New ways to think

Hi all,

I'm going through a week of training right now in a treatment modality that has me looking through the eyes of a select few. Realizing that in this world there are so many definitions for normal, I realize that my normal is sometimes abnormal for others. I'm hoping that the majority of my 'normal' is viewed as appropriate and acceptable to most others.

It has been stated that education plus opportunity is the formula for success. It seems that one without the other is liable to bring defeat. Perhaps those initial defeats are what prompted Franklin, Edison, the Wright brothers, and so many others who failed, to persevere and eventually find success. So the equation may allow for a substitution: Experience and Perseverance. My point is just that. The substitution. Any time we find a deficit, that we don't have all the ingredients, we can improvise. Learning from mistakes should cause a realization: Either we do the same action and, as a result, we will expect the same response; or Change the action and get a different response.

I often find myself remembering that, in life, the only absolute is that there are no absolutes. What is generally accepted for the majority will certainly be harmful or rejected by someone. By staying true to our own personal values system and continuously striving to improve, while acknowledging failure and improvising, we can directly impact ours and the lives of others for positive change.

The ways that we make decisions in life generally tend to identify what kinds of people we are. What are we focused on? Why do we act, withhold action, respond emotionally or be silent? Our unique personalities, though similar in so many ways, are an infinite mystery in determining how we will respond in all environments and following various stimuli.

I'll be sharing more in the days to come. Much gratitude and positive energy to you.

Chris

Failures vs Learning Experiences

The best way to overcome a limitation or area of perceived weakness is to figure out how to make the weakness into a strength. Learn from the error, the lapse in judgment, the loss of time. Do not allow the event to overcome you, rather, overpower it.

As I meet with clients and even colleagues, I am astonished at how easily we allow little failures to bring us down. We catastrophize and make the issue into something of overwhelming force. This is usually not the case. More often, we are able to learn from the mistake.

There are countless times where I have failed. Rather than beat myself up, I learn from each mistake. I understand that I will continue to err and this will NEVER stop until I leave this earth. The only way to progress is to highlight the mistakes we have made, talk about what we learned from them, and map out a plan to prevent it from happening again.

As we do this, others take notice that we are mindful of our imperfections. They will be compelled to cut us some slack. Arrogance is a killer. We create more enemies by being prideful and haughty. Rather, if we show compassion and understanding when others fail, karma will return the favor to us in even greater ways.

Make today the best for you, your life, your family, and for your future.

Chris

Partnership

In collaboration with Partnership for a Drug-Free America, my employer is beginning a series of workshops for parents with children or teens who are struggling with substance experimentation, abuse and/or addiction. The workshops will also detail specific ways to improve communication with your children about drugs and the current issues they are facing regarding their decisions on whether or not to try drugs. The groups are free, through grants and donations provided to PDFA. There is even an incentive provided to graduates of the 12-week course. Each workshop lasts one hour, meeting from noon until 1pm on Saturdays in central Phoenix.

The web address for PDFA is located below, as well as a few recent press releases regarding these workshops. We were interviewed by Sergeant Darren Burch of the Phoenix Police Department and Silent Witness Program on his radio show. Our interviews will air on consecutive Sundays on 3 separate local radio stations; News KTAR (92.3 FM) at 5:30 AM, PEAK (98.7 FM) at 6:30 AM, and Sports KTAR (620 AM) at 6:15 AM.
These stations stream their broadcasts online, so if you are not in the Phoenix area you can still tune in.

NEWS

CONTACT: BETH WILKINSON (602) 957-8881

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 16, 2010

PARTNERSHIP FOR A DRUG-FREE AMERICA – ARIZONA AFFILIATE

LAUNCHES NEW PROGRAM TO CONNECT PARENTS

The Arizona Affiliate of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America announces the launch of AZ Parents Connect. AZ Parents Connect is a research-based community education program developed by the Partnership to raise awareness of teen alcohol, marijuana and prescription drug abuse in Arizona by targeting parents, health care professionals and military families.

AZ Parents Connect will focus on the three important steps of “prevention, intervention, treatment” through parent workshops, in-person and online community trainings.

The free workshops will be presented in 12 sessions that will take place Saturdays from noon to 1 p.m. in central Phoenix. The sessions will be led by Partnership staff and Chris Wilkins, a master level professional counselor, and will focus on topics such as substance abuse risk factors, the stages of addiction and relapse prevention.

“These workshops are a way to connect parents to resources and practical information that will help them guide their children to live healthy, drug-free lives,” said workshop coordinator Kim Obert. Parents can attend one or all of the sessions and can register by calling the Partnership at (602) 264-5700. The first session will take place August 21. For a full list of session topics and dates, visit www.AzParentsConnect.org.

Additionally, AZ Parents Connect will feature a multimedia presentation delivered by healthcare and prevention professionals to parents and interested community groups. Community and faith-based organizations interested in scheduling a free presentation on the consequences of drug use, teen brain and how to spot drug use should contact the Partnership at the above number or by e-mail at PartnerUp@PartnerUpAz.org.

“Prescription drug abuse has become our biggest problem among teens here in Arizona,” said Shelly Mowrey, director of programs and communications for the Arizona Affiliate. “Arizona teens are also using marijuana and alcohol at high rates. We will address these alarming trends with AZ Parents Connect by providing parents and caregivers with the tools they need to talk to their kids about substance abuse – and giving families the tools they need for intervention and treatment, if necessary.”

For more information about AZ Parents Connect, visit www.AzParentsConnect.org.

This project is supported by a grant from the Governor’s Office for Children, Youth and Families.

About the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, Arizona Affiliate

The Arizona Affiliate was established in 2003 to carry out The Partnership’s mission to reduce illicit drug use in Arizona while meeting the unique needs of communities. Through its programs, the Arizona Affiliate inspires and empowers Arizonans to join in a united effort to prevent illicit drug use among teens through community-based education. The Arizona Affiliate is a non profit 501-c-3 organization.

For more information, visit the Affiliate website at www.PartnerUpAz.org.

Sometimes when we make poor choices we have to erase some of the goals from off of our big board rather than being able to place a check mark next to them.

Life is always changing. We, as humans beings, are forced into action to evolve and survive. We make adjustments to be successful in new scenarios and environments. One of the most important aspects of continual progress is that we MUST increase our self awareness and be able to check in with reality. If we are unaware of an issue that we have, how can we address it? If we are always defensive when alerted to a problem, we'll have a difficult time making improvements because we can't get past the initial shock of being faced with the idea that we may be imperfect. Life IS imperfect, just as we are. The beauty of it all is that we are continually striving for improvement in all areas. "There are no ordinary moments."

Hope the final days of your week are filled with opportunities to enrich the lives of the people around you, especially the ones you love.

Chris

The more I evaluate myself and the things around me the more I realize that I have an immediate impact on everything. If I don't like something, I can change it. I have the unique ability to look at areas of my life from a different perspective. Not necessarily even having to change things. Just looking from a different angle so colors brighten, shapes transform, scents enhance. By simply stepping back and looking through fresh eyes, we can have that unique experience every day. If we acknowledge that we will face difficulty in life, including pain, negativity and suffering, we can learn to morph that misery into a learning experience and potentially a benefit to us.
Challenges become successes. Hardships become blessings. The more we embrace our struggles and take them as they come, intentionally staring them straight in the face and not backing down, the stronger we become. The more intelligent and experienced we will be.
Nothing is too powerful for us to overcome, for we can be fearless and prepared to take on any challenge that is waiting.

Quote

"Through self knowledge you begin to find out what is God, what is truth, what is that state which is timeless. Your teacher may pass on to you the knowledge which he received from his teacher, and you may do well in your examinations, get a degree and all the rest of it; but, without knowing yourself as you know your own face in the mirror, all other knowledge has very little meaning. Learned people who don't know themselves are really unintelligent; they don't know what thinking is, what life is. That is why it is important for the educator to be educated in the true sense of the word, which means that he must know the workings of his own mind and heart, see himself exactly as he is in the mirror of relationship. Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. In self-knowledge is the whole universe; it embraces all the struggles of humanity" - Krishanmurti



I was going to try and add my spin on this quote and on knowledge, but I decided I couldn't top this. Enjoy!

Chris

Quotes

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.

-Oscar Wilde

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
...
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Increase activity

As it has warmed up significantly, it is a good time to evaluate your health and wellness. I recently read a study with findings that people may have an increased likelihood of getting sick when they spend little time outdoors. Those who spent a lot of time (at least a few hours) outdoors on a daily basis were significantly less likely to become ill than those who spent little time (less than two hours) outdoors. How much time are you outside? If you're like me, the allergy season can be a bit brutal. But I've found that I can manage the allergies because the benefits of being outside and getting strenuous physical activity are so much greater than having watery eyes once in a while.

I'll be updating the links over to your right, I've found several more meditation resources. I just purchased my membership to the Meditation Society of Australia, and the class downloads sound much better than the free ones. You won't need the higher quality unless you are listening over large speakers or a television. On your ipod or computer speakers, the radio quality (free) sound just fine.

I'll soon be uploading some files of worksheets that can be done individually to assess levels of personal wellness and allow for a greater understanding of where one is in regard to enjoying the fullness of life. This will be a little taste of the beginnings of wellness coaching, allowing the individual to make it back to holistic center. There are ALWAYS opportunities to be mindful, even while you are stuck in traffic with a crying baby in the back seat.

I don't often share my curriculum, but a beginning piece of homework that I assign is viewing the movie "Peaceful Warrior" and also looking at some of the books by Dan Millman. The movie is particularly good to start with because most of us do not understand what 'mindfulness' and 'wellness' are until we investigate a little bit, and realize that we actually NEED these to be successful in life.

More to come, have a great day

All the best,
Chris

A great cause

Hello everyone,
It has been quite some time since I've been active on here, been very busy with finishing up my degree and managing employment and other things.

I want to share an amazing cause that I am working on, and ask for your help, if you are able. I am not one to pressure people into donating money or time, but this is something that I am very passionate about and I think you will be as well. A new organization, called Streetlight, is about to open a facility in Phoenix to provide a safe and secure environment for female victims of child sex slavery. If you have a a few moments, please visit this web site for an informative video and additional information on this cause. Believe me, the video will cause a powerful response in you, emotionally and physically.

http://www.streetlightphx.com/

My group is organizing the gathering of supplies such as hygiene items, bedding, clothing, kitchen cookware, and other items to get this facility open and running to help these girls. If you are able to donate, I, my group, and these girls and all others involved would be incredibly grateful. If you are able to donate, please let me know either in a comment to this post, an email, a text, or some other method because we will be organizing thank you cards in addition to including the names of donors in a publication that will be provided to the facility once our project is completed. Let me emphasize that the work will never be completed, this is an ongoing and pervasive problem in Phoenix and all around the world. In the next few days I will be posting my research paper with insights into the child sex slavery industry, and I hope you will take the time to read it and form a greater hope that we can wipe this industry out, and all those who engage in it or attempt to keep it running.
Thank you so much

Chris

Success is dependant on effort.
-SOPHOCLESE

Risk

To laugh is to risk appearing the fool.
To weep is to risk appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk exposing your true self.
To place your ideas and your dreams before a crowd is to risk their loss.
To love is to risk not being loved in return.
To live is to risk dying, to hope is to risk despair.
To try is to risk failure, but the risks must be taken,
because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing.
The person who risks nothing, does nothing, and has nothing, is nothing.
They may avoid suffering and sorrow but they cannot learn, feel, change, love or live.
Only a person who risks is free.

--Leo Buscaglia