Issue #118, February 28 2023 Welcome to Insights and Implications! We’ve all had the experience of feeling balanced, or even-minded. This month, in the first of a two-part series, Ken Manning reminds us of the source of this feeling and how it unlocks insight. Read on and stay tuned for next month’s follow-up to this important piece. Wishing you well, All of us at Insight Principles Even-Mindedness: Part 1 My friend Ari and I have been playing ping pong together for over 30 years. We play hard and have a great time and work up quite a sweat. We’re
Issue #112, August 31 2022 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Sometimes we ask people how they’re doing without expecting an honest or complete answer. “How are you?”, we might say. Or: “How’s it going?” This type of inquiry is usually more of a greeting than a true question. In this month’s newsletter Robin Charbit explains why sincerely asking someone how they are feeling can reveal valuable insights and set the course for a productive dialogue. All of us at Insight Principles This seemingly innocent question is actually a powerful lens through which to navigate life. If you learned about the design of
Issue #111, July 29 2022 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Distractions! A bird chirping will steal your attention one minute, and then something else happens and you no longer hear it. Below, Cheryl Bond explains what actually distracts us and why. All of us at Insight Principles It’s always been a challenge to prevent distractions while working, but as technology advanced over the past 20 years, interruptions spun out of control. An average workday involves 50-60 interruptions and most are unimportant. Combine this with the “new normal” of back-to-back virtual meetings and you have a workforce that spends significantly less time in
Issue #109, May 31 2022 Welcome to Insights and Implications! [While writing this newsletter, we learned of the horrific mass shooting of school children and teachers in Uvalde, Texas. We are profoundly saddened by this senseless tragedy. Insight Principles remains committed to sharing an understanding of the human mind to help the world find more mental clarity, insight, compassion, and love.] Are you one of those people who can’t say no? Do you overcommit? Do you make promises you know you can’t keep? Are you afraid of disappointing others? You’re not alone. Read on to see what Sandy Krot has learned about
Issue #107, March 31 2022 Welcome to Insights and Implications! It’s Spring here in the northern hemisphere. It’s a time for planting seeds and watching new growth. This month’s newsletter hopefully plants some thought seeds that help you continue to evolve on your journey toward a life of more joy and less stress. All of us at Insight Principles Now You See It - Now You Don’t Life has been very busy this month. My work life was extra full of projects and programs, plus I hosted a house guest and a few social gatherings. This left little time to stop and
Issue #105, January 31 2022 Welcome to Insights and Implications! We hope that 2022 has begun well for you. This month’s newsletter is about happiness. Remember that feeling? Happiness seemed nearly ever-present when we were very young and now can be all too fleeting. Read on as Cheryl Bond shares how we innocently limit our experience of happiness. All of us at Insight Principles Conditional Happiness We’re all familiar with the conditions we set for happiness: I’ll be happy when I lose weight I’ll be happy when I get married -- or divorced I’ll be happy when I have a better job,
Issue #103, November 30 2021 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Here in the US, we just celebrated the holiday of Thanksgiving. This holiday involves hanging out with family and friends and eating good food. But this day is also when we take a moment to appreciate the riches in our life. Read on as Sandy Krot shares her thoughts on Gratitude. “You aren’t grateful because you’re happy. You are happy because you’re grateful.” This declaration struck me when I heard a colleague share it on her podcast. We are accustomed to feeling grateful for specifics - sunny days, good meals, promotions, etc.
Issue #99, July 30 2021 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Are you someone who tends to be hard on yourself? Do you feel bad about yourself when you make a mistake? Do you think this is a good strategy for life? Do you know anyone like this? If you answer yes to any of these questions, this month’s newsletter is for you. Read on for more insights. All of us at Insight Principles A few weeks ago I hired a photographer to take photos of my family. When the photoshoot was over I paid the photographer and she told me to expect
Issue #96, April 30 2021 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Even though thinking is invisible most of the time, knowing that it's always working to bring us our experience is helpful. Read on to learn more about what results when we reflect on this amazing creative process. All of us at Insight Principles My husband claims my instructions are sometimes missing steps. Here’s an example. It was around 5:00pm and I was in the kitchen getting an early start on dinner. When Peter came in I told him what I planned for the dinner menu and he said, “Sounds great!” I told
Issue #95, March 31 2021 Welcome to Insights and Implications! This month’s newsletter is about listening - actually not listening. We all can share examples of not being heard and if we’re honest, examples of when we didn’t listen. Nikki Platte describes this all too common phenomenon and gets to the root cause. Read on to learn more. All of us at Insight Principles “Well, why didn’t you tell me when I was listening?" Our team had a good laugh about this quote this week, which comes from our very own Ken Manning, who often (perhaps bravely) says this to his wife
Issue #91, November 30 2020 Welcome to Insights and Implications! We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy during this resurgence of the virus. Here in the US we just came through a very contentious presidential election. The US is not the only place on the globe where disagreements arise. Read on to learn about how the brilliance of the mind can help you transcend disagreements and discover something new. All of us at Insight Principles Disagreement to Discovery Have you ever had to ponder another person’s radically different idea?? Have you ever tried to change another person’s mind?
Issue #90, October 30 2020 Welcome to Insights and Implications! For many months, the pandemic has been front and center in our newsletter. This month we visit a topic that is not pandemic related, but rather a more common problem. What to do when you have a boss who watches over your shoulder and tries to manage your every move? Read on for Cheryl Bond’s story and insights. Please stay well. All of us at Insight Principles Working for a Micro-Manager Nearly everyone has had the experience of working for a micromanager. Micromanagement can range from asking for very detailed weekly status
Issue #86, June 30 2020 Welcome to Insights and Implications! Happy Summer to you all. The pandemic has brought much change to our lives. Parenting, job responsibilities, our daily commutes, worship practices, and now vacation plans have had to be altered. In this newsletter, Cheryl Bond reminds us that in the face of all this change, certain mental habits may persist. Read on as she shares what she’s learned about one of her habits. Stay well. All of us at Insight Principles Calming the Should Storm We have an endless stream of thoughts running through our minds. Some we pay attention to
Issue #76, December 2019 Welcome to Insights and Implications! This is our final newsletter of 2019. The end of the year is a good time to reflect and look back at life. With the help of Confucius, we will explore how easy it is to let the doing of life overtake the living of life. Wishing Everyone a Very Happy New Year! All of us at Insight Principles Confucius Says... We have two lives. The second one begins when we realize we only have one.
Issue #71, July 2019 Welcome to Insights and Implications! We like to keep up with the latest about the human dimension. Sometimes we find articles that come close to our understanding of the mind. Read on to learn about an article that gets a piece of the picture but ends up missing a critical factor. All of us at Insight Principles Self Awareness and Self Management I read an interesting article in the Harvard Business Review by Jennifer Porter, (Click Here). Porter writes that self awareness alone does not lead to self improvement. There is another necessary skill, something she calls
