Taking Control Of Our Life

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Direction

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

For the most part, we can take control of our lives when it’s necessary. We don’t have to wait for something to happen to us for us to take control of our lives. But sometimes something has to happen to us until we consider taking charge.  If we want to move our life into a different path, then we must start thinking about what are the tasks that we need to do for our paths to begin changing in our lives. This life is the only thing we got. We might as well take our lives as far as we can and live our lives to the fullest in our own unique way that will bring us treasure of experiences.

Accomplishments

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Experiential learning

Foundations

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Our accomplishments are built on the foundation of hard work so we shouldn’t underestimate them. We need them to remind us that we can continue to accomplish new things. We move each step forward when we accomplish something new. We build on each accomplishment. From each accomplishment, we learn something new. We use that new learning, experience and knowledge to help us to build on something that’s more challenging. There is no short cut for accomplishing something. Our accomplishments are like milestones, it guide us to the next challenge. For us to meet a challenge, we must have been challenged before and won.

It’s Not Too Late

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles, Frame of reference

Life goals

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Although, it is nearing the end of the year, it’s never too late to start turning our dreams into something real.  In a way if we start now, we can have a head start before the New Year begins. If we reframe it that way, then we have given ourselves another opportunity to make up for the lost time and not fret over what we haven’t done in the past 11 months. So let us start planning what we need to do to get things started and set goals on what we can do specially to make it happen. It’s better late than never.

Giving Thanks

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles, Frame of reference

steaming turkey

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Today is Thanksgiving. Every year in November we gather together to take part in a tradition we hold dear. We gather together with family to reflect on the things that we’re thankful for. We’re thankful for our families. We’re thankful for our health. We’re thankful for our life. Traditions help to create an atmosphere. It helps us get our minds into the frame that makes the events meaningful in our lives. Today is the day we celebrate by eating prepared cooked meals with those we care about.

Going Back To Our Roots

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Childhood

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Going back to our roots doesn’t necessarily mean digging up our genealogy. It could means just looking back to our earlier learnings.  For example, reminiscing about the music we once grew up with. Music can easily bring us back to that time of our lives when things were simple and innocent. It can take us back to a time where we didn’t have a care in the world because it was our parents’ job to worry about things. We were urged to be children and play outside and be adventuresome and learn about our surroundings that we didn’t understand. As children our world was new and we experienced everything thoroughly. Only if we experience a little of that as adult, we would be less cynical about our world.

We Will Find A Way

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Get Lost
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Life is challenging when we have an obstacle to get through. It’s not easy to get through obstacles. Anything that moves has to go through obstacles. If we make the obstacle smaller in our minds than it may be easier to conquer through it. We will find a way through it, if we see an obstacle as a challenge and not a burden. We can learn all kinds of lessons. We have a choice in our response to obstacles- we either act or react. It’s better to be proactive than be reactive, because there’s a feeling of control. We like to feel control when confronted by obstacles in our lives. So if we’re proactive, we can plan how best to deal with life challenges.

Moving On

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Seasons

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Moving on is about leaving the past behind and looking to the future. What is it that we’re going to do tomorrow that’s different from what we have done in the past? Moving on is about transitioning from the old to the new. A transitioning period might be leaving one job and pursuing a totally different job. A transitioning might be moving from one state to another. Moving on is about starting all over and experiencing everything anew. Learning our way around town, finding the nearest places to shop, and meeting and greeting new neighbors. Learning to master a new task is also a transitional period and a sign of moving on.

Trust What Is Right

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Respect, Responsibility

Forward

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

It’s all right to ask for someone’s opinion, but ultimately we have to make the final decision and live with it. We do what’s right even though it’s not the opinion of a group of people.  Do what’s right because our integrity depends on it. Do what’s right because our self-worth depends on it. We begin to lose faith in ourselves if we don’t value what’s important to us. Our value is what’s guide us to what we think is right in our minds that’s important. When others lose faith and trust in us, then we lose faith and trust in ourselves. So we got to be honest with ourselves so we can trust fulfilling our values.

We are Stronger Than We Think

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Lifting

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

We have more strength than we know. Milton Erickson always focused on what we can do than focus on what we can’t do. He reminded his subjects to tap into their own resources. He observed that we can do what we want to do if we focus and concentrate on one idea that can make a difference. He believed that the past can only be educational that can’t be changed. He always reoriented his subject to the future. He also enjoyed using humor, because he thought we shouldn’t take life so seriously. He took every opportunity to learn something new. He was never tired of learning. Through his bouts with polio, he never took life for granted, but encouraged his subjects to celebrate life and to accept the reality as is. He was an action man because he knew from his experience that action is really the only way to go, if we want to learn something new that we can use for the rest of our lives and to enrich our lives.

Thought and Behavior Patterns

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

w08p - Breaking the Pattern
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

To make a change means that we have to get out of our old patterns. After we develop a routine, it later becomes a pattern. And our patterns becomes second nature to us. Behaviors are made up of patterns we do everyday. We have our routines when we get ready for work in the morning. We have our routines when we get ready for dinner. We have our routines when we’re at work. We depend a lot on our routines. If we want to make a change, then we must alter our routine or pattern. This is difficult to do because we rely so much on behavioral patterns. Not only we got to alter our behavior patterns, we also got to alter our thought patterns.

Struggle

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

sailing away on a windy day
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Sometimes we give up too soon when there is a struggle. Struggle is part of the process of learning something new.  We got to struggle a little before the learning can connect well in our brain. Struggling to learn something new doesn’t mean that we’re not capable of learning, it just means it’s going to take longer to learn it. Struggling doesn’t mean we’re too stupid enough to learn it.  The struggle is about not giving up, and being persistent until it’s no longer a struggle.  We’re always going to face struggles in our lives.  We can see our struggle as more of an opportunity to learn something rather than a burden to carry.

Accepting The Unpleasantries of Life

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Acceptance

Pink Silk and Thorns free creative commons
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

It is easier to distort our reality than to accept unpleasantries of life. Distorting reality is our way of protecting ourselves from what gives us anxiety. We underestimate our capacities to cope with the unpleasantries of life. If we learn to rely more on our capacity, then our anxiety decreases. We will always have some trepidation initially when confronted by life challenges, but once we’re through on the other side we’re little wiser and little stronger.  We know that life isn’t always easy, it just hard for to accept that about life. Life challenges is really opportunities for self-growth.

See Color, not Gray

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Eight drinking straws in rainbow colors

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

It’s never too late to learn about ourselves and about the world around us. Learning is the prerequisite to creating new meaning in our lives.  Having meaning in our lives helps us to deal better with life problems. Having meanings can bring different colors into our world. Our world doesn’t have to be gray, black or white, instead have a rainbow of colors. Learning something for the first time can seem to look gray, but when we get into experiencing what we’re learning, the gray begin to turn into colors. Our mind gets open to many possibilities when we see different colors.

Mundane Things, We have To Do

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles, Resistance

Tennoji

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

There are some things that are required of us to do that we don’t want to do.  And these are the things that will help us move ahead in life —in the long run. The small mundane things are really the backbone of the great things we want to do. Inspiration is like a spark while doing the mundane work is like a fire. We all resisted in doing something we don’t want to do, but after doing it, we experience a feeling of satisfaction. We ought not allow the feeling of resistance keep us from doing what is necessary to move ahead and complete things.

Transitioning

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

life-cycle of the butterfly

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Winter is close approaching. Thanksgiving is around the corner. The leaves are falling again. The summer clothes are back in the closet and the winter clothes are out of the closet. Preparation is our advantage now. This year 2012 is nearing to the end believe it or not. It’s amazing how fast the year has gone by. These are transitioning periods; we ought to respect, accept and adjust. Life is always in transition, for it to survive.  Life is created, then destroy and recreated-this is the cycle of life.

Vote Today

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: change

"7th district voting booth"

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

We have the power to vote. It is more than a privilege to vote, it’s our right and our duty. If we want to be a part of change, then we ought to vote. We vote only once every four years. We make our voices heard when we vote. Today is one of the greatest opportunities we can do for our country is to vote. We don’t have to hope for change to occur, we can be part of change by voting.  We don’t have to lose our chances to vote. Voting is a reflection of change we want for our families and ourselves. We will feel proud as a citizen of the United States, if we vote.

The Struggle Strengthens

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

pushing through the desert
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

When the possibility of our dream is becoming a reality, we shouldn’t run the other way. It’s easier to sabotage or delay our dreams, than to continue pushing towards our dream. Making our dream a reality is like pushing a heavy load of bricks up a hill-it isn’t easy. Nonetheless, it’s nice to look back on our progress because that can motivate us to push harder and continue forward until we get to where we want to go. Success can also be hard to deal with because we’ve become accustomed to the struggle. The struggle to succeed becomes our purpose instead of meeting our goal we have set for ourselves, but the struggle can make us stronger for the next difficult task.

Letting A Friend Grow

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Saying Goodbye 85/365
Post Written By Eugene Morgan

For us to grow, sometimes we have to let a friend go. For a friend to grow, we have to let go of a friend. Our lives are constantly changing, therefore, we have to constantly adapt to changes. Changes require flexibility on our part. Sometimes, we don’t want to be flexible because we enjoy having our routine. A routine has structure and structure helps us to feel safe. Structure is good but flexibility is better and we’re not easily broken when we’re flexible. To become flexible we must accept the circumstances because it makes it easier for us to readjust, and  it also helps with lowering our stress and our anxiety levels.

 

Finishing Unfinished Work

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Effort

Unfinished

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

Two things rob people of their peace of mind: work unfinished and work not yet begun. ~ Anon

A lot of us can relate to this above quote. Many times we say to ourselves that we got to do this and we got to that. And we find ourselves still looking at the unfinished work that has waited a year or so for us to complete. We find ourselves having too many things we want to do but we’re split in all directions wondering what we should do first. We waste time thinking about what to do next instead of just choosing something to complete. We can make it a practice and do what needs done. We have all experienced completing things. We just need to put this learning of completing things in other parts of our lives that’s lacking.

The Human Spirit

Published on by Eugene Morgan Category: Ericksonian Principles

Williamsburg Waterfront Brooklyn Hurricane Sandy

Post Written By Eugene Morgan

We need each other more than ever when disaster strikes. When we work together and have a common cause anything is possible. The human spirit always transcends adversities. We somehow get through difficulties when it seems impossible at the moment to move forward. Action is one of the most powerful agents we can use to get through things. When life-changing events affect us directly or indirectly as a people, we need to come together and help one another to get through them. We don’t have to feel alone in time of need. We can always uplift one another when we’re down.