Course 3: PL 102 - Introduction and Story (Discussion 2)

@GlenM

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?

Life is often confusing and feeling unsure is pretty normal. Getting lost some time is part of it. I like the assurance 7cups team gives to help without judgement. Life has many shades, some are pleasant, some not so much, how we see it depends on our view.

2. What was most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?

Needs “force” us to look out for support. What keeps us healthy is nurturing each other, be there for each other, reach out to another, give and also ask for help.

3. How can we learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help - or experiencing need - is a strength or a skill that we need to develop to help one another grow stronger?

By not feeding the false idea portrayed in so any ways in media etc. that we have to be perfect, strong all the time and able to solve problems always on our own but assuring that we all do need help sometimes and that getting or receiving help is something natural which bonds us as humans. Only together we can truly grow.

@GlenM

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
I loved the three main things 7 cups community wanted to tell before starting. Those are very encouraging words and stand true with 7 cups community goal- no one needs help left behind. Personal growth is not a straight line, life is not simple but believes in yourself, just pick yourself up and take that next step forward. The path is always there. It is always waiting for you.
2. What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?

Everyone needs help at some point even though people like to deny it. It's not ashamed or a symbol of weakness if you asking for help. The connection between human, caring for each other is what makes us stronger.

Need forces you to face your problems and ask for help in solving them. Once you receive the help, you feel better and want to help others. This is the basic process that creates healing.

3. How can we learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help - or experiencing need - is a strength or a skill that we need to develop to help one another grow stronger?

Listen. Listen to what their need and worries, let them know that you'll always be there for them. Give them love, support and a sense of direction.

@GlenM

1.

The idea of “getting back to the path” after distractions made you lose your way. It`s a pillar of any healthy philosophy of life. In a few words, it carries many ideas. Have a path, a way you want to go. Monitor yourself, that you are walking this path. When you get distracted and go out of the path, do not continue advancing in a wrong direction. Backtrack, return to the path, even if it disappoints you that you are moving backward, and not forward. If you don't you'll get lost. Don't waste your energy complaining and blaming yourself. Just get back to the trail, and continue advancing as if nothing had happened.

2.

Healing involves acknowledging our needs and facing our problems. And most importantly, asking for help in solving these problems.

Overcoming pain and fear with the help of others is the way to heal.

But first, we have to acknowledge our pain and our need for the help of other fellow human beings.

Instead, isolating ourselves and trying to avoid fear and pain, worsens our suffering and mental problems. We end up suffering in loneliness.

Once we are healthier, we can help others, and this makes us even healthier, while at the same time expanding the world-improving process by helping other people heal themselves..

3.

By going ourselves through this process of asking for help, acknowledging our need, and healing, we can afterward show others our experience, show them that expressing your needs and asking for help is not shameful or weak, but a valuable, courageous, skill that lets you walk an effective path to healing.

@GlenM

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?

That personal growth isn't a straight path. I think I've been trying to force it to be a one way street, when really, it will take a lot of trial and error, and it will continue on for the entirety of my life

2. What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?

When we try to escape from pain and not ask for help, we only cause ourselves to suffer even more

3. How can we learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help - or experiencing need - is a strength or a skill that we need to develop to help one another grow stronger?

We have to be very understanding of others and our own situations. Once we can teach ourselves that it's okay not to be okay, we can encourage others to also ask for help, but when we keep internal struggles to ourselves, others do the same.

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
The whole text felt very encouraging and warm, especially the bit about grabbing a cup of tea, very welcoming.

2. What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora?
That choosing isolation and ignorance might seem easy to do, it is not the right way to solve problems. Promblems need to be confronted instead of avoided.

3. How can we learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help - or experiencing need - is a strength or a skill that we need to develop to help one another grow stronger?

We can try to create safe spaces that prompt people to feel comfortable in asking for help.

1. This sentence - We don’t want you to have to continue to carry a burden that you can drop beside you.

2. Contrary to the direct message, all people have need, the story seems to highlight that even though the direct messaging says otherwise. Otherwise the wealthy wouldn't be sick.

3. I think it helps if during younger development one wasn't shut out when seeking help. I would say it's both a strength and skill.

@GlenM

1. Honestly the thing that stood out to me is how you tried to understand each one of us, without even needing to know who we actually are, because there are some things that are similar to everyone in this world we live in.

2. The most important lesson I learnt from the story of Ancona is that helping others and reaching out for help is one of the bravest things to do, and it's also very helpful to making the world a better place.

3. We can learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help is a skill we can develop by showing them compassion and showing them in our own way that they have the ability to ask for help and that it'll help us grow stronger.

@GlenM

1. As a way of denying that something is happening to make ourselves feel better.

2. That there are many things we learn how to do or "control", let's say, in our life because of how we were taught to do and behave in our very early life.

3. The 3 top distraction systems in my opinion is social media, movies and sleeping. I believe that the most powerful is social media, because most people nowadays are sitting above a screen for many hours a day, and just immediately after they leave their phone, they leave the virtual reality of social media and the online world and come back to reality, which makes them feel sad and miserable.

@GlenM

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?

The one thing that stood out to me the most in the welcome section was the really firm, direct statements, specifically "We believe in you" "We are not interested in judging you" and "Realize that personal growth is not easy." I have quite a mix feeling about it because on one hand, it is super positive and encouraging and relatable for some people, but on the other hand, it could be invalidating as well :0 Either way, it definitely did stand out to me the most in the introduction.

2. What was most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?

hmm, I really liked the allegory of the story in terms of real world anxiety, fear, and overall, mental health. It really is about not avoiding the problem and facing it, and whlie I absolutely agree with the moral of the story, I would say that sometimes it is really about finding a good time to face it instead of just directly facing it as soon as possible as well!

3. How can we learn and help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help - or experiencing need - is a strength or a skill that we need to develop to help one another grow stronger?

The main ways to help others feel more comfortable with asking for help is really to set an example and ask for help ourselves. It is a way to let others see that it is not just talk; it is something that we could all do to become stronger and grow together!

1: To think and reflect on what is going on in your life and that we are always so quick to overthink things.

2: That when there is a need that people will reach out for help so it helps with that need.

3: To ask for help for small things before building up to bigger things.