ALISTAIR…Vision of the future
WEEK 4
Seeing is believing as the adage goes. I focused my energy this week on understanding better the meaning of three terms: ‘gratitude’, ‘intention’ and ‘visualization’.
The exercises in the Journal allowed me to map out a clearer path around my future goals, and I learnt the art of ‘chunking’ (breaking down daily tasks into priority areas). I found myself using the 'chunking' technique at the start each day when I opened up my calendar to get an overview of the day. I'm now using it on a daily basis to guide me in my planning. It's allowed me to prioritize my important tasks. At the end of the day, I feel more satisified and happy.
The ‘visualization’ and ‘mental rehearsal’ techniques opened up a fresh perspective on energy flows and the connection they have to achieving success and bringing ‘intention’ to life. The exercise which brought this to life at the workout helped me to believe more in myself and what is possible if I imagine the impossible and then focus on my goal on actualizing it.
My favorite exercise was from the workout session. It required me to write a positive, reinforcing statement beginning with “I am grateful for…” about each of my fellow JOLTers. The experience proved challenging and enriching, and I kept on thinking during the exercise what others would write about me. When I received the letter, I was pleasantly surprised. I hardly receive physical mail these days (unless it's a power or water bill), so my first reaction was "mmm...I wonder who sent this." Funny, I can't even recognize my own handwriting! I felt a mix of emotions on reading the letter. Aside from all the warm fuzzies, there were a few observations that I didn't even think my fellow JOLTees would pick up about me after such a brief contact time. Interestingly, there were four words that reappeared that I believe do reflect my personality: "smart", "polite", "witty", "sociable".
Quote of the week is from Mark Twain: “The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The secret of getting started is breaking your complex tasks into small manageable tasks, and then starting on the first one”.