7 Mindsets for Collaboration ~ Building Creative and Engaging Relationships

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7 Mindsets for Collaboration ~ Building Creative and Engaging Relationships

Collaboration happens when all voices are heard, and all contributions valued, within a safe and open space of dialogue. People feel included and are encouraged to actively participate in the discussions or creative process. Collaboration gets stuck when we believe our idea is the way. We cannot accommodate another viewpoint because we are so locked in our own. Time and tradition clouds the lens from which we view things. We get so accustomed to our ways that we fail to see the bright and new. We can empower collaboration by changing our mindset. A changed mindset can alter the way we view others, our self, and a situation. It can shift our communication to more creative and inclusive language, and expand our range of awareness […]

Playing With Change

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Playing With Change

“Courage is the power to let go of the familiar.” ~ Raymond Lindquist. “But this is the way we have always done it!” Sound familiar? It is a common belief I hear in my playshops that keeps us entrenched in the past, close to what’s comfortable and familiar, and unavailable to the new. We like familiarity and certainty. It makes us feel safe and we don’t have to be creative. But our world is changing. Play is training for the unconventional. It teaches us to be present, open and flexible, holding our ourselves and our perspectives lightly. To thrive in today’s rapidly changing and uncertain world it helps to suspend belief and stay curious. We cannot hold on as tightly as we used to. We […]

15 Ways to Support Children to Play with their Intuition ~ Engaging the Heart, Intelligence & Innocence of Children

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15 Ways to Support Children to Play with their Intuition ~ Engaging the Heart, Intelligence & Innocence of Children

“The best way to preserve a child’s vision is to let them see things their way rather than yours.” ~ Jacob Liberman. Intuition is… the knowing/sensing of something beyond time, space, reason, the use of prior knowledge and the five senses. It is the gateway to your soul. Intuition is your birthright. As children you freely connect to your intuition so naturally that you don’t even know it is intuition. It is an everyday awareness permeating your existence that you are intimately connected with and a part of. Life feels magical and your environment is filled with endless possibilities. It doesn’t take long before you lose this sense of presence and wonder. Soon you are more engaged in limited thinking and the responsibilities of life than […]

Don’t Decide, Discover ~ 4 Steps for Spontaneous Living

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Don’t Decide, Discover ~ 4 Steps for Spontaneous Living

“Living is a form of not being sure, not knowing what next or how. The moment you know how, you begin to die a little. The artist never entirely knows. We guess. We may be wrong, but we take leap after leap in the dark.” ~ Agnes de Mille. “Don’t Decide, Discover” were the words repeatedly spoken by international dance teacher and choreographer, Margie Gillis, at her Dancing from the Inside Out workshop I just took at Hollyhock. Her point was that we must learn to allow the body to show the way instead of the mind; to allow its inner wisdom to move us versus making a mental decision that then drives the body forward. Like the universal body of Life, the physical body […]

Designing Your Impact ~ A Simple and Powerful Skill

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Designing Your Impact ~ A Simple and Powerful Skill

“Don’t Make Assumptions. Find the courage to ask questions and to express what you really want. Communicate with others as clearly as you can to avoid misunderstandings, sadness and drama. With just this one agreement, you can completely transform your life.” ~ Miguel Angel Ruiz, author of The Four Agreements. A week ago a friend and I had a Play Day together, a day trip which included swimming, hiking and bocce ball. Fun! As we began our adventure, my friend did not seem his usual self. He was stiff, withdrawn and difficult to communicate with. I noticed I began making assumptions: Is he mad at me? Am I talking too much? Am I annoying him? I was also aware that I was working hard at connecting to him, […]

Discovering Life Through Uncertainty

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Discovering Life Through Uncertainty

Yesterday I used to sing a song That carried me through the night The other day I seemed to have it all But now, I cannot seem to fight And when I try to hold on to it I seem to hardly let go It’s time to face my fears It’s time to show my soul In time I’ll lose myself In time I’ll cry my dreams away In time I’ll be myself again And fall away “When we are not sure, we are alive.” ~ Graham Greene In moments when we’ve lost our sense of certainty we can feel powerless, lost and confused. We lose faith in ourselves to direct our life. While these moments challenge us to the core, they are the fertile […]

The Gift of Curiosity ~ Creating a New World One Question at a Time

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The Gift of Curiosity ~ Creating a New World One Question at a Time

The Gift of Curiosity is one the great toys for us to play with in engaging others and ourselves. It opens the mind and heart, stimulates creative thinking, encourages sharing, clarifies needs and desires, illuminates values, activates intuition and much, much more. Curiosity is a doorway into the soul and soulful living. The power lies in the question, not the answer Our society still functions from the perspective that the power lies in the answer. We tell people what to think, what to do and where to go. Whether it is parents, teachers or employers, we engage others from the perspective of telling, fixing or managing versus asking. There is nothing wrong with these modes of engagement, yet when not balanced with the wisdom of […]

Conscious Communication ~ Getting the Best out of Other & Ourselves

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Conscious Communication ~ Getting the Best out of Other & Ourselves

“Listening may be the most powerful statement a person can make.” ~ Dr. Mardy Grothe What is conscious communication? Conscious means aware. Conscious communication is communicating from an awareness of who you are and the impact you are having and want to have, as well as an awareness of what people really want, and how they can best be supported. Conscious communication begins with being aware of whether we are speaking from our heart and intuition, or our fears and doubts. Are we speaking from our own past experiences and then projecting them onto the person in front of us, or are we really open to the uniqueness and possibilities that exist in every encounter? When beginning the path of conscious communication a simple place […]