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Deliberate Inputs

September 15, 2011 by Rosa Say

Somewhat connected to my last posting, [ Must I work this bit alone? ] and to noticing, I’ve been tweaking the old brainwaves lately with more reading, for reading is a big part of what I think of as my “deliberate inputs.”

We need to feed our intellect with deliberate inputs similar to the way we eat to feed our bodies; we choose healthy foods that are nutritious, and foods that fortify us and fill us with energy.

These days, the old brain is hungry, craving some hopeful, positive ideas and solutions.

Good food starts with good ingredients:

Batter Mix To Go

Perhaps more today than ever before, my deliberate inputs are often chosen for their optimism, for negativity pulls me down into a gloom I prefer to stay far, far away from. Now this doesn’t mean I choose to dwell in a Pollyanna world, for I can read about bad news too. It’s the aftermath of the hearing or reading, and the follow-up in my own attitude which matters. We can learn from everything, whether the good, the bad, or the ugly — we have to choose our aftermath, and use our positive brainpower to shape it.

How you go forward will define your future, and the person you’ll be in that future.

For instance, within my deliberate inputs these days (for they constantly evolve) are:

  • The Daily Five Minutes and other conversations (always ‘MWA job one’ with me)
  • Reading more essays by ‘thought leaders’ (I’ve been culling my RSS feeds). I’m a big fan of blogs: People who blog write to think, and they set a great example in the sharing of virtual conversation
  • Book reading. I’m a way bigger fan of books — the good ones are hard to write; they package a lot of substantial thought process, and they pull in more research
  • Writing for its physical triggering connection (writing as a way of thinking things through)
  • Gratitude journaling for Mahalo-living, and to keep up my positive expectancies
  • ‘Imi ola Change Choosing — always important for me: Focus (in goal-setting) is another word for Intention
  • Weekly Reviews so I’m balanced between what I study, and what I actually do accomplish
  • Television only via DVR’d selections. News read online or in Sunday paper editions
  • I look for biographies and documentaries: They are ‘Ike loa’s ‘learning from people’ and from their experience

As electioneering ramps up here in America, I get very concerned about what Bill Davidow has called “Life in the Age of Extremes.” There is much ‘other possibility’ within the extreme polarity of being Republican or Democrat in ideology. We must all be working on our own Deliberate Inputs to interject more hope into life.

Being hopeful, can be a direct result of Ha‘aha‘a, the value of humility, and the way we’ve spoken of ‘finding decisions’ here at Talking Story: Can you see with your ears? How open-minded are you, and how willing are you to weigh the opinions of others? Much of it is about proactive listening, so you can choose to live with a greater confidence — it’s a confidence that you’ve uncovered and discovered the best answer, because you’ve gone looking for it. It’s cultivating an optimistic attitude which will align with your values, keeping positive expectancy in your life.

So much of this starts with being very choosy and deliberate about your own inputs.

I strongly encourage you to sit with this as a writing exercise of your own. I gave you a current listing of what I think of as my Deliberate Inputs: What are yours?

Listen well to be well, and start with good, healthy ingredients.
Rosa

Postscript: On the reading front, if you’d like to come with me, and follow the rabbit trails of my finds, remember to check in with Ho‘ohana Aloha, my Tumblr — that’s where I tend to clip them.

Bonus Links: Read what Dan Oestreich has to say On Finding Confidence. He also wrote about polarity recently, in Contribution to Society.

The 1-2-3 journey of Alaka‘i Managers

April 16, 2010 by Rosa Say

I’m not going to be shy about this, for I’m hearing wonderful early reports from others who were among the first to download my new ebook for you, and Hau‘oli‘oli Kākou ~ I am jumping for joy!

Download your free copy on Smashwords:
You have 10 different formats to choose from there, including a printable PDF

It’s only been a week since the ebook’s release, and I’ve been delighted to hear that many people who had already read Managing with Aloha are doing so a second time, but differently — they are using the annotation method described in the first week of the program:

Take 1: You will first read the book cover to cover, taking notes in a learning method and self-coaching framework I will describe to you. Everything begins with Aloha, and we’ll get comfortable with this value in an actionable way, allowing its goodness to inspire us! Know that you have everything it takes, for in short, Aloha is you living from the inside out, and “Living with Aloha” is dwelling in the self-awareness of your own ability and capacity.

Best of all, you need not do this alone, even if you are the only manager in your company who is aware of this choice you have, to manage and lead with the incredible abundance of Aloha. You can learn with us, the your Ho‘ohana Community.

Now that we have this new ebook coaching format to help us, the 1-2-3 journey for emerging Alaka‘i Managers has become:

  1. Read Managing with Aloha (Buy it in print on Amazon.com ~ It’s now on Kindle too) and commit to applying it in the workplace.
  2. If you feel you have a calling for management, get started with reconstructing the Role of the Manager with us via the self-coaching program in the how-to ebook: Become an Alaka‘i Managers in 5 weeks!
  3. Continue to be a lifelong learner with the rest of us right here on Talking Story, using the learning construct of the 9 Key Concepts. Speak up as this blogging format allows you to!

Be a manager who is part of a movement, and be heard.

Hana hou! I am so excited with the progress we are making, and I hope you are too.

Mahalo nui loa to those who have been emailing me of their impressions as they work through the beginning of the ebook: Your feedback is helping me tremendously as I evaluate some ideas for our next project together, so please keep it coming!

Has ALAWB09 got you into the RTTS Habit yet?

April 6, 2009 by Rosa Say

Remember this?

Reading to Talk Story about

Are you running out of topics to talk about in your workplace huddles?

That will never happen to you if you cultivate the RTTS Habit:

  1. Read something
  2. Trigger new thoughts (question what you just read)
  3. Talk Story about it (with someone, or with your team)

Read. Trigger. Talk Story.

We talked about this last when I shared some web links with you, yet for that ‘sequential and consequential learning’ we speak of with ‘Ike loa you just can’t beat a great book, I think”

Reading

“”someone who calls themselves a manager of people must be a learner, and they must dedicate themselves to non-stop, sequential and consequential learning.

Sequential in that it builds upon previous lessons learned, and it takes you through a process where you question instruction and do not always accept what you are taught at face value; you polish it like a gem in your mind until something about it rings true for you.

Consequential in that it is worthwhile stuff; it makes a difference for you, and you aren’t simply collecting lessons on some scorecard. There’s some personal take-away in it for you. Now that you know it, you’re going to use it.”

—‘Ike loa; to seek knowledge and wisdom.
Managing with Aloha (page 136)

A Love Affair with Books 2009

So choose a good book, and allow your reading to trigger a few new ideas for you.

We will be wrapping up A Love Affair with Books this week on Joyful Jubilant Learning and you will find a wealth of recommendations waiting for you there. We have had 35 books reviewed over the 35 days by 35 different reviewers, all writers who are lifelong learners and eager to share some conversation about their book of choice – with YOU. If nothing else, leave a short comment for them which simply says mahalo – thank you for writing this up for us – let them know when and if their words do reach you.

Book 36 is being reviewed today and book 37 tomorrow: Which of these 37 will be the learning and talk story goodness of your RTTS Habit of sequential and consequential learning?

Alawb09


Photo credit: Reading a book by ckaroli on Flickr.

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