As I start writing this post, I am becoming aware that much of what I will express is based primarily on my intuition. I feel a bit nervous about that. Will I be judged more harshly? Is it not likely that I will fail in some important way? And yet, I would not want to… Continue reading Joy or Accomplishment
Category: Behavior
What influences behavior and decision making?
Going Off-Script
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
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
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
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
Secrets, Lies, and Protection
Whenever I experience that someone is not telling the truth, it undermines trust. Being on the receiving end of finding out that we were not deemed worthy or capable of knowing the truth creates an emotional barrier. From that perspective, it often seems difficult to understand the motivation behind a lie as anything other than… Continue reading Secrets, Lies, and Protection