I begin guiding a worktreat (a combination of workshop and retreat) with questions. Generally, one of them is: ‘Why are you here?’ [i.e., why are you, literally, here in this room and more broadly, why are you here on this earth] This question tends to help the recipient focus on the ‘positives’ more than the ‘negatives.’ Another question might be: ‘How would you be if. . .?’ Another might be: ‘What gives you hope?’ Another might be: ‘In what do you trust?’ [a corollary is: ‘Who do you trust — and why?’]
I find that many participants focus on ‘what is wrong’ or on ‘what’s not working’ or on ‘what needs to be fixed.’ We seem to love to solve problems [we ignore the reality that there are many more paradoxes to be embraced and dilemmas to be resolved than problems to be solved]. Given this, we might well find anything that is not ‘problem-focused’ is a waste of our time. We also seem to miss that problem-focusing leads to ‘blame.’ One antidote to ‘problem-focusing’ is ‘strength-finding.’ What is going well? What ‘strengths’ [gifts, talents, abilities, values/virtues] do we demonstrate that we can build on? How can we develop our strength-capacity so we can more fully and wisely use them to help foster health/growth [in individuals, in relationships, in institutions]?
When I have the privilege of working with educators who are struggling with their ‘call’ I invite them to remember their ‘passion’ — ‘What was the passion that drove them to education?’ For some, there came a realization that they ended up in education by ‘default’ and so for them a ‘search’ for passion began. I have also had the privilege of being with highly successful business professionals who remembered that they had a passion for something other than ‘business’ [I remember some who had a passion for music, cooking, painting, philosophy and yet chose ‘business’ for this is what others — aka ‘father’ — wanted them to do]. We are most alive when we have passion for. . . We are called, I believe, to identify, develop and use our gifts, talents and abilities to meet a need that exists in our/the world and one of the fuels that feeds our internal fire is passion. We also know, many of us by direct experience, that when our inner fire smoulders or goes out that we fill with dense smoke from within and we suffocate unto death.
All of these requires that we ‘listen’ intently and receptively. In order to listen in this way we must be awake and aware, intentional and purpose-full. We must be fully ‘present’ to ourselves. We must be open to hearing the quiet whispers of our life-guide [I believe we each have a life-guide who will speak if we are open and if we listen; our life-guide will also become silent when we are distracted by noise — internal and external — and by busyness]. What are the ingredients that need to be in place for one to listen in this way? I believe that each of us knows the answer to this question or with some help we can discern the answer. I do have choice. . .so, what will I choose today?