I mentioned a course I was in a previous article about strategy that I learned some new things at.  Well that course was for strategic planning but the focus of it was doing so with the system of appreciative inquiry.  I found this method to be a valuable way of enabling change and questioning using tools and methods that were highly engaging and potentially, relationship builders.  That specifically interested me and so I’m determined now to learn more about it, utilize it and activate change around me as a result.

What is Appreciative Inquiry

Appreciative Inquiry is a method or system of discovery for seeking out the positive aspects that feed “life” into a living system.  Its about finding the strengths, affirming the best, encouraging by highlighting positive potential and ultimately it strengthens a systems capacity if you look at the appreciative portion.  The inquiry component is then about the discovery process, the questions, the methods and the art of exploring these positive elements of a living system.  This system differs from traditional problem solving by looking at the positive core of actions and plans, instead of analyzing the problem, what went wrong and how to fix a negative issue.  This generates more and more negative attention, unlike how appreciate inquiry works to bring out only the best in things.

5-D Cycle

The process of appreciative inquiry is one of 5 items in a cycle.  These items are not ordered steps and don’t always run sequentially.  Its more typical that during an inquiry you jump back and forth between steps and come back to repeat steps and even the whole cycle as you progress.  It’s much easier to understand if you know what each step is as outlined below.

Define

Set the scope or topics for which an appreciative inquiry will be held.  This is done to manage an area of a change agenda or a strategic area to focus on.  This stage is not always neccessary as you could run an open ended appreciative inquiry session with no topics pre-defined in order to find them.  If you do define ahead of time it is to help focus or keep the topics within some context or range.

Discover

This stage is done with a number of tools, one of which is through paired interviews (more on that below) and story based questioning with an intent to discover what makes up the positive core of a company.  The value and core factors are often drawn out through interview questions or summary of stories and topics told about the positive experiences and best practices.  Questions about individuals values, nature and reasons for staying or doing the job they do draw out and help one discover the elements that form the positive core.

This stage is excellent on drawing on what is right or good in an organization or situation.

Dream

The dream phase is where you remove the barriers, and look to expand the imagination into a world of what things could be and what you wish it to be if there was no limits.  The dreams that are explored through this process ought to focus on what the best image or visualization could be like in the future if things were everything you wanted them to be.

Design

This phase uses the results of the first 3 Ds to identify the things that should occur.  It is the start of building in areas that are needed to support the further out dreams and aspirations.  The design is all the elements that are used to form a bridge across the expanse that otherwise lies as a barrier to results.  This design is something that allows the positive core to emerge stronger and in more areas of life.

Deliver

Deliver is the process or system in place that executes whatever is needed to build the design and ultimately achieve the dreams that are desired.  The deliver stage involves the action plans, teams and systems but it is in fact, the act of actually engaging those areas to make progress based on the design.

Next Steps

As I mentioned above, I have much more to learn about this system of appreciative inquiry and it highly interests me.  I will explore a few more of the tools and methods in my next article that I’ve utilized now for appreciative inquiry.  I have much to learn of this specific process and would love to hear any feedback and recommendations if you have any on the subject.  It relates greatly to personal development in the sense of looking to improve and drive change and so I think it is a valuable system to learn for anyone here at LearnThis.ca.

Posted by Mike King under Success | 8 Comments »

I’m happy to present this guest article by Arswino of Inspiration and Motivation Blog.  It’s on a subject I very much love and think it to be a great set of questions and starting tips to help guide you to the mind pattern you want to have.  Thanks Arswino!  Here it is…

How to Choose Your New Mind Pattern

How do you get your new mind pattern? How do you choose a new thought to replace the limiting old thought?

Next are some clues to help you do this, to create your new mind pattern.

1. Be real, concrete, and comprehensive.

To do this, it means you must write it down exactly the way you want it. What new faith do you want to have? What attitude or opinion do you want to realize? What new mental habit or new useful pattern do you want to put in your life? What exactly are your values? What hopes will bring you to success? Who do you want to be? When you read your new mind pattern and the life vision that you want, what does the vision look like? Where are you living, and working? How do you feel? What do you see? Who is around you? What will it be like someday if you live with your new attitude, faith and new mind?

Start with writing, “I am very happy, and grateful now because…” Then continue to describe your faith, attitude, mental habit, values, and mind pattern exactly the way you want it.

2. Think beyond limitation.

Let yourself imagine the future and your attitude to yourself, others, and how the world works just the way you want it. Do not limit yourself to what you think you can get or think is realistic. Realize the life that you really want and let your imagation soar!

3. Write it down as if you are already experiencing it.

You cannot think with ‘someday’, or write ‘I will’. Write and experience it, just as if it happening at this moment, although the result is not yet realized. Write, for example, ‘I like making money and running a successful business, because it enables me to be generous to everyone else’. Give your subconscious a message that this reality is already in your life.

Remember, the subconscious receives everything that is given to it, without editing, censoring, or judging. If you write ‘it will happen later’, it will tell your subconscious that you don’t have what you want and you are not yet the person you want to be. When you say, ‘I will’, you are telling your subconscious that you are not.

4. Make your mind pattern emotional.
Besides writing in present tense, put in emotional words and be emotionally involved with what you are writing. Remember, feeling is the gateway to subconscious, and your subconscious is the true power behind your success. Emotion creates motivation. You have to be passionate. If you are not passionate with your new mind pattern, if you are not really in love with the new mind pattern, that mind pattern will not be shaped physically. Human passion will not invest its effort for something ordinary! If you are not full of passion after writing your new mind pattern, go back and do again with more emotion. When it truly moves you, you are ready to shape it into reality.

5. State what you truly want, not what you don’t want.

Our mind cannot process the word ‘no’. If I tell you not to think about ice cream, what will you think? At first, you must think about what I said not to think about before you can tell your mind not to think about it! Thoughts like these will make you pull in things that you don’t really want. So remember to state only what you do really want.

6. Be in the picture and mind pattern that you create.

You need to place your self in the picture of your mind pattern, not as an observer but as the actor.  If you are seeing yourself in the picture as an observer, you are telling your subconscious it is not your true self, you are not really there. When you are really in the picture, you are feeling the emotion and the result you now have in your new life. You tell your subconscious, ’it is real!’ Your subconscious will start to create the reality. Picture it in your mind as if you are experiencing it directly.

When you start living based on your new mind pattern, you start to make different decision. You may start to contact new kind of people, and you pull a new environment into your life. The more times and the more passionate you put your mind pattern into your mind, the faster that mind pattern manifests.

Guest Author:Arswino is passionate about motivation and success and it shows at his blog!  Check out his recent article about Faith. You can subscribe to his blog with his RSS feed here or catch him on Twitter @arswino

Posted by Mike King under Success | 15 Comments »

I’ve been quite consumed lately by the many activities I’m involved in and commit to as you may have noticed from my lack of updates here. Work of course is busy for me as always (and yes, I’m grateful that it is, since so many people are not finding that recently), and my side business of graphics and animation has been exceptionally busy the last few months with good size jobs and back to back projects. This isn’t normal for me and I’ve taken on some projects that have been consuming much of my spare time.

Its often these rushed periods in life that really make me appreciate the joys that are in life and every moment I do have to enjoy stands out in the hectic day as a time to just stop for a moment and appreciate what joys are available to me. I am grateful for those moments and take extra note at busy times to just see how many joys there truly are in life.

Sometime there seems to be less time for joyful activities when you are overly busy but on the other hand, those joyful moments can be far more intense from the contrast of it. Here are some of the joys that particularly stand out for me during these times.

The Joys of Work

While work is absolutely a contributor to the stress I mentioned above, there is still much joy in it. A big joy for me in my work (whether that in engineering or 3D animation) is the joy of creativity. I’ve written a few articles recently about creativity and how it is a form of art in life. That ability to create and drive change is a huge joy for me in my work and an important reason for doing what I do. There is joy in that work and something I much appreciate.

The Joys of Relationships

While some aspects of relationships can suffer from having less time to spend together, they can also force new focus and appreciation. Of course, the one that stands out for me is the joy I have from my relationship with my amazing wife. She is so supportive during my busy times, which helps immensely to cope with the added stress. That support and the precious time we do have to spend together is one of total joy.

Friendships and time spend with other loved ones are can also be intensified when that time is limited as you time and relationships often is taken for granted when it occurs every day or at least on a regular basis. Take some of that away however and you definitely notice the joy more when you have a chance to experience it again.

The Joy of God

While the peace and love that God provides is always available to me, it’s especially important in stressful times as that joy is something you can rely on and help you cope with the situation. Whether it’s the awe of nature, the inspiration of God’s word, or the power and supportive strength that faith based belief provides, I can always rely on the Joy of God and hold dearly that ability in times of stress.

The Joys of Sports

Other joys of mine are my sports. Oh so many sports now that summer is upon me. I just got home from a great weekend out at our place at the lake and we spent part of the day out on the water, enjoying the sun, freezing lake water and some most so pleasurable wake boarding! I play soccer on a men’s league a couple nights a week as well and I HAVE to get out either on my own or with bikers on my mountain unicycle for a couple hours as well each week.

Stop and Notice Your Joys

So I didn’t want to only share some of my joys in life but to also encourage and hopefully inspire just a few readers to stop for a moment and look at what is joyous in your life as well. Are you finding your time being eaten away by the many things that absorb you in your life? If so, stop and notice what some of the joys you have in those activities. Perhaps they are small things or only short amounts of time for them but they are still there. They are easily taken for granted and not something to be forgotten. Stop and notice your joys!

Posted by Mike King under Life | 11 Comments »

I’ve been thinking and writing a lot more about creativity lately and today my thoughts brought me to the subject of art.  Art is one of those things that seems so subjective and person its hard to really define.  Most people when they think of art, think of the traditional styles of art, like drawings and paintings, perhaps music or even sculptures.  To me, art is much more than that, it is not in the things you produce as an artist but actually in the process of creation.  Art, therefore, is really anything that is created.  It is still subjective since it is a personal reflection or process to create something but it is wrapped around the process of creation, not the end product.  The creation itself is what drives an artist to do what they do, not only the end product itself.

What is Your Art?

What led me onto this subject is my graphics business.  Its a business that lets me create visual content and end up with an animated 3D piece of art.  I used to have much more desire to make this a full time career because it was my most significant area of creativity and art in my life and I love it.  Still do in fact.  The difference now is that I’ve learned that there are many other areas in my life where I can be just as creative and find art in that creative process as well.  This includes my writing here at LearnThis.ca and it includes my engineering work in design, architecture and managing of people.  The art is in all of that as well.  More importantly I’ve found art in creative actions with my thinking, my feeling, my relationships and my spirituality.  All these areas now I find myself using my creativity to produce change.  Change in myself and change in others around me.  That realization lets me look at creativity and art in everything I do, not just in a few fixed products or actions.

The Art of Change

Think of all your actions, all your passions, everything you spend time in life creating.  Maybe your art is not in some traditional sense but instead in the art of change?  I know that personal development and life learning require change and if change can be sparked by creativity, then embrace your creative actions, extend them in all directions of your life and see the results in your own personal art of change!

Posted by Mike King under Learning | 20 Comments »