Word
Therapy¹
-
Get a
pad of paper and pen/pencil
-
Be
in a relaxed mode
-
Write
down a starter word, i.e., barrel
-
Ask
yourself what this word means to you intellectually...write it down
-
Ask
yourself for a personal experience regarding this word and one that
you can recall...write it down
-
Think
of some other words and repeat Step 4 & 5 for each one, i.e.,
computer, beach, money, marriage
-
This is a lesson in objectivity and
subjectivity for self-awareness and communication.
-
Every single person in the world will have different feelings that stem
from their own personal perceptions.
-
That’s a valuable tool when
you want to communicate your own views or see someone else’s as a way
of working with others rather than against them.
-
It helps you to recognize a communication
breakdown and learn to rephrase or reiterate the statement.
Reflective
Writing²
-
Get a pad of unlined paper and two different colours of pens or pencils
and retreat to a quiet place with no distractions
-
With your dominant hand (for most people it’s the right hand)
write down a question you would like to ask about your life
-
With your non-dominant hand, let the answer flow onto the
paper
-
This exercise will put you in touch with the
other side of your brain and give you your own
answers in a loving and sometimes cryptic way that you
will understand. It frees insight and creativity as it rises above the
conscious chatter.
-
You will not know what is
exactly being written until
after it is written. There may also be drawings that you will not
know until it is finished. You will, however, have a sense of trust
and excitement in whatever is flowing onto the paper from the
creative side of your brain.
-
It's best not to show it to anyone
unless you are certain that you can trust them. Others may or may not understand,
and may judge or criticize you. Although it will inspire you, wait until you find the strength in
it since it may even be prophetic for you and hasn't come into view yet.
Myers-Briggs
Introduction to Type3 (Free
Personality Test) Psychological
Type was developed by Carl Jung to explain some of the apparently random
differences in people's behaviour because of the different ways that
people use their minds. The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator© (MBTI) helps
explain why different kinds of people:
-
are
interested in different things
-
are
good at different things
-
are
good at different kinds of work
-
often
find it hard to understand each other
This
system has been used for more than thirty years for:
-
families
to better understand each other
-
teachers
and students to make learning more interesting and efficient
-
young
people and adults to choose careers best suited to hold their interest
and use their talents
-
organizations
to improve communication, teamwork and leadership
The
MBTI explains how your preferred mental processes work together as well as
with others and is a great tool for enlightenment into a person's nature.
Your own personal report is a result of answers that are collected from a
questionnaire that you fill out, whereas the information available is
valuable insight into the mindset of those around you. It is a workable
guideline for communicating as you find yourself in different areas of
type to varying degrees all throughout your life. You will be stronger on
one side of the scale at a certain point and may grow to be stronger on
the other side if you so choose to expand on your capabilities. It is a
great tool for getting to know ourselves better as well as others.
A
little more on type:
Where
do you prefer to focus your attention? E or I
-
Extroversion
(E)
-
Introversion
(I)
How
do you take in information or find out about things? S or N
-
Sensing
(S)
-
You
take in information through your eyes, ears, and other senses to
find out what is actually happening. You are observant of what is
going on around you and are especially good at recognizing the
practical realities of a situation.
-
Intuition
(I)
How
do you make decisions? T or F
-
Thinking
(T)
-
Feeling
(F)
-
You
tend to consider what is important to you and to other people.
You mentally place yourself in a situation and identify with the
people involved so that you can make decisions based on
person-centered values. Your goal is harmony and recognition of
individuals, and your strengths include understanding,
appreciating, and supporting others.
How
do you orient toward the outer world? J or P
-
Judging
(J)
-
You
tend to live in a planned, orderly way, wanting to regulate and
control life. You make decisions, come to closure, and move on.
Your lifestyle is structured and organized, and you like to have
things settled. Sticking to a plan and schedule is very important
to you, and you enjoy your ability to get things done.
-
Perceiving
(P)
-
You
tend to live in a flexible, spontaneous way, seeking to experience
and understand life, rather than control it. Plans and decisions
feel confining to you as you prefer to stay open to experience and
last-minute options. You enjoy and trust your resourcefulness and
ability to adapt to the demands of a situation.
For
example, the characteristics frequently associated with the INTJ:
-
have
original minds and great drive for their own ideas and purposes
-
have
long-range vision and quickly find meaningful patterns in external
events
-
in
fields that appeal to them, they have a fine power to organize a job
and carry it though
-
skeptical,
critical, independent, determined
-
have
high standards of competence and performance
Linoleum
Art Art
is often considered the greatest therapist as it is a way of balancing
right and left sides of the brain making for a more balanced life. This
site promotes a focus on art in life and here is a very simple lesson in Linoleum Art
as one way for you to get in touch with the creative side of you. You will
also get in touch with the creative side by
using the Reflective Writing or Creative
Journal tools.
Creative
Journaling
Corinne
Pratz's
site provides journaling encouragement and inspiration via articles,
techniques, a visual gallery, and more. It also offers a free online
Creative-Journal newsletter, dedicated to "Achieving Growth One Word
At a Time." You will get a real boost as you quickly realize
how much inspiration is around you at any given moment with these simple
Journaling Techniques.
Included
in this list is a Self Discovery Series:
The
Victory Log
A
victory log is merely a sheet of paper that you have nearby any time you
need to be reminded of past successes of ANY kind. By reminding yourself
about your successes, by pulling out that little sheet, you'll often be
able to go on and reach down and grab your greatest performance ever even
from the depths of despair. Often times, you just need to be able to
REMEMBER that you can do it, when your thinking is really cloudy. So
focus on what you've done right, and you'll develop it.
This silly little
sheet of paper can pull you out of the deepest hole faster than anything
you've ever seen.
Here's how. In the areas listed below we want to create a big list of even
the tiniest successes. I often look at my list when I'm feeling not up to
a task. Hey, no one can be at their best all the time. Write down just a
few words to jog the memory so that when you look at it, you'll know. Many
people type these out afterwards. Go back to as far as you can remember.
Even kindergarten is fair game. This is the fastest way in the world to
build your confidence and increase your skills.
-
Learning - tests, quizzes, semester averages, awards, scholarships, I.Q.,
diploma. Include all grades and college.
-
The opposite sex - dated a "hottie," got the glance in the mall,
had a particularly romantic night/week/month, had 'em all after you,
summer camp, phone call, poems, cards, got whistled at. Go back as far as
you need to.
-
Sports (even backyard sports) - touchdowns, hits, baskets, goals, blocks,
double plays, great shots. Include board games and cards, too.
-
Work - promotions, sales, raises, pats on the back, contests, trips, saved
money for the company, teamwork, great days, winning, solving a problem,
saving a life, got elected, a finalist for the job, made the big sale, got
the listing.
-
Personal - convinced someone to a new way of thinking, landscaping,
painting, art, cleaning the house, new clothes, great dinners, children in
plays or sports, losing weight, eliminating a bad habit, building/fixing
something, tuning up the car, new car day, new home, getting a
letter/notification, made dinner, helped a friend.
-
Social - kept your temper, you were elegant, gave a great speech, the
party was a success.
-
Health - cholesterol is down, stopped smoking, lost weight, ran 100
yards/one mile/three miles, climbed the mountain, changed your diet,
walked by the chips in the store, etc.
-
Do this for every area of your life and even the small ones like walking
by the potato chips today. That's a victory and shouldn't be discounted,
because you were strong just then, and deserve recognition. No one else is
likely to do it, so you MUST.
-
Don't think little things are not important. They're everything --
everything.
The Victory Log is taken from
Chapter 19 of Mike Brescia's free ebook Today
Is Your Day To Win
¹ An
exercise taught through The Inner Peace Movement study course
–
Francisco Coll, Americana Leadership College
²
The Well-Being Journal and The Power of Your Other Hand
–
Lucia Cappacchione
3
Meyers-Briggs Introduction to Type
–
Consulting Psychologists Press, Inc
–
Free
Personality Test
|
