble Sun, 28 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT The most famous trial in the history of ancient Athens was that of the philosopher Socrates. Ironically it was his influence that helped form the modern practice of court advocacy. Philosophers and Orators were known as ‘sophists’ in the early 6th century; although Socrates and others referred, rather disparagingly to individuals hired to argue a point in the courts as ‘guns for hire’ * Socrates, although synonymous with the founding of western philosophy, actually believed (if the writings of Xenophon and Plato are to be accepted as accurate) that the best way for people to live was to focus on self-development rather than the pursuit of material wealth. He always invited others to try to concentrate more on friendships and a sense of true community. At his trial his accusers had 3 hours in which to prove their case for corruption against him; and he himself was allowed 3 hours in which to respond, under the eye of the court water clock. Socrates felt that the best way for people to grow together was as a populace. His words translated into actions as he accepted his death sentence, rather than run away from or go against the will of his community - expressed by the jury, all 360 of them, who awarded him with death by poisoning. The influence of Socrates continues into the psychological, self-help techniques of the C21st . It has been asserted** that the secret of Socrates was his ‘Socratic ’ method of questioning which was based upon getting a ‘yes, yes’ response. He was viewed as asking questions with which his opponent would have to agree, a process that continued until he had accumulated ‘an armful of yes’. Socrates’ style was to continue asking such questions until his opponent found himself embracing the conclusion he would have vehemently disputed just minutes previously. Within Cognitive therapy, Socratic questioning is also referred to as the process of ‘guided discovery’. It is believed that asking questions promotes reflection, which in turn produces knowledge. Padesky and Greenburger (1995) view this process as ‘ a cornerstone of cognitive therapy’, which is used to uncover negative, automatic thoughts and beliefs and to construct alternative and adaptive thoughts and beliefs. The key to guided discovery is the driving curiosity to understand the client’s viewpoint. As Beck et al (1993) explain, ‘questions should be phrased in such a way that they stimulate thought and increase awareness, rather than requiring a correct answer’. This enables the client to provide his or her own answers, and not to rely on the interpretation offered by the therapist. The use of silence is also strategic within guided discovery as premature intervention may interrupt the thought process, so disrupting the purpose of the questioning, and corrupting the client-therapist dialogue. In turn the process may serve to put clients into a ‘questioning ‘ rather than an ‘automatic response’ mode. Padesky identified four stages in guided discovery*** · Asking informational questions · Listening attentively and reflecting back · Summarizing newly acquired information · Asking analytical or synthesizing questions to apply the new information to the client’s original problem or thinking. It is believed that the modelling of Socratic questioning assists clients to observe and practice the skill themselves, which in turn leads to ‘self therapy’. So, perhaps the essence of the teachings of Socrates as emerging from 6th century Athenian law and politics has subsisted, re-surfacing in 21st century psychology for a fair(er) hearing? What do you think? helen@formulaforchange.co.uk *‘Ancient Law for the Modern Lawyer’, The legal Executive Journal October 2007. ** Handbook of Hypnotic Suggestions and Metaphors, Hammond, D C., (1990) ***A keynote address delivered at the European Congress of Behavioural and Cognitive Therapies (1993) http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=23 Helen Noble Mon, 15 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT I have found the concept of ‘one’ featuring in various contexts lately. On an individual psychological level, ‘oneness’ equates to a state of integrity; where congruency in thought, word and deed is believed to enhance the individual’s level of self-esteem. So enhancing psychological well-being and positive experiences. The notion of oneness has always resonated within religious and spiritual contexts, and now it seems to have entered the political and legal arenas. In a recent e-mail from the One Campaign to Make Poverty History, the practical act of adding one line for an additional name to a property deed was described as the difference between ‘poverty and hope’ in some developing countries for a woman and her family. In many places, there is only one line for one name on a property ownership form – that of the husband. In the unfortunate and not uncommon event of the death of the husband, then the ownership of the property does not pass onto his surviving wife and /or family. There is now a US based political initiative attempting to pass through Congress the GROWTH (Global Resources and Opportunities for Women to Thrive) Act. This Act is designed to achieve the addition of just one more line to a legal property document to assist and enhance the financial status of individual women and one parent families in developing countries. www.one.org http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=24 Helen Noble Sat, 6 Oct 2007 00:00:00 GMT Positive psychology and coaching share the focus on developing individual strengths as a means to enhance happiness and well-being. Individual strengths have been explained in terms of a ‘natural recurring pattern of thought, feeling or behaviour that can be productively applied.’* It has been asserted that within individuals there is an ’intrinsic motivation to use the strength’; previously identified by Horney (1951) and Rogers (1963) as ‘constructive, directional tendencies that guide them towards realising their potentialities.’ The 5 positive character strengths of love; hope; gratitude; curiosity and zest, have been positively correlated with the experience of life as pleasant, engaging and essentially meaningful. ** However the knowledge of such personal strengths alone is not seen as sufficient to ensure the beneficial experience which may be conferred. Govindji and Linley*** have asserted and tested the theory that people who know their strengths, use their strengths and follow the directions that are right for them experience greater happiness. This ‘self-concordance’ is recognised as a more successful strategy when choosing and implementing goals, as it is intertwined with the core concepts associated with well-being, self esteem and self efficacy. Rosenberg (1979) explained self -esteem in terms of an individual having an overall, positive evaluation of themselves; and Bandura (1997) explains self –efficacy as the individual’s belief in their own ability to achieve goals. Thus knowing your strengths, coupled with the conscious shaping your life and seeking opportunities so as to maximise your naturally rewarding abilities, can result in a living a life with a greater sense of fulfilment and happiness. Peterson et al**** have concluded that the happiest people are those with the fullest lives; and that the five positive character strengths appeared to be those that made a full life experience possible. * Clifton, D.O & Anderson (2002) StrengthsQuest: Discover and develop your strengths in academics, career and beyond. Washington , DC The Gallup Organisation ** Park, N, Peterson, C. & Seligman M.E.P (2006) Character strengths in fifty four nations and the fifty US States. Journal of Positive Psychology, 3, 118-129; and Seligman (2002) Authentic Happiness’ New York, Free Press. *** ‘Strengths use, self-concordance and well-being: Implications for Strengths Coaching and Coaching Psychologists. International Coaching psychology review, Vol 2 No. 2, July 2007 ****Peterson, C., Park, N. & Seligman M.E.P (2005b) Orientations to happiness and life satisfaction : the full life versus the empty life. Journal of Happiness Studies, 6 25-41. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=25 Helen Noble Mon, 10 Sep 2007 00:00:00 GMT How do you relax? How often are you able to ‘switch off’ from all of your cares and concerns (if ever)? Is sleep your only respite from all of the trials and tribulations of the daily grind, or do you actively build in ‘time out’? I have spent the last week or so immersed in the world of cognitive hypnotherapy and must say that I found it satisfyingly effective, both on a personal and professional level. In my view, the best way to evaluate anything is (if possible) to experience it first hand. And although my hand may have not lifted in the levitation experiment, the sound core principles of this particular practice, which is built on the historical concept of hypnosis yet now firmly supported by scientifically- produced evidence – is an experience I would recommend to virtually anyone looking for an effective form of psychological relief. Relaxation exercise coupled with positive, self- strengthening suggestions, is a gentle yet powerful combination. I witnessed others experiencing a noticeable sense of calm; and for me, that inner calm is a deep shade of Aegean blue. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=26 Helen Noble Fri, 17 Aug 2007 00:00:00 GMT Coaching …… • is concerned with the direction of positive change • works at the level of the individual ( chaos theory informs us that a tiny change can lead to an enormous effect) • is about facilitating self-directed learning and development; allowing people to discover creative solutions to problematic situations • is 75% listening • and is 100% about asking the RIGHT questions • is a time saving technique • is a constructive, definitive goal- orientated process • largely takes the form of interpersonal dialogue to promote and enhance personal potential People…. . • often know more thank they think they know • usually already have the resources necessary for improving their own performance • are always responsible for their own achievements • can choose to respond to challenges positively and view setbacks as opportunities for greater learning…if they so wish • often harvest successfully; reaping the rewards of their strategically sound sowing skills. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=27 Helen Noble Fri, 27 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Your life is important. Whether you achieve what you want in life matters. Whether you are happy matters. Honour and fight for your own potential. Self realisation is the noblest goal of your existence.’ To achieve this it has been asserted that you need to live ‘consciously’* This theory operates on the premise that human consciousness exists along a continuum and we are able to raise our own individual levels of consciousness at will, something akin to sweeping a flashlight along the horizon of our own individual experiences. Such consciousness or awareness can be achieved with practice and adherence to certain principles. Although the issues of self-responsibility and self- esteem are in themselves cornerstones of positive, psychological human functioning; they are also key players in the development of self-awareness or conscious living. Self- acceptance and the practice of choices rooted in reality, are also believed to be intrinsic to the act of living consciously. For me, heightened awareness constitutes possession of the relevant information, as well as knowing what we wish to do with it, and how we intend to achieve our aims. An element of aerial perspective will surely assist us with this process. If we can overlook all the necessary elements and seek to respond flexibly when a slight (or major) change is required we can still maintain our overall perspective. So, to think of ourselves as in the watchtower of our own thinking, surveying and reflecting on our reasoning, decisions and actions, and the impact of that on the lifescape laid out in front of us could be a useful standpoint from which to direct the route of our existence. *Nathaniel Branden ‘The Art of Living Consciously’ http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=28 Helen Noble Thu, 26 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Low levels of motivation can occur due to a lack of perceived reward for our efforts. Basically, if we don’t believe that we’re getting to where we want to be, eventually we’ll stop trying and so stop achieving. However, waiting around for some ‘outside’ approval or reward does not guarantee us receiving whatever it is we think that we want. In fact, the reward is often most effective when it comes from within us. To reward ourselves is to validate our own efforts and achievements and so strengthen our resolve to continue to achieve. Also as we are not reliant on external factors , we are able to reward ourselves at any time and as often as we so choose. So how can we achieve this? Try the following five step guide. 1. Start the day by prioritising the things/activities that you actively want to do. We all have commitments and tasks we don’t enjoy fully and the key is not to plan too much time in for them. A classic error of judgement here is to allocate too much time for menial, uninspiring tasks and to only permit limited time for the more intrinsically rewarding activities. This is a pointless, self- punishing measure we erroneously employ when we have a irrational sense of guilt about experiencing enjoyment. However, as we have a naturally higher level of motivation to engage in/with the things we enjoy, allowing more time will ensure the satisfactory completion of the pleasant tasks and so place us in a more positive frame of mind and therefore more likely to succeed at the less enjoyable jobs. You may find that a natural balance between the two will ensue. 2. Flexibility - as with physical development , a flexible mind necessitates stretching and experimentation. Being open to considering possibilities and changes is the first step in the practice of flexibility; whereas remaining flexible requires a sense of balance , which we can achieve with awareness and vigilance. By keeping our options open, being prepared for more than the obvious, we are better placed for utilising the unexpected opportunities that may come our way. We are also less likely to experience frustration when events go awry courtesy of the influence of external factors – those over which we have no influence. This is especially the case, if we have a quick alternative for the use of our time lined up in the wings and waiting to go. 3. The 3 R’s - Reflect, Re-evaluate and if necessary, Re-schedule. Flexibility can be enhanced by these processes. Take advantage of a natural break in your day to reflect on how things are progressing. If your time is appearing to become more limited or extended then a re-evaluation of your intended activities might prove fruitful. This is also a good point for a reward. Remind yourself how making it this far through the day, having achieved all the things to this current point, is something to celebrate. And be prepared to re-schedule any cancellations on the part of another, at your convenience. 4. Respect and trust your own decisions, plans or arrangements. They were made with your knowledge, insight and reason so why let someone else rearrange things to suit their needs at the expense of yours? A refusal need not be offensive, so if your boss asks you to stay late it’s fine to explain that you have a prior commitment on this occasion. You’re not saying you’ll never stay late or arrive early , and you may want to offer up an alternative solution to help out with the situation. If you are both sincere in your intentions ( yours to assist and her/ him to do a good job)then the situation will resolve itself. You cannot be responsible for the intentions or behaviour of another but you can always choose your own response in a given situation. 5. Finally, reward yourself for the day’s achievement(s). It does not follow that for you to receive a reward, someone else will have to miss out on anything. So spend some time with yourself or someone of your choice; engaging in something refreshing, revitalising or relaxing; perhaps invest in something that you will benefit from in a wholesome way. Remember that you investing in yourself will enhance life for those around you, and on becoming motivationally self-sufficient, you will be setting an example, and showing others how it can be achieved. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=29 Helen Noble Fri, 13 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT Selfishness or self-responsibility? What’s the difference? We are surrounded with an array of self-help literature. So how so we choose? What is it that we want to achieve…to be a better parent, manager, lover? Why do we perceive the need to be better at something? Is it because we are always being told there is room for improvement or do we genuinely believe that progress is essential to a meaningful existence? Self- development can be seen as form of self-investment , so if we choose to invest in ourselves, is this then a purely selfish act? During a recent coaching session I found myself distinguishing between selfishness and self-responsibility. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines selfishness as ‘[that] quality or state…[of] supreme self love…[or] preference which leads a person to direct his purposes to the advancement of his own interest, power of happiness without regarding those of others’. So then to the opposite selflessness…I found associations with altruism and self-sacifice and ultimately self-less – a sort of self-denial? I can see this as a perspective enhancing practice, but is this a viable long-term solution for progress? What then of the practice of self-responsibility? I reasoned that a selfish act is one, that by it’s nature, serves to detract from someone/something else in some way; whereas a self-responsible act will not affect another in a negative or detrimental way. We can assuage our own needs without taking from another and without expecting someone else to provide for us. The American Declaration of Independence enshrined the concept of inalienable rights regarding ‘the individual as and end in him/herself, not a means to the ends of others, and not the property of family, church, state or society.’ Also the British Constitution, although unwritten, works on the principle that as citizens we are free to do whatever we like – unless there is a specific law prohibiting it. Are these historical philosophies as contained within these relatively ‘old’ documents of relevance to how we currently function on a social level? http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=30 Helen Noble Tue, 10 Jul 2007 00:00:00 GMT A TV news feature this week claimed that City law firms are experiencing difficulty in retaining new recruits. Apparently, individuals leaving are citing ‘stress’ induced health issues as a major reason; and are seeking to achieve more of a work/life balance and less of a prestigious, all- consuming career with a top- notch firm. When a friend from law- school days (now on fast-track to partnership in a high ranking city firm) came for a weekend visit recently, we found ourselves betting on how long she could refrain from consulting her Blackberry… The law Society representative interviewed in response, dismissed the phenomena largely as a case of ‘that’s how it’s always been in city firms and it’s not to everyone’s taste’ so to speak. However, having been in and around the profession for a while now, there is evidence in a shift even in the more provincial firms; and a solicitor friend of just a couple of years experience, is already contemplating working for herself. Post- qualification experience is now being sidelined in favour of management training programmes, so allowing the newly- qualified to practice solely. How long then, until a movement like the North American www.timeday.org sprouts here in the UK? (or has it already?) A recent survey of employee holiday entitlement in the industrialised West, showed that the UK featured as the pen-ultimate place for low-levels of leave. However, in recent times policy decisions within the some government agencies have provided for the negotiation of flexible working conditions for people with children under the age of five; or with a dependant, aged or infirm relative. There is still no doubt though, that for those wanting to climb the corporate ladder, ‘time out’ leaves you well and truly behind in the race. So how is it? Is it a case of more people, as individuals, doing as they see fit, making the right decisions and taking the appropriate action in light of their own needs? Or can it perhaps be seen as an example of the ‘Wisdom of Crowds’, a most interesting concept/phenomena asserted by James Surowiecki? How is it that a shift necessary to change the concept of work to be accepted as just a part of life will occur? http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=31 Helen Noble Fri, 29 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT The subtle undercurrent of boundary issues has been present lately. For example, one client has been experiencing (an unwanted) cross- over from a professional to a personal relationship with a colleague. As such she has found herself having to deal with emotional issues which she feels are not her responsibility, although she acknowledges that she has co-created the situation by allowing it to happen. Feeling that she has enough on her plate at the moment, she has decided to reinstate the boundary between them. As she will soon be moving into her new home , she has decided to change her previous ‘open-door’ policy and use the front door step as her marker for choice. New home, new practices. Only those actively invited in will cross the threshold into her newly- created private space. I guess that’s a prime example of the ‘behavioural’ outcome as created by a cognitive shift; and a pro-active approach created by the acceptance of self-responsibility. Then there’s a client whose respect for the boundaries of others has been questioned, who feels his behaviour is unjustly subject to public scrutiny. At present he has to tolerate the intrusion by others and has decided the best way in which to respond is to invest in himself. By creating his own personal benchmarks, he is seeking to demonstrate his ability to acknowledge and respect the boundaries of others. And I believe he will succeed. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=32 Helen Noble Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Change (in my understanding) essentially means moving from one existential or subjective state into another. The apparent ‘reality’ of the state is relevant to the strength of the perception of those involved and the reflections cast upon the situation at any one brief point in time. Take for example, a wedding ceremony. Two people enter a building, say some words, write their names and are then viewed by themselves and others as being ‘changed’ in some way. The nature of that ‘way’ is subject to the interpretation of the person assessing the change. For example in the terms of Greek law, the wife effectively becomes a chattel or possession of the husband. Whereas under the more recently created UK law of civil partnership, there is a recognised choice of two equal individuals. I recently guested at a wedding where all those in attendance were invited as they are currently playing an important supportive role in the lives of the newly- weds. For me, there was an all- pervading sense of progress. People were talking about their futures and there was noticeably little reminiscing of the past, despite the fact there were some present who had known each other for a relatively long time. The general consensus seemed to be an acceptance of where we are all at, regardless of how we got here. Although there were a few interesting tales of jungle trails and days of romanticised poverty, the story tellers were still focused firmly on the on the future, which created a refreshing, uplifting atmosphere around the table. Change is often regarded as the creation or establishing a noticeable difference; and quite often something to be avoided, due to its unknown and therefore fearful nature. I see change as an ongoing merging and diversifying flow of channels, all ultimately connected but not all necessarily in conscious awareness at the same time. In that sense we can always be aware of a sensation of change, subject to varying levels of intensity and concentration. As with all emerging estuaries, or newly planted seeds, channelling or nurturing will achieve growth and the fruition of changes will become apparent at differing rates. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=33 Helen Noble Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT Is your life purposely planned with meticulous detail as to time and place where you expect to find yourself right now as well as some years hence? Is it true to say that only people who know exactly what they want and how to achieve it, will undoubtedly experience unqualified success? So what about when the unexpected crops up? How does that fit in with your preconceived notions and carefully laid plans? It’s the nature of that ‘fit’ that will determine largely how you experience the unscheduled changes to your grand plan. If you invest in the schema theory, which essentially asserts that we organise our thoughts, feelings and experiences into pro- forma schemas – templates established early in life (and therefore by definition immature and perhaps even faulty) – then your ability to absorb the new experience into an existing schema will determine your response to the change(s) For me, schema theory goes some way to explaining lots of social phenomena – and perhaps most notably discrimination, in all its forms. If we interpret all new experiences within the context of existing schemas, then the less exposition to new and different experiences we encounter, the greater will be the tendency to interpret the new within the framework of the old - hence the lack of satisfactory fit. From this perspective it is important to acknowledge our formative influences, however as it the positive and progressive nature of most cognitive- based theories and techniques – the empowerment arises not from the knowledge of what happened in the past but from the recognition of what changes are possible here in the present. Although developing insight into how you actually got to be where you are at is very useful, accepting self- responsibility for where you are at, regardless of how you got there, is the first step in initiating change. From there, the steps you choose to take and the progress you make will naturally ebb and flow and occasionally divert; and maybe even reverse. However the first step will then undoubtedly exist in your cognitive and emotional memory alongside the more ancient, ingrained, habitual patterns. This first move could then be the start of a totally new direction. It could figure loosely as an option you might wish to take up in the future; or it could always remain as a ‘what if…’ There has long been a nature v nurture debate, and it could be viewed that our cognitive schemas and/or behavioural tendencies are part of our DNA coding. However, the blueprint is only one stage in a creation, and it is when we are able to manage the mechanics and control our responses to our immediate environment that we can effect change(s) http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=34 Helen Noble Wed, 6 Jun 2007 00:00:00 GMT From confusion to clarity - what happens and how do we get there? I think we experience clarity when there is an absence of dissonance in our thinking. Dissonance, or discomfort, occurs when we are undecided or unresolved about an issue, or a situation that we perceive as affecting us in a personal way. A moment of clarity has often been referred to as a ‘breakthrough’; or an experience of ‘seeing the light’ in a given situation. Many people have described physical feelings of lightness of being and/ or of having a ‘weight’ lifted from their shoulders. For me, a moment of clarity is when a solution to a problem arises in my mind’s eye, ( I have an active, visual imagination) and is accompanied with a feeling of relaxation or calm. However, from what I have heard and understood from others, the perceived sudden release might give way to feelings of excitement and higher levels of motivation to achieve solutions to other issues or challenges- something more akin to a 'eureka' moment. Whichever way you experience clarity, I believe there is a process of congruence involved – where, however momentarily, your perception of your external surroundings and influences are reflected in your inner landscape; and where all your internal dialogue and emotions are at one with your immediate environment. So then, how to increase the clarity? Any ideas? helen@formulaforchange.co.uk http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=35 Helen Noble Mon, 28 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT Do you subscribe to the belief that creative people are inherently disorganised? Is the essence of creativity stifled by the imposition of organisation? And does it follow that diligent, disciplined people are not highly creative? Edward de Bono* has asserted that efficiency and creativity actually serve to complement one another. He has claimed that ‘creativity can be as deliberate as mathematics’, and he believes that new ideas can be generated by using lateral thinking methods which might appear totally unrelated to the creative project in hand. Further he explains how minimising the risks of financial failure of creative ideas can be achieved with a little design effort; as efficiency will extract the maximum benefit from the new idea. Not comfortable with that take on the treatment of creativity? Well, recent research by Nemeth and Ormiston** seeks to oust the comfort loving and claim that greater levels of creativity are possible when familiar team membership is re-jigged to form fresh alliances. The more traditional thinking on this subject has been that if you keep team membership constant, people in the team are going to grow familiar and comfortable, and lose any fear of proposing ideas, which is then seen as resulting in a rise in morale and correlating higher levels of creative output. However this notion has been strongly challenged and it has been shown that, while stable teams are judged more friendly and comfortable than newly-formed teams, the cost for failing to mix up team membership is a loss of creativity. In their study, it was the newly-formed teams who generated more ideas (an average of 28 ideas versus 23), and according to two independent judges their ideas were also better quality and more diverse. The researchers state that their ‘…current study underscores the theory that 'change' and the introduction of new perspectives are more important than comfort, belonging and friendliness for idea generation and creativity’. They advise that managers should avoid the temptation to retain individuals in groups that have previously worked successfully together, and organise the teaming of individuals who have not previously worked together in order to enhance the creative process. * www.managementissues.com **Nemeth, C.J.&Ormiston, M. (2007). Creative idea generation:Harmony versus stimulation. European Journal of Social Psychology, 524-535. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=36 Helen Noble Fri, 25 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT There are 360 degrees to every point and the appearance of every point varies greatly with the angle of perception. It’s more far more useful to think about how things are interpreted in the instant, than perhaps viewing them in a more rigid sense of ‘how they are’. 'Visualise yourself doing it' is a common direction for people seeking to achieve something. However there are a variety of ways to visualise yourself in a particular scene. From a first-person perspective we can project our potential thoughts and feelings into a scene, trying to make it as authentic a creation as possible. This can be effectively achieved through practices such as hypnotherapy. However recent research* suggests that visualising yourself performing a certain act from an external perspective, as an independent observer might see you, is more effective in terms of actual performance of the desired behaviour. The theory behind these findings is that humans tend to interpret other people's actions as saying something about them, whereas we interpret our own actions as saying more about the situation we're in. Thus, when we picture ourselves acting in the third-person, we see ourselves as an observer would, as the 'kind of person' who performs that behaviour. Therefore transferring the attributes of ‘someone’ who is likely to perform the desired behaviour to ourselves is believed to increase the likelihood of us achieving our goal(s). *Libby, L.K., Shaeffer, E.M., Eibach, R.P. & Slemmer, J.A. (2007). Picture yourself at the polls. Visual perspective in mental imagery affects self-perception and behaviour. Psychological Science, 18, 199-203. http://www.formulaforchange.co.uk/blog.php?active_page=37 Helen Noble Sat, 12 May 2007 00:00:00 GMT Ever been advised to ‘just be yourself’? Ever thought ‘just what does this mean’? It’s open to interpretation, so I think it is more helpful to focus on the self- strengths and qualities