Tuesday

Tuesday is my day to look at my social and emotional self and make an effort to shift my perspectives around how I view and treat the people in my life.

Agenda:

1. Read "The Sweet Spot"

2. Expressing Needs in the World

3. Family and community brainstorm

1. Read "The Sweet Spot":

I'm continuing this book by Christine Carter (2015), about "How to Find Your Groove". The thesis is that when we hit from our sweet spot we have optimum power and the greatest ease. I've just begun Part 5: Tolerate Some Discomfort, about how to be comfortable with perusing mastery and with being vulnerable, and how to bounce back after a setback. 

Chapter 8 is Making Hard Things Easy, about developing unique areas of mastery, which is the sweet spot between strength and ease - because it requires difficulty to develop. Mastery comes from grit (which is part persistence, part practice, and part passion), along with rest, and good coaching.

The first step then is practice. What is it I am currently trying to master, and what is the practice I need to do?  

2. Expressing Needs in the World:

On Tuesdays I often go through this Ongo practice to define the Needs I want to express: 

1. Sit for a couple minutes and then invite in three questions, and write the answers in my journal

2. Consider each of these Needs, one at a time, and feel the surge of this energy in my body. 

3. Invite myself to take one action each day this week to express the energy of one of these Needs, or bring it alive in my relationships. Be sure it's done in the spirit of invitation, not demand, and that it is specific and doable.

4. After doing the action, be sure to take a minute to visualize the happiness or fulfillment I experience, and extend it out to all beings.  

• "If I knew this was the last week of my life, what is one Need or quality of life I'd like to be or express more fully?" 
• "What's one quality of life I'd like to contribute more to one of my relationships?"
• "Whats one quality of life I'd like to contribute more to my community?" 

The Needs that come to me today are Ease, Tenderness, and Wisdom. After sitting with the energy of these, I've listed some ideas for action:

• Ease: Practice getting things done with ease - less stress, less procrastination. 
• Tenderness: Offer compliments and express gratitude.
• Wisdom: Write two more pithy posts and extend to new people every day.

3. Family and community brainstorm:

Tuesday is my day to look at my social and emotional self and make an effort to shift my perspectives around how I view and treat the people in my life. Today I will list a few things to work on this next month:

• Surgery research, preparation, discussion, and support.
• Continue to explore PDA and how to use declarative sentences.
• Keep our kid schedule as seamless and normal as possible, with a "prepare for summer" theme of activities.
• Define our needs and reach out for specific care.
• Schedule individual time with Moon Friends.
• Practice equanimity and ease until I am a Master.