Course 3: PL 102 - The Problem is the Path (Discussion 1)
Please note: In order to successfully complete Course 3, you must respond to this post. Your comment/response should answer the questions/shows that you completed the given activity (if any). Read the post carefully and follow the instructions given. Save your responses to a document that you can later refer to. You will need to copy/paste your response in the course evaluation form at the end of each course to show that you have done the work and to refresh your memory.
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Hello LDP Team!
I am enjoying this program and I hope that you all are finding it helpful and meaningful! I'm excited about this next course. The problem is the path is the core insight that helps us evolve as individuals and as a community here on 7 Cups.
Here is an overview of this course:
Course Description: It is natural for us to want to avoid problems. Problems can cause worry, anxiety, and frustration. These are feelings that we often want to avoid. Problems, however, are the key to growth. When we face our problems directly we get smarter and grow stronger. A saying that captures this is: Progress = Pain + Reflection. This course helps you learn the value of problems by highlighting the difference between problems you might be concerned about and problems you can directly solve. Next, it walks you through the ancient practice of steering into problems directly in order to unlock their value and gifts. Finally, it helps you identify and measure progress so you can make continued gains in your personal and professional life.
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj8dmSgQa1c
Bonus: Check out chapter 8 of the book 7 Cups for the Searching Soul (more in the next discussion) for a deeper dive into learning more about accepting what we cannot control.
After fulfilling the requirements of this post, please check out the next post here! You must take part in the brainstorming/activities given in all of these posts to successfully complete the program.
(edited by @SoulfullyAButterfly on 29/1/2021 to update (1) to replace it with a working YouTube link)
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@GlenM
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
3 things in my circle of concern:
-feeling insignificant at my current job and the changes in the environment
-How my bf/fiancé will handle his situation
-not having enough time to enjoy hobbies and activities and to travel
3 things in my circle of influence:
-staying disciplined in my everyday actions (I usually think of the example with exercising because it’s an easier way to see how it affects my weight and mood. I noticed that without the consistent exercise I got worse but I’ve kept up lately with my exercise routine and I see this to fruition when I look slimmer and feel a bit better).
-taking a time now and then to talk to him to see how I can help (I did this more often in the beginning which he appreciated but then I got busy dealing with my own things and lost touch on checking in which feels like not much had improved so now that things are more settled I can sin to discuss this with him again).
-looking back to everything I did and how I accomplished my goals (I did this lately by reading my past journal entries and read about the struggles I had and remembering what it took go s risky finish what I started. I did things I normally wouldn’t have been as comfortable with and ended up being more successful than anticipated. So I can work on translating this into my current work to show my capabilities even though I’m not doing as much as I’d like to make an impact for people but if I show my reliability I can build hope to someday doing a more meaningful job.)
1 thing I can do to remind myself to focus on my influence:
-think about the compliments other people would say to me at work and when listening and remembering how rewarding and impactful I’ve made them at the moment.
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
What stood out to me about this executive is the way they took initiative by reading the situation and compromising for what was missed in the team, seeing the underlying concerns of the boss. I thought was cool of them to initiators this because most people would be focused on how others weaknesses are affecting themselves but doesn’t give the push to actually make the situation better for everyone. So this was inspiring to see how someone first understood the way the body was and his values and then worked on their own what was needed like making connections with people and getting research done.
what they did that would considered proactive as opposed to reactive is to take the time to anticipate what the boss wanted and what his tule in leadership was. Another proactive action was gathering information from the other members used the skills the boss didn’t have.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj8dmSgQa1c
@GlenM
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
My Circle of Concern -
1) The health of my family and I
2) Financial security for my family and I
3) Getting my driver's license as soon as possible to own a car
Circle of Influence -
1) Maintaining my own self care and leading by example as much as I can as a positive and healthy influence
2) Exercising better spending habits and becoming a bit more self disciplined with the amount I save (save more). Coupons are also really great
3) I am able to get to and from my home at any time without having my own vehicle, driving takes practice and I can't rush it if I want to be a safe driver.
Remind Myself - There's actually 3 things I can/will remind myself: Maintaining a balance of self care, responsibility and self discipline with finances, and gratitude for my current reliable transportation
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
- Towards the end of the video, the narrator described the executive's techniques as "chosen responses". This description stood out to me because it shows he was being proactive. He chose to work with his boss's weaknesses rather than criticize them. He chose to remain committed to his role while strategizing ways to improve the way the work environment was instead of joining in on gossiping about the boss.
@GlenM
Things in my circle of concern:
1. My results (from my exams)
2. The life of my child
3. My neighborhood/family
Things in my circle of influence:
1. My efforts in my studies/work
2. The "parent" part of my child's life
3. My relationship with my family/colleagues.
Reminder: If I try working on the things inside my circle of influence, I will affect how my results turn out or how my child grows up to be.
The executive was proactive as he chose a different direction than his peers. Instead of complaining about the boss, he complemented his attributes, taking the lead in the places his boss lacked and acting as a buffer between the entire team, thus creating a fully functional and healthy work environment.
@GlenM 1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
3 things in my circle of concern would be -: Getting into the college I like
Making a good set of friends with whom I can have fun, learn and grow.
Having a good rapport with my family.
3 things in my circle of influence would be -: Being good at what I do
Improving myself in my studies, career.
Self-care and making sure I don't burn myself out.
1 thing I can do to remind myself-: Reminding myself how important it is to be efficient in what I do to be recognized and appreciated. To be an asset to the community/ career or even a relationship
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uj8dmSgQa1c
I liked how the executive wanted to be proactive in the situation rather than being like the rest. He tried to make it a positive thing and made the team's weakness into their strength. Every organization should have people who are proactive and aim to be an asset to the company.
He took the initiative to empathize with the manager and help the team to work better for the company's profit. He made an effort to change the reactive nature of co-workers to being proactive which had a positive impact on the team and their manager. Focusing on his circle of influence is what he did and what we all should do to succeed and be efficient.
@GlenM
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
Circle of concern:
Safety, Self-Development, Growth
Circle of Influence
Being careful who I am around to prevent harm and danger, Prioritise time to manage myself in order to improve my life, Take small steps each day to allow growth.
I should let down the barriers a little, but I do worry a lot that if I do this, I will be allowing potential danger which stems from my childhood.
My reminder is to allow myself the time I do actually have, I tend to use free time to watch some TV to relax, but this would be better dealing with issues of concern, so that these are less stressful.
@GlenM
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
Circle of concern:
1) Finishing my semester with good grades
2) My family
3) Creating and maintaining friendships/relationships with others
Circle of influence:
1) Improve myself/self-care
2) Becoming more organized
3) Work on communicating better with others
To remind myself to focus on my circle of influence, I can redirect my mindset to help me reach what I'm striving for and remember what only I can control.
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
What stands out to me about this executive is that this man changed his behaviors to change outcomes of situations by expanding his circle of influence. He was proactive by utilizing his strengths to find a solution to the situation as opposed to letting the problem take over.
Circle of Concern
* As an empath and an INFJ-A, this list is fairly difficult for me to come up with. But I guess the first thing I've had to put here is the world. The war between Russia and Ukraine, the controversies against humanity in the ongoing FIFA World Cup 2022, the earthquakes, the floods, and volcanic eruptions that kills many lives, the injustice in the killings of innocent lives at an LGBTQ+ bar in the US, the global mass protests happening, NoKor playing with nuclear weapons, the pandemic (yes, there's still one), the fascination for weapons and technology but total disregard for human life, natural resources, and life itself... all of those and more. :(
* We were recently laid off, me and my entire team of 40+ humans. That's 40+ families so close to the holiday season and in our culture, it's such a big part of our lives. So I am very worried about them especially since I know most of them also suffer from mental health conditions like anxiety and depression.
* People I care about and love who are in a physical distance from me, thousands of miles and timezones away :'(
Circle of Influence
* Ultimately, myself. I can focus on myself because it's the most tangible aspect that I have full control over.
* My 7Cups life. It's the only aspect of my life at the moment that gives me back some of the energy I invest in it and that means a lot.
* The people here in my building (guards, maintenance people, housekeeping, waiters at the cafe, etc.) are the only human interactions I get. I'm very thankful for them <3 I used to feel depressed that I don't have people I can talk to here when I first moved to the island, but now, I feel so blessed and humbled that these people are in my circle.
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Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive. What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
He's a more "walk the talk" kind of man and I can fully resonate with that. I mean, I may come off as talkative, but in my out-of-cups life, I'm considered very quiet and contemplative. Despite that, I make sure that everything works okay and that there is communication between each team member and at every level of the organization.
He recognized the strength of his teammates, the weakness of their leaders, and the misalign in communication styles. Since he can communicate with all of them, he served as the medium and was able to eventually connect the entire team and their lead.
One thing I can do to focus on my circle of influence is to remind grounded and try my best and hardest not to overthink and overfeel things as it leads to unhealthy habits.
@GlenM
Hello everyone,
#1: Some things that I would list in my circle would be the following, my health, relationships & future.
#2: Circle of influence would be the following, hobbies, education & life goals.
#3: I think that my influence focus would be just taking everything one day at a time, my situation changes all the time & learning how to adapt to any given situation.
Part 2
#1: Some things that stand out about this executive was that he really took the time to identify the problems & work with the team on solutions. He was coming up with ideas from himself but always working within the team. The executive was proactive because he focused on the problems that he could control.
@GlenM
@GlenM
1. Watch the following video and identify 3 things in your circle of concern, 3 things in your circle of influence, and 1 thing you can do to remind yourself to focus on your circle of influence.
In my circle of concern: 1-Always bothered about my physical appearance. 2-How people don’t care about me. 3- Relatives’ health.
In my circle of influence: 1- focus on being there for people . 2-focus on studying and working hard in school. 3- focus on accepting things I can’t control.
one thing I can do to remind myself to focus on my circle of influence it to use the quote “don’t stress over things you can’t control”
2. Next, watch the following video and highlight what stands out to you about this executive? What did they do that would be considered proactive as opposed to reactive?
He stood out exceptionally because he didn’t talk back to the president. Instead he listened keenly and came up with ideas.
He anticipated, empathized, took the initiative, compensated instead of criticizing, made weaknesses irrelevant, read and understood the situation instead of sitting back and criticizing.
Bonus: Check out chapter 8 of the book 7 Cups for the Searching Soul (more in the next discussion) for a deeper dive into learning more about accepting what we cannot control.
Excellent chapter. My best verse was “Gratitude will make you happier than getting or achieving any of the things on that list” and that the best things in life truly are free.”
