Connections

We will always start our discussions with 'Connections'*. During connections, each group member talks about what is occupying his or her mind as our gatherings begin. We might hear, "My daughter's birthday is tomorrow and I can't stop thinking about how much cleaning I have to do." Or, "My dog is ill and I'm worried about her." Or, "My baby was up from 1-4 am. Where is the coffee?"

The idea is that we leave our outside concerns 'at the door' and focus on the tasks at hand. Sure, these connections can become longer conversations. By honoring them first thing, it sometimes enables us to let them go for the time being. Or we realize that the topic needs more focus and it may substitute for an agenda item or be put into the next month's meeting as a dilemma topic.

*Connections is from the NSRF's Critical Friends group protocols.

~~ In our real life, the idea of connecting is powerful. What if we openly acknowledged the concerns that are distracting us from our tasks at hand? Like being present with our kids. Listening to our friends' stories. Grocery shopping without forgetting 12 items. Reading a whole page of a novel without our minds wandering.

For today, try to connect to your distractions. This could be in the form of saying them out loud. Journaling them. Making them a facebook post. Just get them out there so you can let them go and move on to something more productive. Did this help?