Pass It On!
Scholarships to the Renewal Coaching Institute for nonprofits and corporate sustainability teams!
|
Does your culture support innovation and sustainable change for a greater good (the hallmark of wisdom)? Renewal Coaching is a way to align your organizational culture with accomplishing the most important and meaningful goals.
email Elle for more information: elle@wisdomout.com or visit www.RenewalCoaching.com
|
|
New Book from Dr. Douglas Reeves and Elle Allison
|
The first of three books from Dr. Douglas Reeves and Dr. Elle Allison is available online at Amazon. Renewal in service of a greater good leads to sustainable change. Doug and Elle are accomplished keynote speakers and seminar leaders. Book Doug and Elle to speak in your organization or at your next conference or ask us how you can become a Renewal Coach. Visit us at www.renewalcoaching.com |
Next Renewal
Coaching Institute
|
Announcing the next Renewal Coaching Institute with Doug Reeves and
Elle Allison, November 2-8, 2009 in Cambridge MA. Email Elle@wisdomout.com for details, visit us at www.RenewalCoaching.com. Renewal Coaching facilitates the simultaneous pursuit of business results and a greater good, to produce sustainable change for individuals and organizations. |
Do you know a
wise couple?
|
| Do you know a wise couple who use the synergy from their relationship to do something great together? Tell me about a couple you know, married or not, gay or straight that you feel are living life with wisdom. The Wisdom Out Relationship project seeks to illuminate the nature of wisdom in couples - to shine a light on the way these couples navigate life together. |
|
Greetings!
You are invited to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might like it. Please keep it completely intact, including the contact, logo, and copyright. Comments or Questions: elle@wisdomout.com
|
|
The Wisdom of Ants...
"One's first step in wisdom is to question everything - and one's last is to come to terms with everything."
~Georg C. Lichtenberg
 Ants are marching on the kitchen counters in my
house. They make me anxious because
although I don't want them there, I fret over killing them. Sometimes they gather around one drop
of coffee creamer, feeding at the edges like kittens or wildebeasts. Other
times they invade the dog's bowl to carry off enormous boulders of kibble. It pains me to harm them while they are
distracted and vulnerable with the need to fill their bellies. I researched humane remedies and came
away with ways to use paprika, cinnamon, and a product called Orange
Guard. Sometimes these applications
work and sometimes they don't. When I have to wash the ants away, I'm
secretly pleased when a few escape.
I hope they will make their way back to the others and spread the word
that the crumbs in this kitchen are not worth the risk. But they're back minutes later, with friends. They can't be very smart.
So imagine my surprise when I came across an article about
the wisdom of ants. Apparently,
they have an advantage as a group because they typically know only of one
option at a time and are therefore less distracted by irrational and presumably
poor options.
Here is an example in humans: Picture yourself making the decision to look for
a new home to buy. You make a list of requirements including price, location, square footage, monthly payments, taxes - you get the picture. Imagine being very clear about these
criteria and expressing them to a real estate agent who shows you dwellings
that match your needs. Then, out of
the blue, this same real estate agent shows you other dwellings- places
more expensive than what you can afford and bigger than
what you need. Now, many of the
places that were perfectly acceptable, look shabby and fall short. Seduced by the options that exceed their criteria, people often choose homes they cannot afford. We look at these people and say, "What an unwise decision!"
So what do wise people do when they have a decision to
make? Could it be that wise people
mindfully limit the amount and type of rational information they allow to
bombard them? And, is the ability
to thoughtfully determine what the evaluative criteria are in the first place,
another element of making a wise decision? My wisdom research reveals a few patterns:
When making decisions, wise people...
...consider options that meet the needs of other
people - not just themselves.
...consult a few key advisers, friends, mentors.
...choose learning and change over comfort- they don't always play it safe.
..."listen" for the answer which ultimately comes
from within.
...are drawn to options that feel "positive."
...resist nostalgia and the pull of the past - they are forward looking and are far-sighted.
...execute quietly and without regret.
Tell me about a wise decision you recently made and the process you went through in your head and heart to make it.
I am interested in you and your wisdom story. Drop me a note or give a call. elle@wisdomout.com or 505.235.0665.
P.S.
If you'd like to read the
article about the ants, written by Charles Q. Choi (2009, online version of
Scientific American) here is the website link to copy and paste in your browser:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=mindless-collectives-rational-decision-making&page=2#comments
|
|
|
|
Wisdom Quote
"Grace must find expression in life, otherwise it is not grace."
--Karl Barth
|
Elle Allison
Wisdom Out |
|
|
