12.01.2022

Multiple Choice Guessing | Respair | Meaningful Introductions

Hello there! Welcome to my weekly LEAPS. 

You’re receiving this email because you subscribed to my weekly Wednesday feature or our mailing list. Every Wednesday, I share 5 things using our LEAPS approach: 

Learn: something new or an idea
Energy: something that’s creating an energy and positive impact
Action: something to do
Processing: a question to consider
Shout out: something or someone that I want to celebrate or acknowledge

Have you taken the GLAS Understanding Assessment
and received your free report?

LEARN
Something Worth Sharing

Multiple Choice Guessing

My husband and I, for a number of years now, spend the beginning of our day ‘deliberately communicating’ by using one of the GLAS processes. It takes 20 minutes and, without distraction, each of us takes turns talking about set areas of life while the other fully listens (without comment or interruption!). While it doesn’t sound romantic at all, it’s incredibly valuable and has huge benefits.

It reminded me this week that one of the benefits is that it’s helped us to reduce the “multiple choice guessing” that we are all prone to. When we lack all of the necessary information for something, as is human nature, we fill the gap with guessing. If we’re feeling balanced and positive it can be a more positive guess, but most of the time we fill in the gap with a fear-based guess - a worst-case scenario guess. That’s the ‘multiple choice’ part.

We’ve all had a phone call with a friend, client or family member that didn’t seem as positive as expected and so the choice of ‘guessing’ can be that the other party are upset with us. It surely must be our fault! The reality is that the other person probably had something on their mind or something is going on for them.

How often are you Multiple Choice Guessing? The trick is to:

1. Realise you’re going it

2. Learn to clarify - find a process

3. Help others to not MCG when talking to you

ENERGY
Focusing on an emotion or positive energy; a stand-out word / s

RESPAIR

For those in the UK, you may have heard of Susie Dent. Susie is a well-known member of the team on TV show ‘Countdown’. She is known as the Queen of the Dictionary - although her official job title is ‘lexicographer’. She often discovers forgotten words, and RESPAIR is one of those.

She shared on a radio show recently: “I've just discovered the beautiful word 'respair' (15th century), and it feels like we need it today: fresh hope; a recovery from despair”.

I was completely taken by that and wanted to share with you!

ACTION
Something small that you can do that might make a big difference

What you WILL and WON’T do

Continuing to take inspiration from our GLAS Living Deliberately calendar and logbook, this week’s action is to write a list with two columns for the year ahead:

1. What you WILL do

2. What you WON’T do

We spend a great deal of time focused on the ‘to do list’ but we need to also consider the ‘don’t do list’.

PROCESSING
A question to think about and consider (you can discuss this with someone or write your thoughts down)

“What is the worst thing that you’ve had to face?”

The greatest learnings and growth often stem from hardship and adversity. Whether it is something you’re facing, have recently dealt with or was further in the past, consider what you’ve had to face.

Now think about the gifts that you received from that - for example: strength, resilience, new connections, freedom etc.

SHOUT OUT
Who / what I think deserves recognition, my gratitude or to be celebrated.

Meaningful Introductions

I’m not talking about the random introductions that can occur - my mind goes to Linkedin - but the meaningful ones that add value to everyone and where:

1. You trust the person making the introduction

2. There is some 'purpose’ and understanding to the introduction

I’ve had this happen several times this year already and was reminded at how important they are. Shout out to those that understand how to make meaningful introductions!

BONUS GIFT FOR YOU
This week’s little extra for you - from me

This week I’m going back to a book I loved: The Dip by Seth Godin. It ties into the ‘action’ this week about considering what we will and won’t do - and when to let go.

The Dip is a short and enjoyable book which presents the importance of knowing when to push on, invest time, money and energy and when to strategically quit. Rather than looking at quitting as failure - see it as a choice and embrace it.

Click the button below to access a free download for the visual synopsis. The downloadable version is free of watermark and designed for personal use only. If you wish to use it publicly or for any other purpose, please drop me a line for permission.

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LEAPS is a process used by our team and clients all the time - and even my own family on a daily basis. 

I’ll be sharing a set of LEAPS each week with you and encourage you to do your own version:

• L: what have you learned?

• E: what’s your energy / feeling word

• A: what’s one thing you need to do?

• P: what are you thinking / processing?

• S: who or what can you shout out?