"𝘼 𝙢𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙖𝙜𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡" -Quote attributed to Samuel Butler but popularized by Dale Carnegie (it seems like this quote is attributed to multiple people....so who knows who the originator is) When you've found yourself having differing thoughts with someone else, what has your approach been to the conversation? I've found that unless the other person feels seen or understood, most (not all) people are less likely to have 'buy in' into what you have to say and are more inclined to push back and really consider a different perspective. You can corner someone with logic. You can overwhelm them with facts. You can even "win" the debate and they may 'concede' the argument, but if their heart isn’t actually open, nothing really changes. Real change is chosen not coerced. If you've found yourself shifting just to keep the peace or avoid discomfort, your internal narrative likely has stayed intact and perhaps even strengthened. Additionally there may be some feelings of resentment building. The belief is still there,j ust underground and the funny thing about underground beliefs is that they end up resurfacing in other ways. I like this quote because it kind of invites us to see the other person. Instead of "forcing" someone into a belief/position, it asks us to come alongside another person so that they actually come alongside you as well. :) Maybe we ask questions and maybe we allow people to come to their own conclusions, even if it takes a bit longer. Maybe we take the time to understand their "side" before forcing them before they're ready. Who knows, we may end up learning something along the way :) Have you ever “won” an argument but lost the person? Or been on the other side where you gave in just to keep the peace but internally nothing changed? (The video's audio is kind of all over the place, but it had some good points! sorry for the imagery on the clip).

Have you ever gotten into a conversation with someone and a level of friction rose up and you didn't necessarily understand why? And maybe after some pondering you realize that you're talking past each other? That there seems to be a gap between what you're saying and what they're understanding? It's possible that one of the reasons for this is having different thinking styles. Forgetting to take this into consideration with someone can lead to friction, feeling misunderstood, and an inability to move forward in conversation--potentially leading to disconnection. Below are explanations of the different thinking style . I didn't realize that there were soooooo many! :) I find myself to be a blend of multiple. There are definitely times when I lean into others more though and sometimes it's based on circumstances. Also providing a document that describes the pros and cons of each type of thinking style :) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 𝗖𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 1. Analytical Thinking : Breaking problems into parts, examining details, looking for logic and evidence. 2. Critical Thinking: Evaluating information, questioning assumptions, detecting biases, weighing pros and cons. 3. Creative Thinking : Generating new ideas, imagining possibilities, seeing patterns, using intuition. 4. Concrete Thinking : Focused on facts, literal details, and tangible concepts (opposite of abstract). 5. Abstract Thinking : Focused on big-picture ideas, theories, symbols, and relationships. 6. Convergent Thinking : Narrowing down to one correct answer or solution. 7. Divergent Thinking : Expanding outward, brainstorming many possible solutions or perspectives. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 & 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝘁𝘆𝗹𝗲𝘀 8. Visual Thinking : Processing through images, diagrams, spatial awareness. 9. Auditory Thinking : Processing through sounds, language, rhythm. 10. Kinesthetic Thinking : Processing through movement, hands-on activities, physical experience. 11. Sequential Thinking : Step-by-step, logical, structured approach. 12. Global (Holistic) Thinking : Seeing the whole picture first, then filling in the details.

There's so much talk about "triggers" which are the things that activate stress, fear, and shutdown, but what if we focused on "glimmers" for a bit instead? A “glimmer” is a small moment that sparks a subtle sense of safety, joy, gratitude, or connection. Seeing a text pop up from someone you care about (or better yet, the sincere content of a text), the rain on the roof as you're snuggled under a blanket, the crackle of a fire, a laugh that brings you a sense of joy. These are micro-moments--they can be easy to miss but so so powerful if we allow ourselves to notice them. :) These activate our parasympathetic system and they signal "you're safe right now". This is a nice feeling :) When we become intentional about noticing these we increase our emotional regulation, we build resilience to stress, we strengthen neural pathways for gratitude and joy, we shift attention bias AWAY from threat-scanning, and we improve mood over time. :) Since our brains typically lean towards scanning for the negative/threats, we need to be intentional about looking out for the glimmers. Neurons that fire together, wire together! :) POLL: How often do you consciously notice glimmers? QUESTION: What have been some of the glimmers that you experienced in the past week? :) ✨ Action Step: For the next 3 days, write down three glimmers each evening.

“All that is gold does not glitter. Not All Who Wander Are Lost” This quote (from Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings) reminds us that exploring, questioning, or taking a non-traditional path doesn’t mean being directionless. There is a lot to learn and a lot to gain from wandering. There is also a lot to learn from paths that don't always look the prettiest. - Wandering can mean growth, discovery, and seeking deeper meaning. - It’s about trusting the journey/process-even if it looks different from what others expect or what you may expect - Sometimes the best paths are the ones we find along the way, not the ones mapped out for us ---Below is also a mind mapping worksheet that can help with exploring thoughts and visually organizing thoughts around a topic.Wandering towards clarity :) QUESTION: What “wandering” moments in your life have actually led you closer to purpose?

I was working towards a training and this term came up "The Principle of Specificity". It's a take on "Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands" (SAID Principle). It's a principle that comes from exercise science, buuuuut it applies far beyond the gym, so I thought that I'd bring it to our life gym here! :) The bottom line is this: Your body and brain adapt specifically to the demands that you consistently place on them. :) Intentions in this case don't really matter. We don't rise to our intentions, but rather we adapt to our repetitions. How we think matters, what we do matters. If you train heavy, you get stronger. If you practice calm breathing under stress, you get calmer under stress. If you rehearse negative self-talk, you get better at negative self talk. It's a neutral principle-it's not about judgment, but rather about adaptation. Neurons that fire together, wire together. :) 🌿 Psychological Benefits When applied intentionally, specificity becomes powerful. It can increase self-efficacy- training specific skills and gaining real evidence that you can handle situations increases confidence and ability. It can reduce anxiety because the more we do something the more the brain interprets that somethingis safe enough to do and it recalibrates. It improves cognitive efficiency. By getting better at what we practice and reducing decision fatigue, our brain starts conserving energy. It can shape our identify. If we repeatedly act aligned with a trait that's important to us, our self concept shifts to match those behaviors. *General effort produces general adaptation.Specific effort produces specific transformation.*--We just get to be intentional. POLL: Where are you currently applying specificity most intentionally? QUESTION: What is one area where your current results reflect the demands you’ve been repeatedly placing on yourself? ACTION: Pick one micro-demand you want to adapt to. Make it small. Make it specific.Repeat it daily for 7 days. Example:2 minutes of deliberate breathwork under mild stress, One direct sentence instead of passive communication, 10 minutes of focused skill practice