What Being vs Doing Really MeansWritten by Angie Dixon
So often we hear about “being” rather than “doing.” Often it’s given as advice when we are overwhelmed, overworked and overstressed. “You should just ‘be.’ You’re doing too much.” Well, yes, obviously, but what does that MEAN? How do we just be?I happen to think people saying this don’t even really know what it means and are just giving it as a platitude, trying to help, but it doesn’t help if you don’t know how to implement it. Here are some ways in which being is different from doing. Hearing vs. Listening If I really “hear” you, I understand what you’re saying and, more importantly, what you’re not saying. I grasp full import of your words and silences. I’m not just listening with one ear. I’m really getting you. Learning vs. Studying I can study all day long, but if at end of day all I really know is what’s going to be on test, it doesn’t do me much good. Learning is about absorbing what’s being taught. Once I’ve learned something, I don’t need to study it next time. Coming to Believe vs. Deciding Decisions can be arrived at two ways—by coming to believe this is right course, or by “deciding” this is right course. You’ve heard term “executive decision.” Often that means I’ve just decided something without reference to any outside sources or even to what I really think. By coming to believe something, I’ve made an authentic, informed decision.
| | Your Support NetworkWritten by Angie Dixon
Quick. Who’s in your support network? Huh? What’s a support network? Do I have a support network? Honey, who’s in my support network? Your support network is that group of people you can go to with problems, questions, to vent, to cry on their shoulders. Friends, for starters. Who are your close friends? Are they available to you when you need them? If they’re not, why aren’t you looking for different close friends? And family. Many people, like me, are fortunate to be close to a sibling and be able to talk and vent and share with them. Or it may be a cousin, or an aunt or uncle, or even a parent. If you have difficult relations with your family, do everything you can to mend your side of it. It’s worth it, especially if you later become close to a family member.
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