Last night, I took part in a group conversation as part of an online course I am taking. Over the past two weeks, participants focused on three aspects of the same general process to which humans are subjected. The outcome of this process are behavioral templates that solve fundamental problems—such as how to fit into… Continue reading Going Off-Script
Author: Jochen
A Coach as People Gardener
I have had many conversations with a lot of different individuals throughout my life. And I have come to realize the great potential that lies in this format—both as the person providing some exploratory space as well as being the one who is given the space to explore. Over the past few months, my desire… Continue reading A Coach as People Gardener
Money, Credibility, and Bullshit
I know this topic may seem a bit of a departure from my usual venues—and yet I hope that mentioning the M-word in the title is not so unappealing that you feel like leaving already. Several experiences and events stimulated this post. I will briefly mention them and then do my best to provide a… Continue reading Money, Credibility, and Bullshit
From Victimhood to Curiosity
In pretty much any relationship I find myself in, situations come up where the other person does something triggering emotions—sometimes really strong ones. And of course, the same is true in reverse. For instance, I am becoming more and more familiar with a pattern: during a conversation, I find it difficult to keep my attention… Continue reading From Victimhood to Curiosity
Becoming Heart-Strong
Over the past three days, I have repeatedly listened to a song that touches a spot deep inside: “See Me Fight” (by Two Steps From Hell). At the beginning of the video—and in some other places as well—I have seen the tag line “Music Makes You Braver,” and the spot this particular song touches indeed… Continue reading Becoming Heart-Strong
Leaning into Discomfort
I recently came across the term “comfort addiction.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember exactly where—it might have been in Anne Helen Petersen’s recently published book “Can’t Even.” The image is very simple: through mostly technological, and partly sociological, innovation, we have become so used to our environment behaving in predictable, familiar ways that we feel overwhelmed… Continue reading Leaning into Discomfort
Escaping the Emotion Prison
Most of what goes on in our brains happens outside of our awareness. And while we typically have access to the end product of mental processes in the form of thoughts and feelings, it really is difficult to get a handle on how those products come about. We are, in a sense, prisoners. Just as… Continue reading Escaping the Emotion Prison
Trauma and Love
I’m sure that a lot of people have written about this—much more intelligently than me, I guess. The reason to write this post is that as I was having the image I will describe in a moment come to mind, I felt a powerful sense of “Yes, that’s it!” And if you enjoy it even… Continue reading Trauma and Love
Enjoying Mistakes
After writing the title I paused for at least 15 minutes. Then I was laughing about myself, recognizing the difficulty expressing my thoughts well as being fearful of writing something stupid. If I indeed enjoy mistakes, what’s that hesitation about? And why would anyone enjoy their mistakes anyway? The short answer is that, in my… Continue reading Enjoying Mistakes
Conscious vs. Obedient
Please take everything I express as provisional: these are statements of a vision for how—by applying the principle of local intelligence in complex, living systems to our society—the experience of all people could be improved. A lot. The transformation I am describing would upgrade any institution or organization that (partially) runs on what I am… Continue reading Conscious vs. Obedient