Make the Decision to Read this Book

Book Review:

10-10-10: 10 Minutes, 10 Months, 10 Years; A Life-Transforming Idea

by Suzy Welch, 2009; Simon & Schuster Inc. and Simon and Schuster Audio

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I listened to the unabridged audio version of this intriging book, which is read by the author. Out of her own necessity, Welch has developed a wonderfully clarifying model for making decisions.

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As the title implies, the method involves thinking through the short-range, mid-range, and long-range likely results of the options at hand. Welch's model is also very useful as a low-conflict way of making decisions with others. It's a great way to explain your decisions to others who will be affected by them.

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Below I've pulled together a fictional example to illustrate how this method might be used in everyday living.

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Molly's Quandary

"My kids want a dog. I love dogs, too. But can I take on that extra responsibility as a single mom with three kids?"

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Let's say Molly starts exploring the "Yes" possibility using Welch's 10-10-10 method. She jots down, "Ten Minutes: I'll still feel definite trepidation! The kids will have to contribute more than just 'lip service' about promises to help.

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Ten Months: We'll all be attached to the dog. I'll wonder what took me so long to bring this new source of joy and connection into our lives! I'll still be holding the kids to their specific promises to help. They may resist at times, but by then they'll know that I'm not about to back down on this point.

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Ten Years: I'll feel tremendously rewarded for having taken this risk. We are all learning first-hand about love, responsibility, and cooperation. My decision is made!"

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'Still not sure if this book is worth your time? You can guess what my advice is...apply Welch's 10-10-10 model to decide!

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My best to you,

Susan

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P.S. What?! You haven't had your complimentary coaching session with me yet? :-) Consider this topic....

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"You Are Here": Develop Your Best GPS for Daily Living

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By phone or in person, we'll work on the upgrades you want for your personal GPS !

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Possible areas to explore:

Spirituality

Values

Priorities

Strategies

Goals

Steps

Habits

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Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up an appointment. Your only obligation is to call in on time and be ready to dig in!

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***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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***Member of the TriCounty Community Network, a non-profit local human services resource at http://www.tcnetwork.info/.***

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How is Your Life GPS Working?

Just as a GPS in your car uses a number of satellites to determine where you are on the road, I recommend these "satellites" that are vital in deciding which roads to take in life.

Spirituality
I use this as my first point of reference. Without this, I feel like, as my husband would say, "a loose canoe in a swift stream."

Values
With clarity around my spirituality, I find it much easier to focus in on my most important values...perhaps the top three to five, to help me see where I'm positioned in life.

Priorities
Once I have the first two in place, from there I can set my priorities as they relate to my values.

Strategies
Once I know my priorities, I can develop strategies that will help me make sure that the priorities are addressed.

Goals
At this point, I can develop useful goals easily, because I've looked at the other areas.

Steps
Next, I can use my goals to figure out what steps I need to take on a daily or weekly basis to make sure I'm manifesting my priorities.

Habits
When I take the steps I need to take on a regular basis, I develop new habits that serve me well in accomplishing my goals. These new habits actually make it easier to do the steps than to not to do them!

So how about you?
What keeps you centered and on track? Please leave a comment and let my other readers and me know! Maybe you have a different series of "satellites" that work for you.

If you try my Life GPS, please let us know how it works for you!

Thanks,
Susan

P.S. 'Need some assistance in this area? I'm offering...

"You Are Here": Develop Your Best GPS for Daily Living

...a complimentary coaching session (by phone or in person) where we will work on the upgrades you want for your personal GPS!

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Contact me at scleaver@dejazzd.com to set up an appointment.

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***All of Susan's creative4life posts are copyright of Susan Cleaver.***

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***Member of the TriCounty Community Network, a local human services resource at http://www.tcnetwork.info/.

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FAQ's About the Creative Process

"Is everyone creative, or is it just a lucky few?"

I believe that everyone is creative. The catch is that there are blocks that stop people from accessing it or recognizing it, such as:

• fear of failure, success, responsibility, looking foolish, or being rejected.
• unconscious programing that may sound something like this: "I'm too left-brained to be creative," or "It would be arrogant to assume I'm creative."
• overlooking the creative things we do every day at work and at home. A former client of mine who didn't see himself as creative is actually an outstanding creative problem solver!
• depression. Even a mild case can shut your creativity down. Please seek help if you need it! Depression is a messenger, and you may need help deciphering the message. If you try to ignore it, the messenger may start knocking so loud that you can't hear anything else.
• limiting cultural stereotypes about creatives, which often include words like "flake," "drunk," or "starving." If I believed these descriptions, I wouldn't want rush up to join the club, either!

"What about those who start out creating but then seem to lose touch with it?"

Here are a few possibilities:

• the onset of depression (see above).
• pushing and striving instead of going with the flow.
• getting lax about self-care and balance.
• resentment toward those who have criticized or rejected their work.
• other unfinished emotional business.

"What are the relationships among creativity, intuition, and spirituality?"

If I took a poll of actively creative folks, I believe the responses would fall into three categories:

• Some might say something like, "I have no interest in intuition or spirituality, and I do just fine creating."
• The second group may not use the exact terms, but may report things such as "I get lost in my creative work," "I'm surprised by the results of my own work," or "The work seems to come through me instead of from me."
• The third group might be those who actively cultivate their intuition and spirituality and feel strongly that these inform, inspire, and shape their work. While I respect the experiences and preferences of others, I find myself in this group.

"O.K., Susan, please tell me why I keep putting off the work I would most like to be doing!"

Here are some possibilities:

• fear (see the first question again).
• guilt ("I should be spending my time doing something else.")
• ADD or culture-induced ADD-like behavior. See the work of Edward Hallowell.
• failing to break the project down into approachable pieces.
• lack of accountability. Set up a mutual accountability plan with a friend or email me at scleaver@dejazzd.com. I can always use an additional accountability buddy! I'd also be glad to coach you on this topic during a complimentary trial tele-coaching session.

Please ask any additional questions on the creative process in the comments section so I can address them in future posts. Thanks!

To your success,

Susan