This is some background relating to the previous exercise. At every moment we receive huge amounts of ambiguous information which our minds called on to sort, prioritize and complete. This can be something as banal as the face of a passer-by, to speculation about the motivations of other people. Speculations about motivations of other people … Continue reading To be neither negative nor naive…
Category: Background theory
The ideas behind the exercises
Hellish metaphors
These are some ideas behind the next writing exercise.... Humans are expert pattern-recognizers. For example: We see plants with central wooden trunks and leafy canopies and recognize them as trees even though each looks completely unique; We meet two completely different people with different appearances but can anticipate how they will react to certain kinds … Continue reading Hellish metaphors
Tell me a story, any story.
The next writing exercise tries to use storytelling for personal development and well-being. These are the ideas behind it... Fictional stories appeal to us largely because they have a metaphorical relationship to our lives. We enjoy watching a movie about a fictional romance, not because their challenges are exactly the same as ours, but because … Continue reading Tell me a story, any story.
What the point of this?
When I first took to reflective writing, it was as part of my MBA, where we were encouraged to write to help us process complex work-related problems. I started and kept up a habit of writing whenever faced with particularly difficult issues - both work related and personal. A few years later, I became interested … Continue reading What the point of this?
A lot of personality
The previous exercise, "(Dis)agreeable You" was based on one of the "Big Five" personality traits. The big five model can be a good way to think about your own strengths a weaknesses, those of others and even how your relationships function. These Big Five are: extroversion/introversionopenness/traditionalismconscientiousness/carelessnessemotional stability/low stress toleranceagreeable/assertive In each case these are two … Continue reading A lot of personality
A patch of grass 