Start Living Your True Potential... continued
How
can we live up to our true potential, a life filled with relationships
and experiences that truly meet our needs, when we keep putting our
focus on the outside rather than looking inward? Isn't it true, that the only common denominator in your experiences is you?
Nonviolent Communication gives you the tools to take responsibility for what you need to live your best life. This means no one else is responsible for your quality of life but you!
Check
in with yourself over the course of a day. Do you ever find yourself
blaming others for what's missing in your life? Following the five
steps below will help guide you toward creating a different life
experience and living up to your true potential in 2014.
The first step toward realizing your true potential - in relationships, in your job, and in every aspect of your life - is to own your life experiences rather than blame them on others. You can do this by translating that blame into your own feelings and needs in the moment.
Instead of saying, "my boss is so controlling. He doesn't let me take the lead on anything," try this: "When I go to work I feel bored. I really need more stimulation and an opportunity for growth." See the difference?
When
I translate my life experiences through feelings and needs, I can
discern my world without judgment. In fact, I can avoid any thoughts of
good/bad or right/wrong.
This
revelation may seem minor to some, but to me it represents freedom,
inclusion, abundance and the very real possibility for a deeper life
experience, and more meaningful relationships. Through this simple first
step, you can shift your method of discerning your world.
Previously,
my relationships were hampered by my judgments. Instead of simply
experiencing my feelings and needs, I found myself constantly sizing the
other person up to see where I fit.
If
I thought someone knew more about a particular topic than me, I judged
them as superior. If I thought I knew more about a topic than others, I
thought I was better than them. This competition often led to
distrust, hurt feelings and a lack of real connection with the people
in my life.
As
you go through your day, be conscious of how you relate to others. Do
you find yourself turning to judgments to determine where you fit? If
so, try to take a step back and simply experience your feelings and needs for what they are.
For
example, if I'm in a conversation where someone knows more about the
topic than I do, instead of judging them as intellectually superior (and
myself as inferior), I can check in and experience what I'm feeling: "I'm feeling insecure right now because I'm needing acceptance and inclusion in the conversation." Experience the feelings/needs simply for what they are, absent of judgment.
At
one point in my life, I began to notice I spent more time than I
enjoyed focusing on the negative - what was missing in my life - rather
than on what I really wanted more of.
I
wanted to notice my unmet needs, but focusing on what was missing made
this difficult. In a sense, I was attempting to make a shift in my
mental alignment.
For example, if I was talking with a friend who interrupted me, my first thought might be, "she is self-centered." However, if I focus on what I want, rather than on what is missing, I might instead think, "I love it when I'm heard." When you translate your judgments in this manner as often as you notice them, it creates a subtle and powerful shift.
As
this shift occurred in me, for the first time in my life I noticed
that the machine gun of judgments was running out of ammunition. My
focus was more in alignment with my dreams, what I hope for and value,
and most especially what I love.
Perhaps
the most significant gift I received from aligning my focus on what I
want was learning more about what it is that I love. Prior to this step,
I could tell you what I didn't like and what I didn't want to do, but
to commit to what I wanted often eluded me.
Creating the life experiences that meet your needs also means being able to ask for what you want. By simply focusing
on what you want (rather than what you don't want), you are in better
position to suggest strategies to better meet your needs.
Going
back to the example earlier, let's say that you've connected to your
needs and realize that you're feeling bored at work, and need
stimulation and an opportunity for growth. What if you requested a
meeting with your boss to express your feelings/needs, and to
brainstorm opportunities together?
When
you are connected to your needs, your requests will become clearer,
they will be more readily received, and they will be more precise in
helping meet your needs.
As
I became more skilled at discerning what I want and asking for it, all
my relationships improved and I became more able to live to my true
potential.
What
does that mean exactly and what is true potential? I used to think of
it as an outcome - a static concept, something written in stone the day I
was born that I was supposed to "become."
Now I consider it a living concept
that changes with the ebb and flow of my life. When ill, my true
potential might look very different than when I'm healthy. It is, in
fact, less about the results of my effort and more about the
consciousness I bring to my life, such as authenticity, humility, and
integrity. To me, this is living to my true potential. Practice these 5
steps in the coming year and I'm confident this will help you live into
your true potential as well.
Mary Mackenzie is author of Peaceful Living, a CNVC certified trainer and co-founder of the NVC Academy
and executive director of Peace Workshop International. Mary holds a
master's degree in Human Relations and is a trained mediator.
Mary's
guiding vision is to help people fully connect to themselves and their
world so that they may experience more joy. Toward this end, she
teaches Nonviolent Communication to children, adults, families, couples
and adolescents, and she works with organizations by offering
individual or group workshops and facilitating organization-wide
restructuring.
Keep learning these vital
communication skills with these books and training
resources:
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