Reflection (Part 2)

RES IPSA LOQUITUR - The thing that speaks for itself

RES IPSA LOQUITUR was my #1 motto for the year 2008. This is a legal phrase most often used to describe evidence in a court room. When I learned this phrase, I immediately wanted to make it mine. I wanted to become the thing that speaks for itself. To be genuine. To wear no masks. To be "naked and unashamed," - a good friend taught me this phrase and what it means. (Being naked refers to revealing our true identities and our vulnerabilities... our human-ness) (so get your mind out of the gutter!) ;)

Although the words naked and unashamed used together in one phrase seem oxymoronic, I did my best to stand as I am without shame in all sorts of situations **cringe**. And I stand here before you, still alive and still naked. Well, no one can possibly be absolutely naked and show ALL of who they are, as there are two sides to every human being (a la Carl Jung). However, this year, I did jump off many cliffs of fear.

SAPERE AUDE - Dare to think

I adopted this as my #2 motto. This seems to be a no-brainer. However, free thinking does not come as easily as one might expect. We generally put too much trust in the experts, the media, and the majority. It is easier to let someone else do the thinking for us. It has become important to me to question everything and not take anything at face value. I decided not to be afraid to explore other views. Things are not always what they seem or what others may claim.

The subject of spirituality is one of those things. I've thought/pondered/struggled through so much in my spiritual journey for the past two years that it's a wonder I'm still considered sane. Why do I have such a fondness for atheists? It's not because I'm trying to save their souls, and it's not because I'm unsure of my own spiritual beliefs (although I do constantly check and recheck where I stand). I have a heart for them because I used to judge them. They've taught me so much in the past 15 months and turned my judgment into respect. I respect the atheists/skeptics I've befriended because most of them are not afraid to question and challenge pre-existing ideas and beliefs, even their own. And NO! Being accepting of other views does not infect your own. Things you fear (homosexuality is another example) are not evil monsters that are waiting to swallow you up. It's the fear itself that becomes the blinders which impair our vision.

So... those of you reading this who happen to be the judgmental or closed-minded types: keep your fears in check and come out of your cozy little comfort zones to see what other views can do for your growth!!

NON SEQUITUR - Does not follow

This has become my #3 motto. Others use this phrase to describe something that is out of place... something that does not belong. I use it to describe myself... my uniqueness and my quirkiness... the fact that I never seem to quite fit in anywhere. I lived most of my life resenting this fact and being ashamed of it. I strived most of my life trying to be like everyone else, someone else, anyone else other than myself. But with the help of everything that has transpired in the last few years (especially the year 2008) and everyone who have been my teachers through it all, I have learned (and still learning) to be perfectly okay with the fact that I am NON SEQUITUR in every group. It is not something to run away from but something to embrace and cherish.

I've spent most of 2008 trying to actually become these phrases. I have not succeeded 100% of the time, but there is a definite transformation. After all, life is a work in progress, is it not?

ADDENDUM: It's funny how letting go and allowing yourself to say "yes" to everything (as I learned from my friend, Chuck Hillig) and leaning in to the process of life gives you a better view of everything.

Reflection (Part 1)

I have been neglecting my blogs. I have not been very inspired to write many posts. We are nearing the end of 2008, and the things that once seemed so vital to me are starting to look somewhat... well... trivial. I'm breathing deeply and waiting for it (this mood) to pass.

With three days left in the year 2008, I am reflecting back and taking inventory of what I have gained and what I have lost:

At the end of 2007, I saw a star with an orange glow next to the moon. It was Mars. It fed my ongoing fascination with things unknown and unseen yet very much real. I am awed by the fact that it was an atheist who showed it to me. This person subsequently became my close friend and my astronomy teacher. All new things I learn (even from those who do not believe) bring me closer to my God. The irony in that is beyond my comprehension. But that is what makes me excited about life... the existence of endless possibilities that are beyond my comprehension.

My knowledge that every new knowledge I gain makes room for even more unknown things to be explored...gives me comfort. Remember Jesus feeding 5,000 men? I think the five loaves and two fish could have kept feeding and feeding. If there were more people, more would have been fed. To me, the meaning of the story is not just about food... and it's not just about the 5,000 -but the possibility of the numbers beyond the 5,000.

That's all for now. Later, I will write about three Latin phrases that made an impact on my life in 2008. And the difference between doing and being.

For your listening pleasure

Here's a second try at posting this. These were our guest singers this past Sunday. Beautiful song...

Merry Christmas!

"It was Not a Silent Night"

Procrastination is not always such a bad thing...

I should be doing something else... I should always be doing something else.

I had a long list of things to do today; but when my daughter suggested that I should let her skip morning classes and take her to lunch, I could not resist. I wrote one of the several excuses that we use for tardiness or absence:

"K is tardy this morning due to mental cramps."

I write the word "mental" scriggly and somewhat illegible so the unsuspecting reader would assume the word to be "menstral." That way, it's not a lie and still looks like a legitimate excuse.

We took off for the mall, made a quick shopping stop, and then ate lunch at our favorite Thai restaurant. Extra spicy. Sweat, tears, laughs, and water...lots of water. We had the most relaxing and wonderful time...and we were both fully aware that it was special.

It's amazing how much more we enjoy ourselves and appreciate the moment when we know we should be doing something else. When we're putting off what we should be doing but, instead, choose to do this thing with this person (whatever, whoever that happens to be)... we're willing to recognize it as a special gift that it is and relish in it.

I dropped her off at school for her afternoon classes, and I still cannot get back on track with my list of things to do...

There's always tomorrow, no?

Tis the season to be grumpy...

Why I dread the holidays:

Don't get me wrong… I am not trying to be anti-Christmas. This could be from my inability to handle too many things at once, especially when it is not by choice. This could possibly have something to do with my ENTP preference, or maybe it's just me. Is it just me?

I don't know what it is about the holidays. It always gets me in a funk. I get overwhelmed, I cannot think clearly, and I want to shut down… disappear from the scene… and come back when it's all over. Is it just me?

I generally love to be around people. I generally love shopping for gifts. I generally love writing emails, cards, and notes to people. I love being with my family. I love getting together with my friends. I love to eat. I love to sing. I generally love to help out whoever is in need.

One caveat: I like doing all those things on my own terms. Without a preplanned schedule. Without the pressure of feeling obligated. With the freedom of knowing that I don't have to do any of it if I choose not to. The pressure comes from my perception that we're expected to do all of the above all at once. And we must remember every single family member, every single friend, every single neighbor, and every single business associate. That's enough to make me want to torch my address book... Is it just me?

I've concluded that my brain has a limit as to how much scheduling and celebrating it can handle. My to-do list is on strike. The wonderful and joyous activities I usually welcome with delight turn into obligations that I dread. It all makes me want to curl up into a fetal position. Is it just me?

I just want to have the choice not to decorate, not to give to yet-another collection for the needy, not to make yet-another care package for the lonely, not to celebrate, not to shop for gifts, not to party, and...well, basically, not to be merry…

IF we had the choice NOT to do them (without feeling like a social misfit), then actually choosing to DO those things would have so much more meaning and be so much more fun…no? Is it just me?

I love the word simplicity. Was it Thoreau who wrote about it? A teen at our church pointed the following scripture verse out to us yesterday. Although that discussion was not about Christmas, I thought the verse was fitting for this post:

They partook of their food with gladness and simplicity and generous hearts... (Acts 2:46)(Amplified)

I know something's not quite right when I would rather sit in front of the computer staring at this endlessly than get back into the holiday frenzy… Is it just me?

Umm… is it over yet?

Poetry, anyone??

Feeling a little poetic today...

This poem always comes to mind when I'm feeling like the oddball playing by a different set of rules:

DEAR FRIENDS

Dear friends, reproach me not for what I do,
Nor counsel me, nor pity me; nor say
That I am wearing half my life away
For bubble-work that only fools pursue.
And if my bubbles be too small for you,
Blow bigger then your own:—the games we play
To fill the frittered minutes of a day,
Good glasses are to read the spirit through.

And whoso reads may get him some shrewd skill;
And some unprofitable scorn resign,
To praise the very thing that he deplores:—
So friends (dear friends), remember, if you will,
The shame I win for singing is all mine,
The gold I miss for dreaming is all yours.

~ Edwin Arlington Robinson

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And I was introduced to this Richard Feynman speech by Hugo several months back... It makes me think. Who would've thought that you can find poetry in a speech written by a scientist?

Short, sweet, simple, and easy MBTI overview

The ever resourceful Breanne Potter found and posted this video on her blog:

Sometimes, less IS more...

Remembering a Christmas spent with the atheists

photo from NANA Astronomy Pic of the Day

The word atheist used to make me cringe. How can anyone even fathom that there is no God? I have close family members who claim to be atheists. It is the common thought among Christians, when they hear that someone does not believe, to see them as lost souls... dead spirits. Then the work begins to try to convince them otherwise. If I know something to be true, how can something else in opposition also be true? was the question. The answer always came up that they must be wrong and should be fixed. Isn't that how we tend to look at everything? good or bad. right or wrong. Good or bad is a concept made up by humans in order to judge others and ourselves, IMO. It is my understanding (one view) that it all started in the garden when man wanted to be like God and decide what is good and what is evil.

About a year ago, I jumped into discussions at a highly intellectual philosophy blog run by a Christian and an atheist where I completely humiliated myself. The atheist encouraged me and helped me get back on my (blogging) feet (Thanks, Matt!). I then went looking for more atheists at another blog called the Friendly Atheist (FA). I used to think the name was somewhat oxymoronic because of my distorted view caused by...well...ignorance. There, I found people just as human as the rest...some very friendly and some not so friendly. But they were real. They were not all the same. Their beliefs or non-beliefs varied just as much as the believers. We are not in opposition. There is no line. Our beliefs all fit somewhere along the spectrum of beliefs, the way I see it.

I spent my whole Christmas season among the atheists (on the blog) and felt like they were my extended family. In some ways, I felt closer to them than my Christian friends. That's where I met Richard Wade. As I laughed, played, and argued with them, I slowly washed away my bias. There were some rough and painful verbal exchanges, and I cannot say it was always an easy experience. But if it involves human interaction, easy is not a word that would come to mind. I was determined to do whatever was necessary to be rid of my "religious" judgmental mentality. Richard was there to help me through it all and became (and remains) one of my very dear on-line friends who often show me how things look from another angle. I saw the perspectives that I never saw before. I did not become an atheist. They did not take God away from me, as many Christians would fear. I just learned to appreciate people who have very different views than the one I see. Many of them have left the blog since then. I, too, don't visit as much anymore. We all have transitioned into other things in life, I suppose. But today, I am remembering Claire, Mriana, Jeff, Maria, Ash, Darryl, NYatheist, AJ, Karen, Mike, MTran, Spursfan, and others whose names escape me. They all taught me so much.

I will always remember my one (first) holiday season spent with the atheists.

I saw Mars next to the moon on December 23, 2007. Richard pointed it out on one of his comments on FA.

On December 1, 2008 (two days ago), I saw Venus and Jupiter clustered together with the moon, lighting up the sky.

The universe is just so vast, too awesome to stay focused only on what seems to be true in our own little narrow view of life.

Guest Post: Confessions of a Sofhearted Scrooge

The following is a guest post by Richard Wade:

(Reprinted from a post on Friendly Atheist, December, 2007)

Christmas time is a pain in the neck for me. But this year I’m trying to be a nice atheist.

Today I went to the hardware store for a light bulb and some batteries. The place had transformed since I’d been in a few days ago, from hardware store to mondo-bizarro-psychedelic-drug-trip-surreal-fantasy-forest. On my left there was a nine foot tall purple and white inflated penguin with snow cap and scarf, as if a monstrous Chilly Willy had been considered for the climax of “Ghost Busters” before they settled on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. On the right was an army of plastic snowman families dressed in Dickensian clothes huddled together as if for warmth, singing carols. In front of me was a larger than life statue of Santa Claus wearing shades and straddling a Harley Davidson motorcycle with recorded Christmassy versions of “Born to Be Wild” and “On the Road Again” coming from a speaker in his chest. Beyond that was literally a forest of ready made artificial pine trees decked out with every toy-snowflake-bulb-trumpet-ribbon-angel-elf-snowman-reindeer-tin soldier-candycane-package-harp-star-sleigh-icecicle-teddybear-drum-locomotive-doll-bell-resembling, but still unidentifiable object that could ever come out of the scrambled minds of a thousand psychotic Christmas product designers.

If I was struck sharply on the head, given large doses of PCP, methamphetamine and LSD and suddenly transported into the center of an extraterrestrial civilization all in the same instant the experience would be similar but less disorienting than walking into that former hardware store.

The place was crowded and people were almost frantic in their searching and buying. As I stumbled through the labyrinth of lunacy to where I thought the batteries and light bulbs used to be, a woman nearby was looking at a box of exterior Christmas lights and saying, “Look Honey, these change different colors and flash at different speeds. Let’s get these.” My befuddled mind flashed back to 1962 “light shows” with colored lights pulsing to the rhythm of rock music.

I found my merchandise and prepared to escape with what shreds of sanity were still mine when I saw a display of several shelves of plastic nativity scenes with the Holy Family, animals and manger. On the base of each one was a red button labeled, “Try me!” I pressed the button and a recorded voice started saying “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem…blah blah,” followed by some of the more religious Christmas carols. There were eighteen Nativity Scenes on display, so of course I pushed every button. “When Jesus was born…” “When Jesus was…” “When Jesus…” The cacophony of eighteen of them all going at once in staggered sequence was impressive and it continued for several minutes as I left the store, somehow feeling better.

When I got home my lovely, wonderful, deserving-of-anything-I-can-give-her wife said, “Richard, we’ve got to get the Christmas cards sent out.”
Now I’m trying to be a nice atheist this year so I said, “Ohhhhh, okaaaay,” muttering “humbug” under my breath. So I pulled this big carton out from the garage that has 37 pounds of old leftover Christmas cards. We buy them by the boxful to try to save some money and we end up with leftovers. There are pretty ones and funny ones, but no really religious ones. Some say, “Merry Christmas,” or variants of that, some say, “Happy Holidays,” or variants of that, and a few odds and ends mention Hanukkah. The reason we have so many leftovers is because our family and friends fall into so many categories: devout Christians, not-too-heavy Christians, observant Jews, unobservant Jews, a few Buddhists and of course other nice atheists like me.

So we had to carefully sort out who gets what kind of card. Some of the devout Christians are getting touchy lately about sentiments that don’t mention the word “Christmas.” They’re not happy with “Happy Holidays.” The not-too-heavy Christians are fine with anything except of course the Hanukkah ones. Our observant Jewish friends don’t complain, but we don’t really want to send them one that mentions Christmas. Our unobservant Jewish friends don’t seem to mind either way, but still it would be better that they get a Hanukkah or at least a “Happy Holidays” variant. The Buddhists welcome any good wishes even though they know it’s all an illusion. Finally the nice atheists (like me) don’t care much one way or the other but if we send them either kind of card they might think I’m starting to get religion and I wouldn’t want that. But then we don’t want them to get nothing….

Then there was the problem of whether or not we sent a person one of these cards before. We don’t want to send anybody the same card twice. Most of them are pretty smart and would remember a duplicate even if it was several years ago. Some of these cards are getting really old.

All this took a lot of time and I was tempted to chuck the whole carton into the fireplace and print up my own cards that say:

“Wishing that you don’t get seriously injured while fighting in the tiger shark feeding frenzy at the mall trying to find thoughtful and valuable gifts for everybody else who’s out getting stupid cheap stuff for you that you won’t like but will have to pretend that you do and trying to avoid going broke in the whole nonsensical process, in observance of whatever the heck holiday you celebrate, if any.”

But I didn’t do that, because I’m being a nice atheist.

Later my lovely, wonderful, deserving-of etc. wife said, “Richard, could you put up the Christmas lights and set up the tree while I’m at the market? I know it’s a pain in the neck for you, but makes me happy.”
“Ohhhhh, okaaaay.” I said, muttering “humbug” under my breath again. She’s just barely a deist but she has fond childhood memories attached to all this paraphernalia so hey, if it makes her happy, what else is important? So I dragged out several boxes of Christmas geegaws for inside and out without complaining the way I usually do. And this year, just to be a nice atheist, I removed the sign from the front door wreath that says,

“Co-opted pagan symbol displayed for traditional purposes only; no religious affiliation implied.”

This year I’m going to be a nice atheist, dammit. If the neighbors mistakenly assume I’m a Christian, so what? Screw ‘em. (muttering “humbug” under my breath)

Risking life and limb teetering on a ladder I put up the exterior lights around the eves of the house, a string of colored ones and a band of white ones supposedly resembling icicles. That’s weird too. It hasn’t snowed here since 1951. Only here in Lotus Land would people use lights to imitate icicles. My neighbors compete by the thousands of kilowatts to express who is the most frikking joyful, making the neighborhood look like an electrified Currier and Ives lithograph on steroids. I’ve heard icicles can kill people back east. I hate snow. It almost died in it. Humbug.

Oh for the days of my youth when front yard Christmas decorations were sensible like the tumbleweeds painted white and stacked up and decorated to look like snowmen. Decorations with deep meaning like the two Santa feet sticking out of the chimney or the all-aluminum Christmas tree, dazzling in the color-changing floodlights on the dichondra, or the glowing plastic camels carrying guys looking like bin Laden marching toward a glowing plastic manger, overseen by a much larger glowing plastic Rudolph. Those decorations were tasteful and meaningful. What has become of it all? (sigh) Humbug.

Season’s Frikking Greetings.
Richard

Humanity - Our need for opposing views

Chinese characters are a large part of the Korean culture. When I was growing up in Korea, students began learning the Chinese characters in middle school, as it is an extremely complex form of writing. My family moved to the United States just before I entered middle school, and I never had the opportunity to learn more than the very basic. Now as an adult and perhpas because my dominant function is "N" (iNtuition), I am fascinated by the Chinese language, as well as other ancient languages, such as Latin, Greek, Hebrew... They are so very rich in history and meaning beyond what is apparent and obvious.


This is the Chinese character for man...as in human. It looks like two sticks leaning up against each other. It evolved from the original symbol which used to resemble a stick figure of a man. The portion that made up the lower body is the character you see today. The Chinese characters are used by many Asian cultures in their written language in addition to their own. When a word needs clarification in meaning, they refer to the Chinese characters.

The Japanese culture highly values teamwork and cooperation more so than any other Asian culture that I know of. The Japanese children are taught this character with the explanation that no man can stand on his own without the support of other human beings. People need to lean on and support each other, just as the two sticks support each other in this character for the word human.

As I was reading a favorite controversial blog this morning (the subject is irrelevant here), something dawned on me. I began to ponder about our need for opposition. Perhaps what makes us strong and what plays a crucial role in supporting us does not always come from the same side. The two sticks stand and lean against each other from opposite sides. They cannot support each other from the same side. Both would fall.

What provides us with balance, harmony, and growth may come from places completely unexpected. It may be the thing that we fight to get rid of, the thing that we kick and scream against, the thing that is the thorn in our side that actually helps us to thrive.

Something to think about...

MBTI and the Sensing/Intuition Preference Pair

Some additional information on the Sensing/Intuition (S/N) preference pair, as I explained to a friend on-line:

Sensing preference focuses on individual facts and what they are. It is all about the details and the practical realities. It prefers information and tasks that are organized and presented in an orderly, sequential format. The Sensing preference relies on the five senses.

Intuitive preference, on the other hand, focuses on what the facts mean rather than whey they are. It pays more attention to connections and implications between the facts than to facts and details alone. It prefers information that is introduced with a "big picture" overview.

If we were talking photography, Sensing would see a macro shot first then may slowly zoom out to take in the bigger picture; and Intuition would see the wide-angle shot first and may slowly zoom in to see the close-up.

Another fascinating thought is that our preferences can be influenced by various factors. We have innate preferences (nature), but the way we experience, develop, use and express those preferences are influenced by our culture, family, education, etc. (nurture). It takes both to make up the complete picture of who we are, and trying to find our true type can be very confusing. The purpose of the MBTI is to find out what that "nature" part of our personality is. I think it can have a significant effect on how we deal with the world and also how we look at ourselves.

Perspectives (Part 2): New and Improved Golden Rule:

The Golden Rule, as everyone knows, reads as follows:

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

There's another (humorous) version of the Golden Rule that I've heard, which seems to ring true:

"Whoever has the gold makes the rules."

I believe the Golden Rule should be rewritten as:

"Don't ASSUME what you want done unto you is what others would want done unto them."

I have recently come to the realization that we, as humans, generally do not give each other the same consideration we give to a houseplant. We study plants and know that each variety responds differently to the amount of light, water, and other nutrients we give it to help it thrive. As a matter of fact, we make more of an effort to study every other living thing on earth than we do to understand each other. We assume that everyone else does or should think like us.

When a houseplant does not respond to the care that we give it, do we demand that it change its ways? No. We simply try to adjust the light, water, etc., do we not?

Communication break-down happens when we can only see things from one perspective--our own--and make unreasonable demands on the people we interact with (or make unfair judgments). Disappointment and conflict are inevitable when we have unrealistic expectations according to the Golden Rule mindset.


Note: I suspect many people misunderstand the Biblical message from which the Golden Rule comes from (Luke 6:31).

Perspectives (Part 1): How do you see the world?

Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?

Who am I?
Do I know myself as well as I think I do?
Who are they? Why do they think so differenty?
What motivates me?
Why can't I think/be more like them?
Why can't they think/be more like me?

A friend recently made the following comment:

When someone says something that we agree with, we think it's brilliant. When someone says something that we disagree with, we think it's the dumbest thing we've ever heard.

When you think about it, more often than not, that is our mindset when interacting with each other.

Conflict arises when two or more opposing views cannot agree on which view is the smart/right one and which view is the stupid/wrong one. When we're only focused on what's wright and wrong... eventually, someone has to be wrong. And who wants to be wrong? Do you? I don't!

When you think of the word ocean, does any of the following come to mind?





Are any of them wrong? No, of course not. They are just different perspectives from which we see the ocean.

Can we possibly learn from another perspective, rather than judge it to be right or wrong?

MBTI outer world orientation: J/P preference

Okay. With the election out of the way, perhaps we can get back to talking about things other than politics... :-)

This is an excerpt (I know... I get a little carried away with my emails) from an email I wrote today to a friend trying to explain the preferences:

The J/P preference deals with the outer world orientation. By the way, Jung's theory only had the 6 different preferences. The way I understand it, Myers and Briggs added this last pair to make the theory a little more digestible... more applicable and accessible through studying behavioral patterns.

It determines whether you prefer to deal with the outer world in a way that is decisive and orderly (Judging) or in a way that is flexible and spontaneous (Perceiving). So... depending on which function (perception or judgement) you tend to extravert, your preference would be either Judging or Perceiving. This is the one that people seem have the hardest time grasping.

If you have a Judging preference, that means you tend to extravert your decision making function. So that would express itself as being more decisive, orderly, structured, organized, methodical, and focused on results. If you have a Perceiving preference, then you tend to extravert your perceiving function. That would show up as being spontaneous, exploratory, adaptive, flexible, and focused more on the process rather than the result.

To give you an example, I have a very clear P preference. I feel more comfortable leaving everything open and flexible. I don't like the thought of anything being close-ended. I like possibilities and that is what motivates me. I like starting projects rather than finishing. My husband Pat, on the other hand, has a clear J preference. He loves routine, organization, and accomplishing tasks. What he has accomplished gives him a sense of security and comfort. Neither one is right or wrong, good or bad. But we constantly have conflicts because we are so different in the way we go through our day. But we're learning to appreciate and understand the other side of the spectrum that we don't prefer and to give each other more space. Believe it or not, just being aware of those things helps me to operate out of my comfort zone when needed.

Eastern philosophies and the "N" preference

I was telling a friend today that I'm having a Wabi-sabi day. When I use the word Wabi-sabi, I have a picture in my mind of what that looks like/feels like. But to explain it? That's an entirely different story. It sort of means: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect... It's kind of like that ironic "in-between" feeling of soothing melancholy...? ummm... it is the beauty of sad/content resignation...? See? I cannot explain it. You just have to understand it for yourself.

I think there may be a connection between the "N" (iNtuitive) preference (espcially as a dominent function) and the concepts of Eastern philosophies, such as Zen Buddhism and Tao Te Ching.

One who knows others is intelligent
One who knows himself is enlightened

One who conquers others is strong
One who conquers himself is all-powerful

One who approaches life with force
surely gets something
One who remains content where he is
surely gets everything

One who gives himself to his position
surely lives long
One who gives himself to Tao
surely lives forever

~ Tao Te Ching, verse 33

I must explain that I'm not talking about religion here. I just want to illustrate how the Eastern philosophy seems to have an N perspective. Here's another verse:

One who gives freely and without attachment
gets full life in return

One who gives with the secret hope of getting
is merely engaged in business

Truly, they neither give nor receive
any of the treasure from this world below Heaven

~ Tao Te Ching, verse 48

twitter dee, twitter dumb...

All those twitter fans out there, please don't be offended.

I've decided to go in and see for myself what it's all about. It's been a whole 7 hours since I signed up for a twitter account. Hmmm... still waiting for that "aha" moment. How is this different than my son's cell phone constantly beeping at him (annoyingly) with text messages?

My initial thoughts are, "This is really dumb" (probably because I don't understand it yet).

Please, please try to make me eat my words. I dare you, twitter!

I'll keep you posted...

Questions to ask yourself when choosing a career

I have recently learned that when doing a career exploration, it is important to ask the following questions:

Who am I?
Taking a good look at yourself and reflecting on what it is that makes you who you are is an important step toward choosing a career. The MBTI instrument is a great tool to use for self-awareness.

Why do I want to work?
The quick answer would be something like "because I need a job to make money." But if that were the only motivator for us to work and we get into a career that does not fit our personality or our interests, we would become unhappy and burned out very quickly - not having an outlet to use our gifts. The following are some examples of questions people ask themselves (taken from my lesson):

• Why is my life important?
• What role does work play in my overall life plan?
• What motivates me to do my best?
• What is my mission in life?
• What does God have in mind for me?

Also, see my previous post on the MBTI Function Pairs.

Where do I want to work?
What kind of an environment would you like to work in? Indoors? Outdoors? Do you like to work with many people or alone? Do you like contributing as a part of a team? Do you like a structured and orderly environment or a fast-paced creative environment. For me, places like Google and Zappos sound very exciting (check out the links). Zappos also pays their employees to quit! And you can slap your CEO! Imagine that! But I digress... back to my points...

What do I want to do?
What is it that you want to do on a day-to-day basis? What type of work would make you get up in the morning looking forward to going to work? Or is that even something that is important to you? Perhaps routine (yes, frightening thought to an ENTP) is what excites you to do your best.......? I can't even imagine that, but anything's possible... ;-)

The Strong Interest Inventory and the MBTI instruments used together in combination is an excellent way to begin answering the above questions and exploring your career options.

Hilligraphy - "May the Therapeutic Force be with You"

Here's an excerpt from an essay that Chuck Hillig shared with me some time ago. I've gotten his permission to post it, and I am finally getting around to it. I thoroughly enjoyed his thoughts, and it speaks to my N and P preferences:

Consider this: All psychotherapy occurs at a number of different levels. Obviously, there's the physical component: the therapist interacts with the patient at a particular location in space and time. Equally obvious, there's also an emotional component that invariably shows up as the patient, guided by the therapist, walks into the labyrinth of their own belief system in order to meet and confront the shadowy minotaurs that await within.

Finally, (and here's the real power of therapy), there's also the distinct possibility that a genuine spiritual shift can take place for the patient. For example, after courageously changing the context of how he sees the world, he can become transformed through his own insights.

In order to create the opportunity for such a healing, however, I suspect that all effective therapy has to first begin by helping the patient identify and acknowledge the unvarnished inner truth about "what's so" for him.

For example, it's axiomatic that the only place that we can move away from is the very place that we're currently occupying. In other words, it's impossible for us to change ourselves from where we aren't. I've been wondering, then, if we can use the obviousness of this truth to discover that all good psychotherapy is rooted in the patient's willingness to begin to love themselves unconditionally.

Consider this: Before helping them to change into who they are not, what happens when a therapist first encourages his patient to fully "be" who they already are? In other words, instead of, indirectly, implying that their patients are "wrong" for being as they are, what would happen when the focus is first on making them "right?" In short, the therapist actively encourages the patient to begin to free his inner spirit to become, paradoxically, what that spirit already is.

Go to this link to read the full essay.

Motivators for the MBTI Function Pairs

Some information I have recently learned about what motivates us to work:

• ST - Need to "get it right"

• NT - Need to "understand and master knowledge"

• SF - Need to "provide practical service to others"

• NF - Need to "empower others"

(Taken from On-line Strong/MBTI Combo workshop at G/S Consultants)

A Snapshot of an ISFJ

A good friend of mine is an ISFJ. I also work with this person on a team which I will not mention to protect the identities of the innocent. (Please don't be offended if you're reading this - You know I love you!) ;-)

Here's an illustration of a recent conversation:

ISFJ: We will no longer be doing X because it didn't work out.

ME: How do you know this?

ISFJ: It was the general consensus.

ME: I see. So the vocal minority got to you again?

ISFJ: It was not just the minority, but I don't want to say too much.

ME: Okay. No problem. Let's make the adjustments.

ISFJ: After next week. We need to finish out the month.

ME: Umm... if it's not working, then why don't we just change it now?

ISFJ: We really should finish out the month, since that was what was decided at the beginning of the month.

ME: ??? I don't get it...

A snapshot of an ISTJ

This conversation actually took place between me and my ISTJ husband:

ME: What time do you need to leave for the airport?

HUSBAND: At noon. That way, I'll be there two hours before the flight.

ME: Okay. I know how you usually get with the time, so how about planning on leaving at 11:00 am, so you don't rush me?

HUSBAND: Good idea.

AT ABOUT 10:40 A.M., WHILE HAVING A CONVERSATION OVER COFFEE, HE STARTS GETTING ANTSY, HIS EYES DARTING BACK AND FORTH BETWEEN THE CLOCK AND ME.

ME: Hey, I agreed on a time that was one hour earlier so you wouldn't rush me!

HUSBAND: I know, but I can't help it. The new time is now the time that I'm working with, and I still want to leave 15 minutes early.

ME: *sigh*

What goes around comes around

Chuck Hillig sent this story to me that he received from a friend. You may have heard it before, but it really is a good story. It reminds me of Leo Tolstoy's short story called Three Questions (another great story): :-)

His name was Fleming, and he was a poor Scottish farmer. One day, while trying to make a living for his family, he heard a cry for help coming from a nearby bog. He dropped his tools and ran to the bog.

There, mired to his waist in black muck, was a terrified boy, screaming and struggling to free himself. Farmer Fleming saved the lad from what could have been a slow and terrifying death.

The next day, a fancy carriage pulled up to the Scotsman's sparse surroundings. An elegantly dressed nobleman stepped out and introduced himself as the father of the boy Farmer Fleming had saved.

“I want to repay you,” said the nobleman. “You saved my son's life.”

“No, I can't accept payment for what I did,” the Scottish farmer replied waving off the offer. At that moment, the farmer's own son came to the door of the family hovel.

“Is that your son?” the nobleman asked.

“Yes,” the farmer replied proudly.

“I'll make you a deal. Let me provide him with the level of education my own son will enjoy If the lad is anything like his father, he'll no doubt grow to be a man we both will be proud of.”

And that he did.

Farmer Fleming's son attended the very best schools and in time, graduated from St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, and went on to become known throughout the world as the noted Sir Alexander Fleming, the discoverer of Penicillin.

Many years afterward, the same nobleman's son who had been saved from the bog was stricken with pneumonia.

What saved his life this time? Penicillin.

The name of the nobleman? Lord Randolph Churchill. His son's name? Sir Winston Churchill.

Some things to remember:

What goes around comes around.

Work like you don't need the money.

Love like you've never been hurt.

Dance like nobody's watching.

Sing like nobody's listening.

Live like it's Heaven on Earth.

Outdoor neighborhood family room, anyone?

I've been reading about ideas regarding the future of children's education over at Peter Gray's blog "Freedom to Learn." One of the commenters there has a blog of his own called Playborhood. On one of his posts, he talks about his plans to design an "outdoor family room" in his front yard where the neighborhood parents and kids can stop by anytime to just hang out.

This sounds like a very interesting and a wonderful concept in theory. But will it work? What do you do with that one annoying neighbor who's loud, boisterous, opinionated, eats all the food, drinks all the beers, and does not have a clue? What do you do with the cliques that will inevitably form? What do you do with that one kid who none of the kids want to hang out with? What do you do with the few women whose main goal in life is to gossip and spread rumors?

Not to put a damper on the plans before they even get off the ground, but I foresee so many of the same problems that seem to surface in any organization, such as church.

There will be the ones who are "in" and who are "out."

Is it just me? Am I just being negative?

By the way, Playborhood is a wonderful blog. He has some great thoughts...

HILLIGraphy - "Seven questions to change your life"

Seven Questions to Change Your Life
By Chuck Hillig

The quality of your life is often determined by the quality of the questions that you ask yourself. Your inner mind is, quite literally, compelled to answer all of your questions….voiced and unvoiced…no matter how limiting or self-destructive those questions might be.

For example, if you’ve ever wondered, “Why don’t things ever work out for me?” you’re going to come up with a very different answer than you would have if you had asked yourself “How can I learn more about myself from what’s happening right now?”

And, if you’re foolish enough to ask yourself “Why am I such a loser,” your mind (in its infinite love for you) will dutifully come up with a list of all of the reasons why you are, in fact, “a loser”…even if it has to make those reasons up! You see, phrasing the question like that subtly implies that you’re already a loser, and now you’re just trying to discover “why.” Your mind is constructed to automatically support and validate all of your inner beliefs. In short, its prime directive is to make your perceptions about yourself and the world “right.” Avoid asking questions that only serve to contract your soul and harden your heart.

Whenever you have some quiet time, here are other questions for you to ask yourself:

1) “What are the five things that I value most in my life?” List them in their order of importance. You might be surprised which one shows up on top.

2) “What are the three most important goals in my life right now?” When you write them down, be sure to notice any difference between your stated goals and how you are actually living your life out on a day-to-day basis.

3) “If I won 100 million dollars in the next PowerBall lottery, how would I change my life?” This answer will tell you a lot about your selfishness, compassion and values.

4) “How would I spend my remaining time if I knew for certain that I would die exactly six months from today?” Would you travel to some place special? Hang out with family and friends? Become more spiritual?

5) “What kind of work would I do if I had that 100 million dollars mentioned above, but was still obliged to do some kind of 8-hour a day job in order to have access to it?” Maybe the answer to that question will tell you more about your true passion in life.

6) “What activities in my younger years gave me the greatest feeling of freedom, importance and satisfaction?” Are you still participating in any of them? How do you stop yourself from enjoying those same activities right now?

7) Here’s my favorite: “What’s the one thing that I’d do in (and with) my life if I absolutely knew for certain that I couldn’t possibly fail?”

Asked with an open heart and without any expectations, these seven questions will unlock further treasures of self-awareness.

MindBlink up and running

I apologize to those who could not access this site for several days (seemed like weeks). I had a slight technical difficulty, and my blog was not accessible through certain browsers.

However, the issue has been resolved and...

I'M BACK!! Yay!! Now everybody dance! :-)
:

Bre-Day #3 - MBTI and religion, culture, etc.

It's Bre-Day #3!! Breanne Potter has been so gracious as to answer my never-ending and sometimes off-the-wall questions. As usual, my questions range from blogging, religion, culture, and misc. I think for future Bre-Day posts, I should stick to one topic. (I need to take a deep breath and ask myself What would a J do?)

Linda: Do you think there is a correlation between type and blogging? Do you think certain preferences are more attracted to blogging than others? (How about if we go into the Step II facets?)

Bre: I love this question! I asked this on one of my blog posts and assumed it would be similar to any writer in general. The reality is that blogging is different from just being a writer. In my informal nonscientific poll, INTP and INTJ’s were overwhelmingly the most frequently occurring blogger types. In many ways this makes sense. I feel that both I’s and E’s are equally likely to be bloggers. N’s would have the fantastic ability to be more verbose and create meaningful connections between ideas and concepts. T’s would be comfortable tacking an idea/topic and create structure to their opinion. J’s would likely set a schedule to updating their blog and be consistent in posting topics. This is just my guess!

Linda: You have mentioned before that there are some cases where the type can change, such as when there is trauma or other major life changes. How about spiritual enlightenment? Could that bring about a change? (Weird question, but I’ve always wondered this.)

Bre: I have thought and thought and thought about this for 3 days. You really challenge me!!! I suppose it’s possible for a large spiritual rebirth to affect the way you look at the world and values enough to affect the way you answer MBTI® questions. I would guess that trauma and spiritual enlightenment aren’t all that different in terms of the affect on the mind other than whether it is a positive or negative perspective. They are both likely to shift value systems, trust issues, and orientation to the world…so I guess it could affect the way one answer the MBTI®.

Linda: I’ve heard somewhere that when making decisions, given the type vs. strong cultural influence, the culture tends to trump the type. Firstly, do you think there’s any validity in this statement? Secondly, do you think this would be also true with religious influence (i.e. fundamentalism)?

Bre: I’m not sure about the idea that culture trumps preferences. I say that from my personal perspective as a Thinking female. If cultural expectations trumped my preferences I’d probably be married with 3 kids by now! I would guess that it largely depends on two factors: how strong the person’s preferences are and how strongly the culture reprimands those who reject the norm. For instance, if I had unclear preferences between T-F I might be more inclined to follow the cultural norms. Also, if the result of rejecting the cultural norms were negative, I would be more inclined to do what was expected of me. I don’t know how this in with non-Western cultures. As an example, in Japanese cultures, Extraversion does not look like an Extravert in the United States. What if someone in the Japanese culture tried to look like an American Extravert? Would they be culturally reprimanded? I’ll defer to anyone with more world experience on this one!

Linda: In her recent post on MindBlink, Ruthie referred to a VLS test which was a part of a class (marketing) assignment. Have you heard of this test?

Bre: I have not heard of that. I certainly would like to learn more though. There are hundreds of thousands of assessments out there. I try to stay on top of the ones that are based on Jungian core concepts, but it is a mountain of a task to keep up with!

What do you do all day?

Breanne Potter is running a contest on her blog, and the prize she is offering is the most awesome of all time, although I already have all that she is offering. I’m entering anyway, because I like to win.

She asks the question, “What do you do all day?” to which the first thought that pops into my head is, “I have no earthly idea where the time goes, but it goes.” As an ISTJ, Breanne gives a play-by-play report of her morning activities. Taking her cue, let me give you an account of what my day as an ENTP was like today. See if you can pick out the behaviors that fit my preferences:

• 8:00ish - The alarm clock goes off only after four hours of sleep. I was up late trying to finish up 80% of what was on my to-do list after 10:00 pm last night but passed out from exhaustion with just a couple more things left to do.
• 8:30ish - Still in bed trying to wake up… I have to finish up my presentation before the 10am meeting with my pastor.
• Sometime before 8:45 - Out of bed and at my desk, frantically making last minute revisions and printing.
• Sometime after that – phone rings. Neighbor has a question. Get involved in conversation and forget what time it is.
• 9:20ish – OMG!! I have to get ready! Off the phone.
• 15 minutes (give or take) to shower, dress, put on minimal make-up, and quickly dry hair – record time!
• 9:40ish – Back at the computer. More changes need to be made. Quick! Print again. Take a moment to admire my own work.
• 9:50ish – Grab coffee, folders, laptop, and purse and into the garage… run back for cell phone and a pack of gum.
• I suddenly remember that I agreed to attend a luncheon today without realizing that I have another afternoon meeting. I call the hostess and tell her that it probably will be a very short lunch for me.
• 10:10 am – Run into the meeting at full speed, profusely apologizing, etc.
• 12:00ish – meeting runs over; I’m late for the luncheon and have only a little over an hour before the next meeting. Calculate in my head (15 minutes there; 20 minutes to eat; 15 minutes to get back – just enough time!)
• It takes 25 minutes there; 30 minutes to visit; and 25 minutes to get back – complete miscalculation!!
• 1:35 pm – Terribly, terribly late for 1:15 meeting. Walk into the meeting hanging my head in shame.
• 3:45ish – As I’m pulling into the driveway, I realize I have nothing planned for dinner. Back out of the driveway and to the grocery store.
• 4:30ish - Back home, put groceries away, and to my desk to check emails. Start researching something that was brought up at the meeting.
• 5:30ish – Husband comes home and snaps me out of my web trance. Dinner? He asks. I bolt into the kitchen and whip up something for dinner, again in record time. (Most things I do is in record time.)
• 6:30ish – Clean up. Chat with daughter for about 20 min.
• 7:00ish – Back to work until maybe 11:00ish, which will probably end up being after midnight because I just realized that I failed to make a to-do list today, which is why it’s now after 9:00 but I haven’t done any work other than blogging.

Today just happened to be a little crazier than usual; but generally, it is typical of my style. Okay…don’t judge me too quickly. I’m not proud of it! If you will notice, I know the precise times when I walked in late to the meetings, which means that I feel awful about it and want to correct it. My goal is to have a completely flawless “ish” day, which will indicate that everything was accomplished somewhat within the proposed time frame. ;-)


Now your turn... What's your type preference, and what do YOU do all day?

A typical dialogue between "S" and "N" preferences

I have a tendency to get deeply philosophical regardless of what subject I am talking about. This drives my husband and my son crazy, both of whom have an “S” (Sensing) preference. My daughter, a fellow “N” (iNtuitive), is usually a trooper about thinking along with me.

Here’s a typical S/N dialogue between my son and I:

Son: Do you prefer X or Z?

Me: It depends… are you asking because you have a preference and want it validated?

Son: No, I just wanna know what you like.

Me: Will my answer influence the way you see X or Z?

Son: No, just tell me if you like X or Z!

Me: I will have to first ask what makes X behave like an X. Is it affected by the Z? Do you think Z would also look like an X if it were not assumed that it is a Z? I also wonder if X may not at all be an X but just perceived to be one compared to Z. In that case, they may both be Zs and one is just a little less Z than the other.

Son: Are you gonna give me an answer?

Me: There are no answers. Because if they are both Xs or both Zs, then the choice no longer exists. Will you please explain to me why you think X is X?

Son: I don’t know why I bother asking you these questions…

Me: No, wait!! Now you’ve got me thinking. Let’s think together about this… hmmm…

Son: (gone)

MBTI Type and Teams

When I first became a qualified (now certified) MBTI practitioner in May of this year, I was excited, wide-eyed, and overwhelmed. I had no idea where to begin, but as an ENTP, I accepted the challenge and decided to dive into the task of designing my first workshop. At the same time, I mentioned this in a post on one of my (other) blogs. Breanne Potter of CPP found the post and left a comment. The rest of the ongoing story of my MBTI journey can be seen on this very blog, which was created as a result of being inspired by Breanne's The MBTI Blog.

True to my N and P preferences, this blog has turned into a smörgåsbord of sorts, but I generally try to stay to the topics involving the MBTI and psychology (and philosophy, which in essence is very closely related to psychology, n'est pas?). That's the best I can do for now as far as having a focus... :-(

Taking Breanne's advice, I joined the CPP IconSuccess site (she wrote about it again in a recent post), wherein I found the information (which she posted in the forum) about the awesome MBTI® Practitioner Success Pack, which includes over $1,000 worth of materials for half the price. It has been a life-saver for me and played a crucial role in my growth as a practitioner. The kit includes everything a beginning practitioner could ask for/about and much, much more. I'm forever finding new and very helpful information in this treasure box full of goodies, which brings me to the subject at hand.

I have been recently involved in re-organizing the counseling ministry at my church. As a participating member in the restructuring of the ministry, I am actively involved in the organizational development process. I have also become the designated in-house MBTI trainer.

While looking through the pile of booklets to find information on communication, decision-making, and team-building, I came upon "Introduction to Type and Teams," written by Elizabeth Hirsh, Katherine W. Hirsh, and Sandra Krebs Hirsh. It is exactly what I needed in order for us to start off on the right foot.

Our organization currently has four initial members: INTP, ESTJ, ENTP, and INFJ

These are the summaries of what each can bring to the team, as set forth in the book:

INTP: Hallmark - Logic

Analytical, intellectual, and ingenious, INTPs work well when they can operate independently, search for truth, and use rational approaches to solve complex problems. Their curiosity leads them to research theories, contemplate what makes things work, and discover the long-term consequences of any given strategy or plan.

ESTJ: Hallmark - Decisiveness

Logical, directive, and organized, ESTJs work well when they can marshal and manipulate resources, implement plans, and accomplish tasks. They find and correct flaws, monitor events, and hold everyone accountable. Hard-working and responsible, they seek practical, realistic solutions to difficulties.

ENTP: Hallmark - Initiative

Perceptive, adaptable, and clever, ENTPs work well when they can take on challenges, improvise conceptual frameworks, and rally others to conquer issues strategically. They bring an inventive spirit to entrepreneurial endeavors, embrace change and innovation, and see ways of doing things that are not immediately obvious.

INFJ: Hallmark - Integrity

Insightful, inspiring, and creative. INFJs work well when they can concentrate on what matters to people, quietly exert influence, and model integrity. They envision ways to reach long-range goals, want to develop an atmosphere of mutual trust, and organize people and processes so that all benefit.

Now tell me.... how can we NOT succeed? :-)

Guest Post: Millennials and the Meaning of Life

This is a guest post by Ruthie:

I work as a teaching assistant at a large Midwestern research university, where I also attend as a graduate student.

Last week, in a meeting with one of the professors for whom I work, the touchy topic of the Millennial Generation arose. The professor lamented the fact that the new generation of students seem entitled, self-important, and perpetually plugged in. Realizing that I’m 23, she quickly added: “Not you, of course.”

But she’s right—the new generation of 20-somethings, myself included, are beginning to see education as a right and not a privilege—and they have never known a world without instantaneous communication. I had my first cell phone at 15. I can hardly remember life before the Internet.

We are, some say, a generation adrift—devoid of purpose or meaning in a poststructuralist, postmodern world. We have been taught that culture is relative, that truth is subjective, that the self is a social construct.

The logical conclusion of these base assumptions, paired with an ever-evolving spiderweb of technology, has led our generation to be more image-conscious than any generation that came before. The very hearts of our identities are shaped by people’s perceptions of us—we are self-indulgent, cripplingly open about our private lives, even narcissistic.

In a lab section that I lead on Fridays, several of my students were required to take the VALS test as part of a marketing assignment. We discussed their lifestyle categories, and I asked them if any of them had ever taken the MBTI assessment. To my surprise, many of them had, and their responses and comments about their categorization within the two tests were among the most enthusiastic and interesting I’d seen all semester.

This, I think, is because we are a generation that prides itself on individuality—we see it as the highest good, the most sought-after goal. The students in my lab section are like the rest of us—dying to know themselves at some true, essential level, apart from social constructs and other people’s perceptions. Looking for meaning within the ephemeral and the subjective.

And so the meaning of life for the Millennial generation is expression—the only way to validate a fleeting existence limited by perception.

We are experiencers and consumers, learning to craft our public images via Myspace and Facebook, seeking to better market ourselves to universities and prospective employers. But in the context of a brave new 21st-century society, I think most of us realize that neither consumption nor personal experience can give us ultimate, transcendent meaning. Our lives, both public and private, are particular to us, and one day both they (and we) will be gone.

I believe this is what we’re afraid of. We, who have spent our lives immersed in instantaneous technology since infanthood, are afraid of fading away unnoticed. We are afraid that our tiny voices will be swept away in the mad torrent of this information age.

We are afraid of becoming obsolete.

And so expression—the validation of our existence by preserving it in some form—in pictures, Myspace and Facebook pages, blogs, journals, music and art—has become the highest good, the purest form of meaning.

I hope the older generations can forgive us our flightiness and our narcissism, our iPods and our text messages.

We, like every generation that came before, crave permanence, fulfillment and meaning—meaning that, for many of us, can only be attained through expression.

"Multiple Intelligences" by Howard Gardner

From the book Multiple Intelligences: New Horizons by Howard Gardner:

I believe that in our society we suffer from three biases, which I have nicknamed "Westist," "Testist," and "Bestist." "Westist" involves putting certain Western cultural values, which date back to Socrates, on a pedestal. Logical thinking, for example, is important; rationality is important; but they are not the only virtues.

"Testist" suggests a bias towards focusing on those human abilities or approaches that are readily testable. If it can't be tested, it sometimes seems, it is not worth paying attention to. My feeling is that assessment can be much broader, much more humane than it is now and that psychologists should spend less time ranking people and more time trying to help them.

"Bestist" is a thinly veiled reference to David Halberstam's 1972 book The Best and the Brightest. Halberstam's title referred ironically to the figures, among them Harvard faculty members, who were brought to Washington to help President John F. Kennedy and in the process launched the Vietnam War. I think any belief that all the answers to a given problem like in one certain approach, such as logical-mathematical thinking, can be very dangerous. current views of intellect need to be leavened with other, more comprehensive points of view.

When he refers to assessments in the second paragraph above, he's referring to tests such as IQ and the SAT.

He proposes an individual-centered learning environment that takes the multifaceted view of intelligence, based on findings from the cognitive science and neuroscience.

I see Jung written all over the cognitive portion of it, don't you?

Gardner's theory began with seven very different but equally important intelligences:

• Musical Intelligence
• Bodily-Kinesthetic Intelligence
• Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
• Linguistic Intelligence
• Spatial Intelligence
• Interpersonal Intelligence
• Intrapersonal Intelligence

He later added an eighth:

• Naturalist Intelligence

He also looked at a ninth intelligence, calling it Existential Intelligence (has to do with the spiritual and the big questions of life), but did not have conclusive findings. (yet!) ;-)

HILLIGraphy - Seeds for the Soul

Another page from Chuck Hillig's Seeds for the Soul:

Don't rescue anyone by trying to do their inner work for them.

You'll only be discounting their strength and discouraging them from developing their own untapped resources

Instead, give yourself permission to allow them to completely and totally fail...if failing seems to be what's on their path.

If you keep handing someone a crutch, they'll surely learn how to limp.

Board Meeting: Time to refocus and reorganize

• Subject: Redefine the purpose of Mindblink Blog
• Board members: Me, myself, and I
• Concerns: Mindblink is losing direction and focus (where were we going with this?)

I have created this blog after being inspired by The MBTI Blog of Breanne Potter as a means to stay connected to the MBTI community and also to share my new passion with others who may not be familiar with the type theory. As I have a tendency to make everything broader than they need to be, my focus can easily get scattered. Judith Grutter, who was my teacher for my on-line Strong Interest Inventory qualification, pointed to the fact that:

if I try to do everything, I will most likely end up doing nothing.

...Simple statement with so much truth in it... I've been chewing on that thought for a couple of weeks now, trying to digest it and find a focus.

I have been readjusting my goals and my vision as far as my career path is concerned, and it's slowing becoming more clear as I think through it. I've come too far to just let it fizzle out into nothing.

I am here to address the issues concerning this blog. I am reaching deep to get in touch with my out-of-preference and underdeveloped "S" and "J" functions. It requires frequent deep breaths and great concentration, but it's time to make some clarifications and find a focus here:

1. Psychology will be the main focus of this blog. While it is true that I believe psychology applies to everything in life, it is also true that "everything" is simply too broad of a topic.


2. I will resurrect my other blogs to write about my thoughts that don't quite seem to fit into the category of psychology and MBTI.


3. Other writers here whom I have invited to co-author this blog will be requested to post at least once every 4-6 weeks. I will do my best to suggest appropriate topics.


4. As for myself, I will be writing about my new discoveries and lessons that I learn as I continue in my growing process as it applies to psychology in general, and to MBTI in particular.


5. Staying within the context of #4 stated above, I will continue to think, ask questions, learn as much as I can, and share what I've learned in a way that is palatable and easy-to-comprehend.
   


6. Nothing is ever written in stone with me, but I will try this "focus" thing for a while and see how it goes...