No Failures…Just Experiences

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles, Expectation, Experiential learning, Failures

GORE-TEX® Experience Tour: All-out trail running in the Dolomites!

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“There are no failures. Just experiences and your reactions to them.”—

Failures are just our expectations not being met. When our standards are too high, it is inevitable we will fail to meet them.  It is like a self-fulfilling prophecy.  But, if we could lower our standards, then it would be possible to allow ourselves the room to make mistakes, to learn and make improvements from them.  We don’t have to be so hard on ourselves that we don’t allow ourselves the luxury of failing while learning something new. We are not robots where every movement we make is with precision and every thought calculated. We are human beings that make our way through our experiences.

 

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What We Want and What We Need

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

want versus needs
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“Remember that sometimes not getting what you want is a wonderful stroke of luck.” —

Dalai Lama is saying here in the above quote is that; always getting what we want is not always a good thing. If we think about it, it isn’t a good idea to get everything we want or even have that desire to want everything.  What we want and what we need are two different things. What we want is just a desire. What we need is not always what we want. For example, having to schedule for a teeth cleaning or physical examination, is not necessarily what we want but it is a necessity to get what we need. What we need should always override what we desire or want first.

 

 
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Be Comfortable with Your own Approval

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

me

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval.” —

So no matter how much approval we get from someone else, we still make the final approval for ourselves.  We don’t need someone else’s approval for us to feel comfortable. Once we have our own approval, we don’t have to worry about how others feel about us. Self-approval is having confidence in one’s self instead of relying on the company of others to feel comfortable.  Self-approval is relying on the strength part of self and not on the dependent need of others.  Growth is always encouraged by our strengths, not by our weaknesses.

 

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Divergent

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

creativity and divergent thinking

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

I would rather have a mind opened by wonder than one closed by belief. —

Milton Erickson once said that we hold dear to our beliefs no matter what they are. Our world can be skewed by limited beliefs that are not conducive to an open mind. Then, what must we do with limited beliefs that skew our world?  A good exercise like wondering, is not so much to challenge our belief systems but to free our minds. When we wonder we begin to let go of some of those limited beliefs and allow our unconscious part of us to emerge so we can think more divergently.

 

Designing Happiness

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Fahrradrheinpromenade
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Happiness is not something you postpone for the future; it is something you design for the present. —

To think if we only do this or do that, we will be happier in our lives. We don’t have to wait to be happy, we can be happy today. Happiness is really a state of mind. We can choose to be happy, if we want to. However, we can’t always be happy. We have variety of emotions, and being happy is just one of them.  We paint our world with our emotions. We see the world in variety of ways since we have variety of emotions. So when we see tragedy, we experience sadness because it’s appropriate.  When we see injustice, we experience anger, and then compassion because we want to help and it’s appropriate, and so on. The present is all we’ve got to design our happiness.
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Gratitude

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

30 days of graditude day 17 ...I am grateful for bright and colour friends in my life

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

It is not joy that makes us grateful. It is gratitude that makes us joyful. —

When we focus on what we’re thankful about, we experience joy. We begin to see things and the people in our lives, and realize that we all have what we need. It is easy to be caught in to thinking that we need to do this or that for us be thankful or fulfilled in our lives. What’s really importance are the people in our lives that we hold dear to our hearts. Friendship and family are important not always things.

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Reflection of You

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Ulsoor Lake reflections
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

The beauty you see in me is a reflection of you.

Self-acceptance is very important when it comes to understanding others. We all have faults that we would love to give away in a heartbeat. We ought not focus on those things we want to get rid of instead, focus on the beauty we have inside. We want to be perfect, however, we’re unique. It is easier to be who we are than to spend so much energy hiding that part of us and pretending to be what we’re not.  The faults we all have are characteristics of our personality that’s what gives us individuality.

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Live and Enjoy Life

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Life
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“In between goals is a thing called life, that has to be lived and enjoyed.”  –Sid Caesar, Entertainer

Living life is just as important as shooting for our goals. When we live our lives, we’re taking a break from our goals. The goals we’ve set will always be there, but living and enjoying life helps us to put them in perspective. In fact, they’re more meaningful and purposeful when we’re enjoying and living our lives. Life per se isn’t about setting goals and attaining them; we attain our goals so that we can live our lives with family and friends. Friends and family always want to know what we’re up to in our lives, and we share our goals with them.

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In The Direction of Your Dream

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Dreams, Ericksonian Principles

In the direction of dreams

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams.  Live the life you have imagined. –Henry David Thoreau

Dreams are what we experience in our mind and what we want to do in our future. Our dreams set the stage of what we want to be. Our dreams give us structure and a plan to make things real in our lives. Our dreams are our anticipation of what’s to come. Our dreams are rehearsals we do to get ready for the real thing. We’re allowed to imagine things in our dream that we’re not ready yet to explore in real-time.

 

Start Where You Are

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

A runner starts the 2012 Borgess Half Marathon
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Start where you are. Use what you have.  Do what you can. –Arthur Ashe

The quote above is so powerful when you think about what Arthur Ashe’s meaning. He says, “Start where you are,” meaning that we don’t have to be like someone else for us to start something that inspires us. He also says, Use what you have,” meaning start with what we already have, because we’ve already gained enough experience over the years. Lastly, Mr. Ashe, says, “Do what you can,” meaning do what our abilities allow us to do because we can make a difference.

Do, Say, Be Nothing in Criticism

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Criticism
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing, and be nothing. –Aristotle

Since it is impossible for us to do nothing anyway, we might as well do what we wish the most. Criticism is inevitable but also encouragement.  We can learn from the criticisms, and be motivated from the encouragements of others. The good news is that everyone is fair game when it comes to criticisms and as well as encouragements. If it’s all right to allow other’s voice to be heard, it is only fair that our voice is heard by others also. We have the same right as everyone else to be what we want to be.

Lift Up Someone, and then, You will Be Lifted

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Snowy owl lifting up
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else. –Booker T. Washington

Sometimes, the quickest way to get out of our blues is to lift someone else’s spirits.  When we’re in our blues, we’re only centering on ourselves. But when we see that someone else’s spirits needs a lift, we’re moving outside ourselves.  Our concentration is no longer on ourselves but on the other person. Our thinking shifts when we concentrate on others therefore, our feelings changes because we’ll beginning to connect positively with another human being. We’re beginning to feel better while they’re beginning to feel better about themselves. It’s a special relationship.

 

The Other Side of Fear

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

The other side
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear. –George Addair

The above quote is such a truism. We know this to be true through our own experiences. Sometimes, we make fear our excuse to keep us for doing what we desire. We just don’t like the discomfort fear brings when we’re challenged to do what we desire the most.  Milton Erickson says there is little we should fear. We sometimes give fear too much power when there is little to fear. The question remains, how come we use fear in this manner? Fear is another reason we use to keep us from experiencing discomfort. However, discomfort is just a part of life that everyone experience.

 

The Person You Decide To Be

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Not to be, na Domus da Coruña

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“The only person you are destined to become is the person you decide to be.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sometimes it takes us several attempts in our lifetime to decide what we want to be. Some of us knew what we wanted to be as early as childhood. Some of us didn’t know what we wanted to be so we went on a journey of self-discovery. We wanted to find out about ourselves. For some of us, it’s going to take a lifetime to find out what we want to be. However, decisions we make in our lives are like dotted lines, we just have to connect the dots and see where they lead us and shape us into what we want to be.

 

The Power of Behavior

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Steps
Post Written by Eugene Morgan

If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint and that voice will be silenced. –Vincent Van Gogh

Thoughts have the power to change behavior and the reverse is truth that our behaviors have the power to change our thoughts.  Therefore, we don’t have to allow our thoughts to control us or keep us from fulfilling a task. Self-defeating thoughts only keep us from our dreams but if we do things in spite of our thoughts and feelings, we can quickly have self-proof that things are possible to do. Taking new steps can sometimes feel like a threat because we don’t know where it’s going to lead us.  But if we just take small steps to get use to our discomforts, then self-confidence is inevitable.

When We Keep Our Eyes On the Goal

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles, Goal

Goal on the move
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.”

― E. Joseph Cossman

When we’re focused on a goal, that’s all we see. Yes, we will have obstacles along the way because that’s part of the process. We ought not to allow obstacles to discourage us from continuing with completing our goal(s). Most everything we do for the first time will have greater amount of obstacles because we’re still learning.  Once we master the skill, we will notice that the obstacles have shrunk and we can easily manage our goal.

 

Put Hope into Action

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

RockWallofOne
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Hope is a waking dream. —Aristotle

Hope can only be used so far if we continue to stay idle. Hope has its limits. If we have a chance to use action, then we no longer need hope, but our brain, legs and hands to make things happen. Hope is useful when we feel helpless and hopeless and that everything we’ve done was not enough to make an impact on the situation. Sometimes we just need to sit back and be hopeful and give it some time. Being hopeful is about looking for opportunities when our actions can make an impact.

Keep Moving

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Learning to ride

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving.”
― Albert Einstein

In the above quote is a great analogy about life.  We can’t just stop to contemplate about this or that; it is better to continue moving. It is all right to go with the flow, sometimes to get through things. Life isn’t going to wait for us.  Life will just past us by and then we will wonder where has time gone.  We all have only finite time to live our lives, we might as well live it meaningfully and to do our best with what we have. And what we have is really a lot.

Spring It In

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Spring
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Although yesterday was the first day of spring, it sure doesn’t look or feel like it. Many of us who like warmer weather are ready for spring.  Spring is about renewal and a rebirth. Things start to grow again. We can smell the fragrant of growth in the air.  We see green again and what come with it is the insects like ants, spiders, butterflies, etc.  We see animals like birds, squirrels, etc. Instead of snow, we will get rain and more rain. It would be nice to send some of that rain over to the West because they needed badly.  Since spring is here, we might as well enjoy it!

Path Of Life

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

The Path to Unknown Destiny: Life
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forward. — Søren Kierkegaard

Our past is educational. We can learn from our life past. We have a greater understanding on things after we have lived through it. Our future is unknown to us but we can set goals. Working on goals is our deliberate act of creating our own path and direction. Goals can help us decrease our anxiety of the unknown future. Goals are like guideposts to help us through our fuzzy path.  It’s all right to move forward through our path of life.