9 Comments

I will Mary, thank you for responding. It's amazing that Richard and what I learned from him about Aikido came back to me at this time. I thought of you when I was writing this- also last week's newsletter, which also focused on Aikido.

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Hang in there, Sally. For some similar ideas check out my blog. https://berkshirehillsaikido.blogspot.com/2022/08/practicing-gratitude-when-life-feels.html ❤️

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Wonderful piece reminding us that body, mind and spirit (and heart) are all connected-- there is wisdom in each, and each are worth listening to-- though ultimately that slight detachment, using the mind, is where we should go for a final decision.

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Thank you Shannon. Yes, the wisdom available when we connect with all three can be profound and healing. Your comment makes me realize that, though we connect to that wisdom through the body, we need to use our minds to vet the decisions, maintaining the measure of detachment that is often so hard for the mind!

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Describing physical and emotional pain are similar. One goal of leaders in organization could be reduce and eliminate emotional and physical pain. Trust, psychological safety, and good leadership can create this kind of culture. One strategy I use is the AAA model. Admit, Accept, and Action. It is the FeedForward that creates option and the efficacy to learn and make adjustments.

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Wonderful comment, thank you. The AAA is powerful- I've always framed it as Awareness Acceptance Action. Acceptance is the part we often skip over- we move from awareness to action. Acceptance makes it work.

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Very useful, as always, Sally. And hard, as you say!

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The simplest practices are always the hardest. Thanks for the comment, Cynthia.

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Our body-mind-spirit connections are incredible. Having been diagnosed in my early 30’s with MS, it started to overwhelm me with it’s exacerbations and remissions, possibly jeopardizing life plans. Then I realized I don’t need a DIS-EASE in remission. Times of exacerbation became my “canary in the coal mine” making me very aware of my body-mind-spirit connections. Knowing the “possibility” of physical disability I chose a career in health care leadership, thus working in a handicapped accessible environment if that was ever needed. Now, in my 70’s, and only using a cane, my daily workout at Planet Fitness focuses on intentional leg strengthening and the rest of the day focuses on gratitude.

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