Ua ola loko ‘ao i ke aloha;
Aloha provides life and learning from within.

We, of the Joyful Jubilant Learning (JJL) Advisory Board, are most proud that JJL has illustrated this proverb, and has been an example of how the Aloha Spirit gets expressed. Welcome.

About Joyful Jubilant Learning

This site was a learning project born from the Aloha of the Ho‘ohana Community of Talking Story with Say Leadership Coaching in 2006. It was published as a group blog dedicated to global web-based tertiary learning, and guided by our universal values, articulated within these pages with the Hawaiian names of

• Aloha —unconditional love and acceptance of humanity
• ‘Ike loa —the seeking of wisdom through lifelong learning. When coupled with Aloha there is an emphasis on learning from other people
• Kākou —inclusiveness as a “language of we” in communication, and to foster open-mindedness in our collaborative efforts
• Ho‘ohana —an ever-present intention to apply our learning to the work we are personally inspired by and committed to
• Hau‘oli‘oli —joy, wonder and delight

We learn beginnings, and we learn endings

Joyful Jubilant Learning ended in January of 2010 as our learning project, because those most involved and committed to publishing here had grown and reaped its benefit: It was time to move on. You can read more about that decision here if you would like to know more: Learning Healthy and Joyful Endings.

Soon however, another Hawaiian value spoke up in a loud voice, in the form of a question: It is the value of perseverance, and it asks how we perpetuate good effort, and noteworthy results:

• Ho‘omau —How can we mau, always persist, and ho‘o, make it happen, so that the good created here becomes long-lasting, and will encourage learning to continue?

We decided to maintain JJL as a learning resource on the web, freely offered to all who might find the site, and all who wish to share it. We also wanted to honor everyone who has ever contributed here, whether by posting or in conversation. Comment fields have been left open so that the conversations within these pages can be continued.

From publishing fresh content, to archiving learning

As of this writing, there is much reconfiguration work to be done in transforming this to an easily searched, smartly indexed reference site; work which will be done by a volunteer team as time allows. There are 1,000 posts here, and nearly eight times as many comments. (Coincidence? I think not… Makawalu: Counting Fish, Taro, and Thinking)

For now, you will have to rely on skimming through the existing navigation beneath the header and on the sidebar. We’d published JJL using the blogging platform we deemed best for an editorial calendar guided by monthly learning themes: Read the introduction to each theme using the Day One Intro category. Thank you for your patience as our work continues.

Imua na hui; Going forward

I mentioned our Hui, those who had been on our JJL Advisory Board. When we announced the blog’s retirement, I asked them, “How will you continue to pursue your joyful, jubilant learning throughout 2010 and beyond?”

Their responses appear below my signature. They inspired me, and I am sure reading their words will inspire the learner in you too.

Enjoy your time here on Joyful Jubilant Learning, and please know that your engagement with the site will continue to be highly valued. We have moved on to other projects and our responsiveness may not be immediate, but be assured we will respond to you as soon as possible when you comment here.

Mahalo nui loa, thank you for reading, and for being a Joyful Learner. That ‘being’ is the way you honor your own Aloha Spirit, for remember: Ua ola loko ‘ao i ke aloha; Aloha provides life and learning from within.

— Rosa Say, Talking Story
Blessed to remain your managing editor,
Joyful Jubilant Learning

One of the most precious things Joyful Jubilant Learning has given me is the gift of awareness. Being involved helped me notice my learning in ways I’d never done before. Moving forward I will continue the ritual of noticing my learning, sharing it in writing and conversation, and writing it down ‘rapid fire learning’ style. I’ve even set up calendar prompts for myself! Being conscious and aware of my learning brings the lessons closer to my heart, where the true joy lives.
— Káren Wallace, The Calm Space

I have learned so much from JJL. The one thing in particular that will stay with me was its great spirit of community. We supported one another, and encouraged one another. I will continue that spirit in all I do in 2010, both online and off.
— Terry Starbucker, Ramblings from a Glass Half Full

There are 3 main things on my JJL inspired learning list for 2010 beyond:
a) keep learning by taking photos, and learn more about the visual side of learning
b) bring together the things I’ve learned over the last few years and integrate them (stock taking underway!)
c) share the heart of my learning to connect with the heart of other people’s learning
— Joanna Young, Follow Joanna on Twitter

As much as I have been a life long runner, I am a life long learner. JJL was one great learning step on the journey to knowledge. Thanks to Rosa and all my fellow contributors for sharing and providing so much inspiration. I am more motivated now than ever before to create good conversation around content that matters to build or enhance an engaged community.
— Steve Sherlock, Steve’s 2 Cents

One of the most precious things Joyful, Jubilant Learning has given me is the gift of learning together. It’s so much more fun to learn with people than it is to learn alone. It’s fun to learn from people, and even more fun to learn WITH people. It’s especially amazing to me to think about all the learning that happened across the timezones, cultures, and other obstacles. I’m truly amazed at how a group of unrelated people can pour so much into others’ lives without expecting anything in return.
— Phil Gerbyshak, The Make It Great Guy

Contributing to the JJL Community has brought the stark realisation of just how much of a life-time learner I am. It wasn’t a title with which I ever labelled myself. Now it fits like a comfy pair of slippers but I don’t want them to wear out. So my journey will continue this year as I focus on developing my techo skills as well as digging deeper into my knowledge of the many ways couples can be helped to discover the joyful opportunities that lie in their relationship. I feel elated at the thought of stepping up to those plates – perhaps jubilant might be a better word!
— Chris Owen, Pink Apple

One of the most valuable lessons JJL taught me and then reinforced over and over during my time here was how much more I learn while being open to hearing others. Often, another would address an aspect which was completely new to me. When able to sit quietly with the new perspective, I learned more than I could ever have learned on my own. So, more of that. That’s the goal I profess.
— Rick Hamrick, Hamguin’s Hide-not

Learning in depth and learning with passion – that’s what I’ll remember about my JJL experience. From here, I hope we continue to share our knowledge, our wisdom, and most of all, our curiosity. I’m fortunate in that my work allows me to learn every day. I want to seize those opportunities – opportunities to connect, ask questions,
study problems, solve puzzles, and experiment.
— Brad Shorr, Word Sell, Inc.

The best part of the journey is the experience we create with others. In 2010 and beyond, I will continue to embrace the world with a spirit of “genuine curiosity.” For me, that means asking open-ended questions, listening with intensity, honoring different perspectives and learning styles, and sharing my perspective.
— Dwayne Melancon, Genuine Curiosity

Will you declare your learning intention here too?
As promised, the comments remain open for you.

Aloha dear readers,

It is with a tinge of sadness, but also the greater joy of certainty and clarity, that I am declaring “game over” for Joyful Jubilant Learning. I fully intend to leave the site up as the fabulous resource it has become, for there is true learning wealth contained within this site’s pages, but there will be no fresh content added here.

There are those times you know, “It’s time.”

That “greater joy of certainty and clarity” I mention has been surprising in a way, for I never imagined this would be one of the changes on our horizon as 2010 began. Yet as I sit here writing to you, I am sure this change was meant to be, as sure as I can be: It is the “healthy” part I refer to in my post title. There are those times you know, “it’s time.” You may not completely understand why, or be able to explain it well, but you know.

This is one of those times for me, especially because ironically, the feeling trumping my underlying sadness has been our constant value here: Joy in Learning. Even when that learning has led you to an ending you did not anticipate, for one ending usually opens spaces for new beginnings!

So there is joy in ending a game which has run its course within a magnificent season, with some truly brilliant plays and starring moments for all who were involved. I feel our ending is victorious. It feels glorious, and worth celebration.

Our Value: Joy in Learning. Our Result: Jubilation!

I am deeply appreciative to you for being such an important part of JJL: If you are reading these words, you have given so much to make the site the jewel it is, one which sought to do some game-changing with the learning that we adults do online, in the embrace of a collaborative, virtual, and global community. You may never have contributed a post, or penned a comment, but those who did, knew how many of you were there reading, listening, and learning. In my heart I do believe we have made a difference —several times over, and to individuals too numerous to count.

Did we learn everything we set out to learn? Maybe not. However I do feel we learned what we needed to learn during those times we committed to our learning, and made that genuine effort.

Indeed, there is jubilation knowing that there will always be another game, and another, and we get to choose which we’ll each gain most energy from, keeping our JJL discernment as part of the learning strength which propels us forward. I suspect we have each learned more than we may even realize.

Game-changing invigorates. It IS healthy

I hesitate a bit, using this metaphor of “a game” for in no way do I wish to minimize the immensity of what I do feel has happened here over the past three years: People have cried, laughed and played. Relationships have been explored within all depths of emotion. Strengths have found their beauty. Character has grown within Aloha, and some have discovered their Ho‘ohana.

My Ho‘ohana, (my personal work’s intention), is to recommit to my mission with Managing with Aloha, with Talking Story as my mothership online. My current travel, and my speaking engagements have helped me see a need that I feel I should fulfill better, given my experience and what I know and can offer, particularly with “sense of workplace” in a time entrepreneurs must be pulled back into the job creation of civic responsibility and community-mindedness, and Aloha-woven business models.

There may be another tribal team effort similar to what we initiated at JJL in the future, for I do adore Ho‘ohana projects and how we learn within them. I LOVE collaborating with you, defying global challenges and communicating within our universal language of shared values. For now, I want to concentrate on being a better participant in the online time I have available to me within my current business schedule, supporting you as you lead in that sweet spot within your own community and mothership, and taking a bit of a break from my online leadership efforts until I regroup within the arms of a true Managing with Aloha movement that is newly focused for 2010 and beyond.

Keep the Joy forever close to you

I invite you to return in about a week’s time, deciding then how you wish to bookmark the site in your Learner’s Toolbox. I will have a new home page up, which will help you consider Joyful Jubilant Learning in a fresh new way, as a resource you can come home to forevermore, getting that joyful spark you might need to refresh the learning energies you find you are dwelling in.

If you have depended on JJL in the past as a one-stop-shop for updates from favored contributors, visit their home sites now, and add them to your feedreader and social media friending: Consider this your opportunity to step up and reach out your hand, saying, “Aloha, I’m a friend from Joyful Jubilant Learning!” I know they will thrill to hearing from you. They will feel honored to know they can continue to learn with you.

As am I. Mahalo nui, ke ha‘aha‘a. Honored and profoundly thankful. Learning, and that joyful learning which gives you the jubilation of well-being in your self-attuned capacities, is something which will never, ever end. It is palena ‘ole, without limits. Of that, I am joyfully certain.

Ho‘ohana na ‘ike loa, e kukupa‘u kākou, e aloha nui.

We continue to work at our purposeful learning,
together and with enthusiasm, bound in the Aloha we share.

I hope to see you at Talking Story!
With much love and respect, and immense gratitude,

Rosa Say
Blessed to have been your managing editor,
Joyful Jubilant Learning

Rosa Say

I ask a favor

If you decide to bless these pages with one last comment, I ask a favor of you: Point to a post you fondly remember in our archives, and share what the reading of that post may have contributed to your learning. My sincere wish for JJL has always been that it was about the value of learning, and not about me or any single individual, but how we learn best with, and from other people.

Seize this moment to let our authors know how much their teaching and co-learning has meant to you. Inspire them to continue practices like Rapid Fire Learning in their own extended forums, for Joyful Jubilant Learning is but one place within the many that joyful learning, shared within Aloha, continues to mean so much.

Photo Credits:
Game Over by Thomas Hawk, and Day 232 Participant by lintmachine, both on Flickr. Our site art will remain timeless, thanks to the generous artistry of Tim Milburn and Jesse Petersen.

Poetry & Health are connected for me.

Poetry has the power to make me feel good, it’s as simple as that.

The subject matter can be serious or more light-hearted but the effect is the same.

Sometimes I read poetry and it makes me feel better.

Sharing experiences with poets can have a positive effect on your health.

Here’s an example that has worked for me in the past…

All
The craziness,
All the empty plots,
All the ghosts and fears

All the grudges and sorrows have
Now
Passed.

I must have inhaled
A strange
Feather

That finally

Fell

Out

A Strange Feather
By Hafiz
(Translated by Daniel Ladinsky)

Sometimes I write poetry and it makes me feel better.

Sharing experiences with poetry can become a healthy habit.

I’m no poet like Hafiz but maybe you’ll see it in this example too…

To those who can paint
Pick a medium and create
Sometimes your pieces
Bring us together

To those with a leaning
For colour and feeling
Keep your eyes peeled
They help us see meaning

To those who sing and play
Surge through the day
Keep playing and singing
It’s great joy you’re bringing

To those who write
Sometimes up late at night
Create doubt and power
You help our hope flower

It’s up to you
How you do
Be an artist today
You will find a way

Division of Labour
By Me

That’s how poetry and health are connected for me.

What connections to your health have you made?

Paul Diamond

My name is Paul Diamond, I live in the UK
but you can find me online at work/life fusion.

I’m moving home on the web in the next few months.
There won’t be any boxes to pack
but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy ;)

We’ve (my husband and I) had more than our share of recreational travel in the last several months-San Diego for a birthday, London for a wedding, Minneapolis for Christmas, and now Egypt just for fun. I always learn as much about myself as I do foreign or regional cultures when I travel. A few examples follow:

Anger and power demonstrations don’t work very well. I don’t have that much power, but I do get angry when someone cuts in front of me in line, or takes up 1.5 seats on the plane, or acts generally as if the rules of travel (mostly security and airline rules) are for little people and don’t apply to them. The mayor of Oakland cut in front of me in line for a Southwest Airlines flight. He apologized, but obviously had more power than I at the Oakland Airport. In these and other experiences I try to recall Richard Carlson’s book title Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff (and it’s all small stuff). This is all small stuff and it is not my job or my appointment to right all of the interpersonal wrongs of this world. It is my job to find my own inner peace as I travel.

Travel, or flying in particular, challenges that inner peace in so many ways. No matter how many things I remember about security rules (wear slip on shoes, put my make-up in zip lock bags, put my computer on top of my carry on, wear a warm first layer because all other layers come off) there is some new rule or some rigid security officer who will invite me to disrupt that inner peace. I lose the foundation I just bought. I lose my expensive tweezers. I try not to lose my cool.

Then there is the wait or the rush. I like to get to the airport early. My husband likes to see how close he can get to flight door closing. Either way there is stress. I’ve found that exercise helps. I walk up and down the gateway as stress reliever and to head off leg and foot cramps later. If we go my husband’s way we get plenty of exercise running to make the flight.

There is the actual time in the air. We’ve flown for an hour, we’re about to fly for more than 24 hours. It is long and boring and no matter how many things I bring to distract myself, it is still long and boring–and tiring. I don’t sleep well on planes and even though my husband does, we’ll get to Cairo bleary-eyed and tired, and thinking impaired. My learning from the past indicates that compassion is a better strategy than challenging the other’s thinking at this time.

I’m sure we’ll enjoy all of the amazing sights of Egypt. I will enjoy the coming and going much more if I remember to: breathe deeply, walk when possible, rest when my body is finally tired enough to give up, and smile. Travel is all small stuff.

Sara Orem

Sara Orem is a coach and workshop leader for individuals and companies seeking more productivity through better use of their own strengths and enthusiasms. She teaches graduate business courses for Capella University, maintains an active coaching and consulting practice in the San Francisco Bay Area, and leads webinars on positive coaching methods. A new interest and teaching theme is personal change for people over 55. Her book Appreciative Coaching: A Positive Process for Change (with Jackie Binkert and Ann Clancy), and her own recent change journey led her to this interest. Visit Sara at her website: www.saraorem.com.

Okay, so as a photography addict my answer to this question is inevitably going to be ‘yes’.

And yes, I know I walk more slowly when I’m taking photos, and that walking more slowly doesn’t give me the same health benefits in terms of exercise and oxgyen and heart rate…

But still, my answer needs to be “yes”: taking photos can be good for health.

Some reasons why:

• It’s an invitation to spend more time outside

• It’s an encouragement to walk, and walking is good for your health

• It connects you to the natural world (like holding hands even)

• It helps you to slow down, pay attention, be more mindful

• Maybe that’s a form of meditation, of joining up heart, soul, eye, mind…?

• It helps you notice patterns and connections

• It can lift your spirits, helping you remember colour and sunshine when your weather is dull and grey (thanks for the reminder Ulla)

• It generates a sense of gratitude, and wonder (with a burst of the feel-good hormone serotonin to boot)

• It encourages a sense of stewardship for the natural world (which is good for the health of the planet)

• It can make you feel glad to be alive (wouldn’t that make a good definition of health?)

And when you share your photos:

• It helps you feel more connected with others

• It helps you learn about other places in the world

• It can inspire a sense of wonder…

Which can (I’m not too idealistic to think this, am I?) encourage a sense of stewardship for the natural world, which is good for the health of the planet.

~~~

What do you think – have I convinced you?  Can taking photos be good for health?  Have you ever had days when it’s been good for your health?

PS If you’re just dipping your toes into the world of sharing your photographs you’re welcome to join the JJL group of learner-photographers at Flickr

~~~

Joanna Young

Post Author Joanna Young is the author of the popular Confident Writing blog, and the new book of the blog, 199 Ways to Write with Confidence. Her aim is to create more space for people to write, including time out and writing retreats.

She loves to take photographs and you can see more of her pictures at Flickr: Joanna Young Last but not least, you can catch her most days on Twitter, @joannayoung

The photo of ice on water at the Loch of Harray is one from a recent trip to Orkney, one of those photographic moments that made her feel glad to be alive :-)

This also could have been titled “two rants and a rave” so bear with me as I explain. Over the holidays, I got to see more television than normal. College football was in full form as the bowl season dominated much conversation amongst alumni as their team either made it to a game, or didn’t. Pro football was also a hot topic as jockeying for playoff positions reached a fever pitch. Basketball, both pro and college was also on the air, although less prominent, as both are early in their season.

Was it just me or did it irk you that

• a lot of the football players focus on hitting instead of tackling?
• a majority of the basketball players waste opportunities to score points at the free throw line?

I would pose that one of the reasons behind these two items being as prevalent as they are is due to the lack of respect for running.

No, wait a minute. What has tackling got to do with running? What has free throw shooting to do with running?

As a former high school basketball player and observer of football practices both high school and college, the primary purpose of running for those coaches is perceived as punishment.

• A linebacker misses a tackle and the running back gets a big gain. Coach yells out, take a lap.
• A guard looking the wrong way gets the ball stolen from him. Coach yells out, take a lap.

The primary effects of using running as punishment creates a negative view of running. More to the point, instead of actually practicing to correct the mistakes, running is determined as the activity to help the athlete think about what they did and how they can do it next time.

Instead, I would propose that coaches would be better off avoiding running as punishment and create opportunities for real practice to correct the mistake.

• A linebacker misses a tackle and the running back gets a big gain. Coach yells out, go work on the tackle slide.
• A guard looking the wrong way gets the ball stolen from him. Coach yells out, make ten free throws.

Disclaimer, as I have not played football, if there is a better exercise to actually practice the grab and hold portion of the tackle, then I would recommend that.

Please note that for the basketball player, I did not say, ‘take’ ten free throws. I said ‘make’ ten free throws. The incentive is in the making. Overtime, the more the player improves the shorter time it will take to make ten shots from the line.

Some personal attention should be paid by the coaches to both players to ensure that the extra time on proper tackling and proper shooting techniques are being used and reinforced.

So that was the “two rants”, what is the rave?

I recognize that not everyone can run. There are mindset scars, in some cases physical scars, that prohibit running as a regular exercise. However, walking is usually an acceptable alternative in these cases.

Much has already been written on walking as a great form of exercise so I won’t attempt to re-invent the wheel. I would propose that you think of taking a plastic bag on your walking route. The plastic bag is one you would likely get with your purchases at a convenience store or food market. Any plastic bag with handles is good. The bag should only be as large as one you would comfortably carry as it filled up.

Filled up? What goes in the bag?

If you live in or near a city, you might find a soda can, beer can, or water bottle along the sidewalk, or in the gutter as you walk. You can incorporate a bend and stretch routine into your walking, to pick up the bottle or can. You increase the aerobic effects of the walk and improve the climate by recycling the cans and bottles.

Recycle

With apologies to the creators of the Romper Room song “Bend and Stretch (YouTube video link)”, I crafted the following

Bend and stretch
reach for the can
while exercising
help your fellow man

Note: Any resemblance to “Eats, Shoots and Leaves” is intentional. The book is a humorous read and highly recommended to better understand punctuation mistakes we should avoid. Hopefully, I did not commit any of the common ones here.

——   ——   ——

Steve Sherlock

When not running the winter roads here around Franklin, MA Steve Sherlock can be founding writing his 2 cents revealing the good experience. His sherku and other poetic verse can be found at quiet poet. More information about his current home town of Franklin, MA can be found at Franklin Matters. He can be followed on Twitter   @shersteve

If you answer YES to any of these questions, I hope you’ll read on.

1. Are you preoccupied with the next item on your to-do list, rather than focused on the task at hand?
2. Do you have trouble concentrating?
3. Are you often uneasy or restless?
4. Does your mind race a mile a minute?
5. Do you feel as though there are never enough hours in the day?

If any of that sounds like you, you could get a lot out of meditation. I started meditating about ten years ago. At that time, I would have answered all five of those questions with an emphatic YES! Now, these difficulties bother me only occasionally and to a relatively slight degree.

Meditation is all about focus, about living in the moment. At its best, meditation is a physical, mental, and spiritual exercise, though many practitioners focus on only one or two dimensions. Meditation can be as simple as a focused breathing exercise. Some forms, such as certain types of contemplative prayer, can take a lifetime to master.

I started out by reading a few books on Buddhist practice and did a few types of breathing exercises for only 10-15 minutes a day. (When you’re as tightly wound as I was, 10 minutes can seem like three hours, believe me!) I’ve since moved on to somewhat more complex forms of Christian contemplative prayer, which for me brings the spiritual, mental, and physical aspects of meditation into greater harmony.

The main points I want to communicate are these.

• Meditation needn’t be overly time consuming or involved to be effective.
• You can find a type of practice to suit your physical, spiritual, and mental states – or find a practice to change them if you so desire.
• The people (like myself) who have a knee jerk distaste of the concept of meditation are often the folks who could most greatly benefit.

Meditation goes against the grain in our culture for two reasons.

First, we tend to compartmentalize our health maintenance. We jog to get in physical shape. We enroll in classes to get in mental shape. Perhaps we go to church once a week to get in spiritual shape. Meditation is a unifying discipline that strengthens all aspects of our being by bringing them all together.

Second, we like quick fixes. We are attracted to weight-loss pills and online classes that promise overnight success. In contrast, meditation requires patience, persistence, and discipline. But remember the adage – you get out of something what you put into it.

More Questions for You

Have you ever tried meditation? What was your experience? What would lead you to try meditation in the future?

Brad Shorr lives in the Chicago area and is president of Word Sell, Inc. He helps organizations strengthen their online presence with business blogs,content strategy, and SEO copywriting. From time to time he writes business cartoons.

Follow Brad on Twitter

I recently celebrated my 50th birthday, and predictably, the significance of that number tripped several wires in my head- the most notable of which was thinking a little harder about  my overall health and well-being.

After giving a lot of recent thought to it, and since our wonderful leader Rosa chose to dedicate January 2010 on JJL to “learning healthy living“, I wanted to share what I’ve learned with you.

I start with the premise that almost everyone has a different definition of “healthy”.   So, I’d rather focus on the concept of being  “health conscious” – that is,  the right blend of self-awareness and lifestyle choices that can help put you (and keep you) on the right health track.

To me, it narrows down to 5 things:

1. Find the right exercise for YOU, because they are not created equal - I struggled for years and years with this, trying to find the right exercise regimen.  Running, weights, treadmill, stairmaster, you name it.  Nothing ever “stuck” until I tried yoga a few years ago.  I could go on and on about its benefits, but the point is – you just plain got to WANT to do it to develop the habit, and yoga fit that bill for me.
2. You really, really are what you eat - This was another thing that I had to learn over a long period of denial – what I ate played a HUGE role in how I felt.  And so, slowly but surely, I’ve eliminated or severely curtailed those things that I knew were effecting me negatively.  The biggest one was going Gluten-Free about three years ago.  The key here is – just listen to your body.  If it messes up with your stomach, or your head, or gives you a headache the next day, or it makes you sluggish – it’s probably not good.
3. Have an open mind on all kinds of medical treatment – In the last 10 years, in addition to traditional medicine, I’ve also looked into and tried Ayurvedic, Naturopathic,  Homopathic and other alternative forms of treatment – and they all have helped me at one time or another.  The resources we have today on the Internet to do research are vast- and you can find plenty of stories and points of view about the risks and benefits of alternative medicine.  They may not work for everybody, but for me, if I can reasonably assure myself that it will “do no harm”  in any case, I have an open mind to try it.
4. Battle stress ferociously - This may seem like an oxymoron of sorts, but it really isn’t.   There is SO much evidence out there noting that stress is behind virtually every malady, so there really isn’t much choice than to “declare war” on it.  My weapons of choice:   conscious breathing and music.  You’d be amazed how well you can calm yourself by simply becoming aware of your breath, and music’s soothing properties are very well documented- nothing effects the brain more positively, or more completely.
5. Keep the glass half-full – 16 years ago I discovered the benefits of a philosophy of “Half-Fullism”, and it has since served as the cornerstone of how I choose to life my life (as well as provide the inspiration for one of the loves of my life, my blog).  I recently wrote about the events in my life that led to this discovery, and how I define “Half-Fullism”.

Terry Starbucker

Terry Starbucker is a service company executive with more than 27 years in the business world, writing about leadership &  personal development on his blog, “Ramblings From a Glass Half Full“. He is also active in the social media community as a co-founder of SOBCon, one of the premier annual gatherings of online practitioners.

You can also follow Terry on Twitter (he’s @starbucker), where he loves to play virtual disk jockey and share his love of music, and on Facebook.

From Walden Pond to Walden 2.010

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. By doing these things, men may find happiness and self-fulfillment. ~ H. D. Thoreau

The Woods. I always liked H. D. Thoreau’s Walden Pond. I was impressed with what he discovered over 150 years ago by spending time in solitude at a pond.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately… and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

Out of the Woods and into the  Work. My focus for the past four years has been on employee engagement. I believe that engagement is much more than just working hard — it is our approach to work and it must be healthy if we are to sustain our work.

Find health in work. I don’t think we should try to find health only  outside of work we need to find health inside work, our organizations, and our relationships at work.

Walden 2.010. I have embarked upon a focused year of working. With an ironic twist, I have embarked on Walden 2.010. I will use a Google form to complete a daily reflection and assessment of my engagement and each Sunday I will summarize the week at my own site www.davidzinger.com.

I  currently monitor 5 daily variables:

1. Energy Invested in work. The amount of energy I invested in my work for that day.
2. Results. An assessment of the accomplishments, productivity, contributions, and results for the day.
3. Signature Strengths. Acting on strengths and leveraging strengths in the service of work. I will use a fusion of the VIA Signature strengths and Gallup’s StrengthsFinder 2.0.
4. Interactions, Connections, and Relationships. The frequency and intensity of connections with others (co-workers/customers/clients/students/etc).
5. Daily Energy Return on Investment of Energy. The amount of energy derived from my work each day.

Energy ROI. To sustain full engagement in work I believe we need a very strong return on our investment of physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, and community energy.

I’ve only just begun. I have only been at it for one week and have already learned much. This will be a big challenge, it certainly structures mindful working and learning, and it creates a period of reflection at least twice a day. Although this is an individual project I expect it will have applications to others and the field of employee engagement.

Some of my early thoughts from week 1 include:

• Physical energy/health is very key. Engagement depends on our physical well-being (with a cold my engagement was quite low last week).

• Strength myopia. It was a challenge for me to remember my strengths let alone use them everyday and use them in the service of others.

• Elephant toe nail clipping. When we use scales or surveys to measure engagement how do employees determine the exact number? I was challenged to give my 5 daily scales a number between 1 and 10 just based on how much fluctuation there was every day on each of the 5 variables. This makes we wonder about both the validity and reliability of survey measure that try to capture engagement for an entire year.  It seems like taking the toe nail clippings from an elephant and thinking you’ve got yourself the whole elephant.

The year ahead. If you want to learn more details about the year I have planned or see the exact form I use, click here. You can also visit my blog site on  Mondays for a weekly update, just look for the weather vane symbol I used at the start of this article. I think 2010 will be an engaging year full of joyful jubilant learning and engagement in work.

David Zinger is more likely to be found in front of an audience or a computer screen than a pond!

January is off to a healthy start. Rosa wrote:

“Perhaps healthy living is a loop we should never completely close, because we should keep working on it consistently to perpetuate it.”

Why do we accept the challenge? Rick wrote:

“It is time to emphasize the boosting of our better selves”

This January, maybe some of us need to start over. Maybe some of us need to make a minor adjustment. Somewhere along that continuum, all of us need to find our starting point. Karen said it so artfully well:

“I changed only one thing – my attitude about me. I made myself, my health, and my future a priority.”

Once you set your priority, once you pick an exercise route, you can make progress. As much as I consider myself a life long learner, I consider myself a life long runner. First I ran, now I run FIRST.

Dressed for a Winter Run

How’s that?

In my youthful days, running everyday was easy. The day Dolores and I married, I was a candidate for 160 pound weakling. However, with some sprinter speed and experience running 60-80 miles a week, I’d accept the challenge to a race and more than hold my own.

Alas, those days have caught up to my gracefully aging body. In my forties, I began noticing a pattern of injuries as I ran seven days a week. So I cut back to six. That worked for a bit but they still came. I cut back to five. Time and family changes (i.e.  children) helped reduce the time available but I kept running. And I still paid an occasional injury price.

Then I read about the FIRST program in Runner’s World.

The Furman Institute of Running and Scientific Training (FIRST) marathon program was born, in a sense, when Bill Pierce and Scott Murr decided to enter a few triathlons way back in the mid-1980s. Just one problem: They hit the wall when they added biking and swimming to their running. The demands of three-sport training were too much, so they cut back their running from six days a week to four. To their surprise, they didn’t slow down in local road races. So they cut back to three days of running. “Lo and behold, our 10-K, half-marathon, and marathon times didn’t suffer at all,” says Pierce. “The more we discussed this–and we discussed it a lot–the more we became convinced that a three-day program, with some cross-training, was enough to maintain our running fitness.”

I immediately liked the program outline. It abides by the hard/easy rule. If you do a hard workout one day, you need to run easy the next. Your body simply needs time to rebuild and repair the muscles that were exercised on the hard day. Without the recovery (i.e. easy workout) including sleep and nutrition, the body will ultimately break down. The FIRST program takes hard/easy rule to the extreme. You run a high quality workout and then rest by not running all.

The program touches the three major elements of every training plan I have seen over the years. You need

1. to work on your speed (i.e. the track workout)
2. to build up your basic strength (i.e. distance workout)
3. to practice running at pace for good distances (i.e. the paced/tempo run).

I choose to run on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday. You can also do the long distance run on Saturday. I recommend the tempo run on Tuesday, the speed work on Thursday and the distance run on either Saturday or Sunday.

I have found success with this program. My average mile time dropped from around eight and half minutes per mile to seven. I have not had issues with overuse that I used to see. Yes, I’ll admit that I have been hindered by an ankle injury but that was a physical occurrence that could have occurred with any program.

The program also provides for hard/easy cycles within the year. It will prepare you for a race over 18 weeks, then let you back off. With winter here in New England, my running currently is in maintenance mode. I do run the three days a week  and weather (and daylight) cooperating, I’ll incorporate elements of the formal FIRST program into my workouts. Then as the weather clears and daylight increases, the workouts will become more like the official program. Work on my fitness base now will prepare me for race fitness as the summer arrives.

Now, you don’t end up doing all your exercise on only three days a week. Those are the running days. They do highly recommend doing some other exercise two days a week. This exercise is up to you. You can bike, walk, swim, etc. But NO running. This works nicely for me that Dolores and I walk together on the weekend. We’ll walk on together on Saturday and on Sunday, I’ll time my run to finish and meet her at the coffee shop where we’ll walk home together (coffee in hand).

Does the FIRST Program really work?

Yes, they have done multiple controlled tests with runners. In addition to the scientific research, there are a number of success stories. For example, over the Christmas holidays; my brother revealed that his log proves that when he does a moderate weight workout the day before his long run, he has a better run. On days when he does nothing before the long run or has a heavy weight workout, his long runs are not as good. He took up the FIRST program a couple of years ago and is quite pleased with his running today.

So if you are already running or considering starting a running program, I would recommend exploring the FIRST program. It is a healthy choice to make to maintain your health!

For additional information on the FIRST program:

• My Passionate Runner blog is semi-active but it’s archives are rich with posts about my use of the FIRST program as well as the Passionate Runner podcast.
• The FIRST program website with programs for 5K, 10K, half-marathon and marathon race distances. You can also purchase the program in book form from Amazon and other outlets.

—————–

Steve Sherlock

When not running the winter roads here around Franklin, MA Steve Sherlock can be founding writing his 2 cents revealing the good experience. His sherku and other poetic verse can be found at quiet poet. More information about his current home town of Franklin, MA can be found at Franklin Matters. He can be followed on Twitter  @shersteve

Blogger disclosure: I approve of the FIRST program from my own experience as a life long runner. There is no remuneration  from FIRST. I purchased my own copy of their text from Amazon.