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

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
I love the poem that is given at the very start. Other than that, I love the messages for us that we need to know. About 7 Cups believing in us, never judging us for who we are - I like how they mention having a fresh start with this book, and also the reminder that personal growth is not linear. I liked reading the introduction, truly felt like a friend was asking me to come to sit with them and just discuss a great insightful topic.

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

The important lesson I learned was people need people and it's good to have people who you can confide in. We all have fears and doubt about us, which we think we cannot speak about but there are people who will listen to us and support us. It is a cycle, you ask people for help, you receive it, then you try to repay them by helping them. This helps in building community and it's much easier and much more efficient to solve important problems that way.

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 asking for help ourselves. You have to be part of the movement to have it get normalized. A lot of times, it's not just enough to say "you should ask for help" tell them why and show them how much it helps. Asking for help isn't being weak, it's wanting to show, I am strong but I need some hand to hold while I do this - and there's nothing wrong with that. I believe having more opportunities to collaborate and work together would also be nice, in that way, people will be comfortable sharing more of what they are going through and work together to come up with solutions.

You can't give your life more time, so give the time you have, more life.

1) What stood out to me was, we all believe in each other, I believe in you, you believe in me. 2) Approaching an issue with a closed mindset doesn’t help the problem. It often just makes the issue much worse. 3) By supporting one another and listening when someone tells their story.

What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
The thing that stood out to me the most in the introduction was how direct it was about what’s to be expected in the book. And followed up with encouraging words showing the 7 Cups community believes in me and not here to judge me. It’s a nice way to deliver what some people would consider to be a hard message as personal growth is certainly not easy.

What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?
The most important lesson I learned from the story of Angora is the cycle of basic healing. You start off with a need, ask for help, receive help, and help others. Then the cycle repeats itself. If you find it hard to reach out for help, then more than likely, you will find it hard to genuinely help others because you haven't received real help yourself.

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 help others get more comfortable with the idea that asking for help is a skill we need to develop by raising awareness around this and encouraging them to reach out. We can also help make the process easier for them by maintaining a high warmth and high expectations culture as it creates a community of love and support.

@GlenM

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

The poem in the beginning I wasn't expecting a poem in the book and the poem was well written

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

The story was so well written and it hit so close to home I wasn't expecting the story to make me cry hardly any book makes me cry It really is hard to open up and ask for help The most important thing that I learned is the process of asking for receiving and giving help is what keeps us from going into a zombie-like state
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 help others get more comfortable with the idea of asking for help by showing them there is nothing wrong with asking for help We can do that by asking for help ourselves too

Every winner was once a loser who got up and gave it one more shot

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
The section about personal growth! Realising that no matter what, the path is always there and even if you get lost or you veer off the path, it will always be there for you to get back on. Also, that nobody really knows what to do in life, and that’s okay.

2. What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?
The most important lesson I learnt is that we mustn't ignore our problems. If we are stuck, we should seek help. If we don’t seek help and we instead ignore our problems then they are going to get worse.

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 need to start by continuing to normalise asking for help and support. We need to continue being non-judgmental, empathetic, high-quality listeners. We need to remove the stigma around asking for support. With time, more and more people will learn to be comfortable with the idea that asking for help is a strength rather than a weakness.

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

I think just all the postivity even without the book actual starting. You can feel the care with which the book was written. You know that this book is going to be your companion and sort of safe haven. You can look in to find comfort.

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

The most important thing for me was to ask for help. The book says that if we do not ask for help, we would not get help. And that is so true. Also the part about the rich being shown as society that does not need help and the poor being shown someone as who is in dire need. The book is so real.

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?

I think we need to realize that everyone needs help. This is not an individual case. In our minds, we often feel like we are in a bad situtation but everyone around us are doing much better. That is not the case. Everyone has their own struggles. When we realize we are not alone in needing help, we would feel less ashmed.

1. What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
All the kindness and compassion, as well as a fresh start! I like that idea :)

2. What was  most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (Chapter 1)?
That we can’t thrive alone. Part of the process is fear and/or pain. And then with that fear and pain can come help when you reach out. Then you can learn to help. And then healing can begin.

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 show more compassion to others as well as ourselves. I think that will help build trust. I think if we continue to teach and share with others that this is all part of the process it will become more normal to ask for help. It takes courage to share how you are feeling, and asking for help is a key part of the process to heal and grow, and ultimately be able to help others in return.

@GlenM

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

- Something that I loved about this book is that it shows how we have the power to grow as individuals, which makes us able to be our true selves.

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

- I learned the importance of being able to work in groups as a community. In other words, we cannot expect to do everything on our own, which is the reason society is structured the way it is right now. For example, we need everyone in order to be functional and develop.

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?

- A would way is building up trust in each other. We always go for help from those that we know and trust. This can be implemented by meeting our core values requirements as listeners and leaders.

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

7cups believe in people and their potential.
People are not judged and rather encouraged to live the past and make a fresh start.
Personal growth is challenging. It’s not a straight line.

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

The most important thing I learned from the story is that we need to accept that we have problems and learn to ask for help. Also, avoiding our fears and problems only increase them. The cure lies in trust, hope, and love which we receive when we share out our fears and issues with others.

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

People learn behaviours by observing them in their environment. We can always first work on our own self, coming out of our comfort zone, and feel free to ask for help from others. It could be something really small. And gradually we can open up our inner world to someone we can trust upon. Once we start trusting others, others also feel a sense of faith in us and it builds an atmosphere of warmth and love.

What was the thing that stood out to you most in the introduction?
I love how the introduction is talking to ur minds and touches on my heart. It draws me in to keep reading because it spoke to me. I also loved the poem at the end of the introduction.
What was the most important lesson you learned from the story of Ancora (chapter 1)?
When we shut ourselves off from the world as the people and community did in Ancora we are shutting ourselves off from what it is we need and that's life, the living. recovery and healing. It's like shutting myself off in my home and never coming out and hoping for survival and healing but I become more sick, depressed and my mind and body will start to shut down.
As humans, we have a craving for a sense of a belonging, to be a part of something and for this to happen we need to remain within the community. Our survival within the community relies on us reaching out for help and giving help. This is how the community grows.
How can we learn 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 another grow stronger?
It is reaching out to others and asking "are you okay?" OR "how are you?" Understandably people are too shy or uncomfortable, so then change starts with us asking them, listening to them, and letting them feel assured that what they are feeling is okay and valid. Let them know what they are feeling is normal, we all feel it and experience it. It's human and its life. Share some of your story and let them know it's okay to reach out and ask for help as you have done because it is the only way to survive this thing called life.

It is by giving your hand to others to help another up that our community can grow stronger.