MOVEME
Harnessing the Power of Your Thoughts for Personal & Professional GreatnessBy Marcal GrahamiUniverse, Inc.
Copyright © 2010 Marcal Graham, Ed.D.
All right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4502-3512-9 Contents
Preface............................................................................................xiIntroduction The MOVEME Process...................................................................xxiiiChapter 1 Getting Started on Self-Reflection.......................................................1Chapter 2 The Building Blocks of the Leadership Pyramid............................................7Chapter 3 Time Spent on Reflection.................................................................21Chapter 4 Motivation: Be Intentional...............................................................25Chapter 5 The Power of Music, Visual Arts & Pictures: I Am What I Hear and See.....................31Chapter 6 Openness: Are You a Prisoner?............................................................35Chapter 7 Vision: Are You Able to See Around Adversity & Obstacles?................................39Chapter 8 Exposure: What Is Shaping Your Worldview?................................................43Chapter 9 Mastery: Growth and Evaluation...........................................................49Chapter 10 Engagement: Are You a Reflector or Deflector?...........................................53Chapter 11 The Cost of Positive Change and Success.................................................61Conclusion.........................................................................................67References.........................................................................................69
Chapter One
Getting Started on Self-Reflection
Do not go where the path may lead: Go instead where there is no path And leave a trail. -Ralph Waldo Emerson
If you do not spend time devoted to thinking about the choices and decisions you make, you are preventing personal, professional, and spiritual growth. Many people accept life at face value and believe or behave as if their thoughts do not contribute to their reality. It is easier for them to blame others for their reality.
This chapter examines the power of knowing as we journey down the path of life. We are all traveling in many directions as we attempt to find happiness, success, and personal and professional fulfillment. What is the best course of action? How do we get there? Can we follow someone else's blueprint for our own lives? Do we have the courage to find and develop our own pathway? These are just some of the questions that we must address if we are to have the kind of life that we need or desire.
It is easy to be a follower and to want to know what is around the corner-always. We are unable to predict the future, of course, but we must stay the course. There is no common or universal blueprint for our lives. It is our own responsibility to navigate life's ups and downs. The quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson above illustrates both the uncertainty and opportunity that we are presented with when we make decisions. In making our own decisions, we chart a course that prepares us for the future. These decisions may mean deviating from what family and friends think is the "right" path for our lives.
Assess Your State of Mind
Who determines the right path for you? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Are you afraid to create your own path? Why? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
How many pathways have you created? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Have you experienced U-turns or obstacles? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Have you run out gas? Why? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Have you been disillusioned by the consequences of your decisions? How so? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
These questions allow you to reflect on and analyze your actions and decisions. How often do you think about your choices? Sometimes it seems like the only ones reflecting on life, relationship, politics, and learning are late-night and popular comedians like David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Chris Rock. Unfortunately, we are not trying to create our own pathways to success, but we want everything figured out for us at the outset. Life would be simpler if our futures were predetermined from the outset. We would like to believe that our "cheese" will never be moved, as author Dr. Spencer Johnson, in the transformative and awe-inspiring book Who Moved My Cheese?, elaborates on how human beings negotiate, avoid, confront, and overcome their fear of change from a personal and professional standpoint.
The game of checkers and chess is based on critical-thinking skills. The game of checkers is based on being quick, forward-thinking, and developing strategies to outmaneuver your opponent in order to win a match. Comparatively speaking, the game of chess requires another level of intense analytical and strategic thinking and rewards players for being methodical and developing strategies to anticipate your opponents' moves well in advance. In retrospect, both board games have one thing in common; you must weigh all possible outcomes before you make a move. Many people move with little or no data, or even outdated data. What is your mental approach to achieving success? This is just one question to pose to yourself.
Assess Your State of Mind
Another way to analyze your life is viewing it as a race to be run. Are you a sprinter in your thoughts and aspirations, often only considering the immediate or short-term goals you need to achieve, or are you a long-distance runner who sees the big picture and trains for the long haul?
Are you a chess or checkers kind of person? Why do you see yourself as this type of player? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Do you see life more from a sprinter's perspective or from a long-distance runner's? Explain. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
What is your level of preparation (physical, mental, intellectual, etc.) to enter the race? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Chapter Two
The Building Blocks of the Leadership Pyramid
"Our thinking is always under construction."
If we approach our thinking as construction workers approach their work, we would understand that there is always room for growth and learning. Although construction projects have end dates and buildings eventually are finished, our thinking and who we are as individuals will never end if we understand the development of personal growth.
The majority of people are led to believe that once they achieve professional and academic greatness, they have "arrived" at their destination of being all-knowing. However, one can never "arrive," since learning is a continuous process. We need to be at a stage of personal development where we reflect on our thinking and the actions that have come as a result. There are different parts to our thinking that are challenged only through understanding the choices that we make, analyzing our mind-set, using reflection as a tool for self-improvement, and assuming positive leadership over our lives.
The MOVEME Self-Improvement & Leadership Pyramid
The MOVEME Self-Improvement and Leadership Pyramid holds the key to self-improvement. The leadership pyramid provides a visual aid that allows us to see the complex nature of making decisions and how it impacts the choices we make in our daily lives. In developing this pyramid, I realized that we must address all quadrants if we are to be successful in our pursuits.
The reflection triangle teaches us to process whether the decisions we make are actually working. It is difficult to have a healthy and open mind-set if we are not reflecting on our experiences, both good and bad. If we analyze the right bottom quadrant, we see that choices are a direct result of reflection; it impacts choices you make in your everyday life. At the top of the pyramid is leadership, which provides the motivation for the action needed to generate positive change. These quadrants are interrelated. For example, if you are making poor choices, it impacts your mind-set in negative ways. If you continue to make poor choices, you start to question your abilities and self-esteem and eventually undermine your confidence in the decisions you make.
Assess Your State of Mind
What does this pyramid say to you? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
If you were to create your own pyramid using the same triangles-leadership, reflection, mind-set, and choices-would the triangles stay the same or would you reposition them? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
When was the last time you reflected on the personal choices you have made? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
When was the last time you reflected on the professional choices you have made? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Have you reflected enough to determine if what you did actually materialized? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
If you are not making wise choices, then what is your mind-set? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Can you have a healthy mind-set if you are not making good choices? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Are the choices you are making professionally guided by some form of data? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Collectively, list five professional, educational, and personal goals you have for yourself. __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
What are some of the bridges you must cross in order to accomplish your stated goals? What other factors must you consider? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
What are some of the internal (mental, thoughts, decisions) challenges you must confront in order to cross over your bridges? What type of thinking and action is required to cross safely? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
What are some external (external forces) challenges you must confront in order to cross over your bridges? What type of thinking and action is required to cross safely? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Are you intellectually, emotionally, physically, and spiritually equipped enough to cross the bridge? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Can you approach each bridge in the same manner? Why or why not? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
Have you been able to help friends or family members cross any educational, professional, or personal bridges? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
A Guiding Thought to Ponder
By utilizing the MOVEME (Motivation, Openness, Vision, Exposure, Mastery, and Engagement) process of leadership, you will be able to build strategies for overcoming personal limitations, which undermine your ability to help youth, families, and yourself. Only by reflecting on your mind-set can you make adjustments to your attitude and the amount of effort you channel to crossing bridges to reaching your goals.
There is no recipe for being an effective leader, but if you ask yourself constructive, surface-penetrating, and solution-oriented questions, they will lead you in the right direction. In the book, QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, John Miller states that we can make better decisions in life by reflecting and posing deeper and richer questions to ourselves. His argument is that we are accountable for our actions and choices, and if we discipline our minds by resisting the temptation to ask negative-outcome questions, we can eventually reap the benefits of a positive mind set. The following list provides examples of the kinds of questions you should ask yourself.
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Excerpted from MOVEMEby Marcal Graham Copyright © 2010 by Marcal Graham, Ed.D.. Excerpted by permission.
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