Chaos or calm?
7th November 2007  
Dear [firstname,fallback=Subscriber]

Inspirational Tip

“You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.”
Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) India's first female Prime Minister

Performance Tip

Can you perform in chaos? Can you remain focussed despite distractions occurring around you? We humans are social creatures and you may have noticed how chaos and drama can be catching. One person can walk into an office or living space full of drama and negativity, and this spreads like a wave until most other people are seeing, feeling and hearing the negativity, and even resenting the invasion on what was a harmonious space.


So what’s the solution? Most of the stuff that people react to actually has absolutely nothing to do with us. The mind stores all similar emotions and beliefs together; we call these emotional strings ‘gestalts’ from the German ‘gestellt’ meaning ‘to place or put together’. As we move through life and encounter challenging situations, we unconsciously bring all of that ‘history’ of all of the times we’ve ever felt anger or fear or frustration into events.


So when someone in your workplace or home has a strong negative reaction to something, an inappropriate reaction such as yelling at a child for spilling their drink or becoming angry with a colleague for leaving their unwashed dishes in the sink, a gestalt has been triggered. When a gestalt is triggered, they bring all of the emotion linked to that event, such as anger, and dump it in the event.
We all have gestalts. We’re all human and at times another person can have an inappropriate response to an event which has nothing to do with us, even though we may be on the receiving end of this.


It’s good to remember this and tell yourself “It’s not about me!” (unless of course you have done something to directly evoke the response; then you need to own it!) You could even ask yourself the question, “I wonder what’s going on for that person, (or what’s gone on in the past), which causes them to react that way?” This question is based in quantum linguistics and asks the question directly of your unconscious mind. It helps you detach from the emotion the other person is displaying, and know you don’t have to get caught up in it. It’s their 'stuff'.

Furthermore, it allows you to view them with compassion - which is heart based - rather than from ego, and helps you remain open to finding a creative solution. And finding creative solutions always supports us to perform better in life, doesn’t it?

Are you 'over-reacting' ?

If you find yourself having LOTS of negative emotional reactions to seemingly insignificant events, and it’s becoming a problem for you at work or home, if it’s affecting your performance and your happiness, then do contact us.

Our mentoring programs specialise in helping you let go of the gestalts or ‘baggage’ which may be stopping you from living the life you know you deserve. You might even qualify for a free introductory session. Email us or call the Life Performance office on +61 3 9399 8775.

Have a happy week!

-------------------
Carol Fox
Director
Life Performance Pty Ltd
Behavioural Change, Team Dynamics & Personal Effectiveness
Direct Line: 03 9399 8775


info@lifeperformance.com.au
www.lifeperformance.com.au


 

"Can you remain focussed despite distractions occurring around you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

© Life Performance 2007