Insight and Energy

Come to a LIVE meeting tomorrow (Friday) as my invited guest to meet members of the Health & Business Alliance, and more.

Register here: https://bit.ly/36qgWw5

This takes place Friday 4/1 starting at 8:30am, in Jericho, Long Island. I happen to be the sponsor this month (and a board member).

Hear an educational presentation, let others know what you do and what you need for your work, and network with other friendly entrepeneurs and leaders in healthcare, nonprofit, and associated fields.

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗗𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻: 𝗣𝗘𝗢𝗣𝗟𝗘 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆 𝗜𝗦 𝗕𝗨𝗦𝗜𝗡𝗘𝗦𝗦 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆

I was walking in Manhattan this morning, and a sign caught my eye. It said "PEOPLE Strategy IS BUSINESS Strategy."

Of course, one can say "So true!" (as is often seen on social media), but can we go a bit deeper?

I see some interesting ambiguity in that motto. My question is, what IS people strategy?

Many leadership books and consultants will tell you that people are your #1 asset, and similar messages. But there is a dividing point: some approaches talk about motivating your staff, but not so much about CARING about them.

It is one thing to tell your employee something nice about their work because you suspect that you will get more productivity out of them as a result. And it probably feels good to do so.

One might think: "Hey, I told her something nice, and I bet she enjoyed that!" But the other person may sense that the unspoken agenda is, "He/she just wants me to work harder."

So it is another thing to really feel a connection...

Read the full article here: http://iande.us/people-strategy

Newsletter Signup Page

𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗽𝗵𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝘆?

Someone online asked me the above question. Here is how I answered; these ideas comes from ancient wisdom as well as from my experience:

* Overall, live with moderation and with insight and compassion in your daily activities.

* Be kind to self and others, but do not define your value as a human being only by helping others while ignoring yourself.

* Find time to sit quietly, alert but not tense, and start to experience who you really are; this is often called meditation.

* Avoid situations of conflict and debate, since they do not advance well-being. But if necessary, speak the truth in a thoughtful way, if it will help self and others to live more authentically and with less pain.

* Exercise enough to keep mind and body alert and capable. Tai Chi Chuan, which I advocate, is one such exercise, but not the only one.

* Eat enough to be healthy and satisfied, but not to the point of excess and feeling weighed down.

* Find friends and community that value a life of meaning, and that care about you and each other.

* If the path to a wonderful life is not clear, find a wise mentor, teacher, spiritual leader, or psychotherapist to help you stay focused and to help avoid hidden errors that can cause difficulty for you (and those around you).

Implementing the above is a life’s work; I enjoy being on this path as I learn to be a better person and find more meaning in life.

In the end, I have found that making these efforts can allow a person to experience harmony with and appreciation of each moment, and compassion for self and others.

I hope the above is helpful for you, the reader.
************************************

To receive regular, thoughtful posts via emailed newsletter, please sign up here: https://insightandenergy.simplero.com/page/210705

Newsletter Signup Page This newsletter subscription will bring you a selection of inspiring, thoughtful topics and events that contribute to living a more awakened, better life. After subscribing, you can also choose sub-topics that are of especial interest to you.

How can we grow, and be more grounded and fulfilled, as human beings?

Sycamore trees and people both release parts of themselves into the world every day. The sycamore tree leaves its bark pieces all over the ground around it, throughout the year.

People also have unexpected feelings and reactions that show up and are shared in the world. Those feelings and reactions are sometimes hard to understand and hard to handle for the person experiencing them, as I see often in my psychotherapy practice.

How can we explain those feelings and reactions that seem to just show up, unexpected, and in some cases, unwelcome (such as anger), and in other cases, welcome (such as love or generosity)?

Let's start to take a closer look; read a somewhat unusual take on this topic, here: https://www.insightandenergy.com/explaining-the-unexplained-sunshine-penetration-and-our-growth/

𝗟𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝗳𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆: 𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

Nature is amazing. Do you agree?

Even a cucumber plant has its own intelligence and strives to find its place in the sun. And this connects to human behavior too! I will make the connection very soon.

It is hard to capture photographically the many, many clingers that this plant wraps around any solid object it can find. And why does it do this? So it can rapidly expand, soaring over the neighboring tomato plant, grabbing more sunlight.

𝗕𝘂𝗴𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗹𝘂𝗴𝘀...

How does this relate to us, as human beings? Well, to bridge the gap, if you have been around a grassy back yard, perhaps with bushes growing, and even moreso a vegetable garden, you will find the clever insects that hide under leaves or in hidden corners, waiting for dark, waiting for moisture so they can safely walk, or crawl in the case of snails and slugs.

If plants and insects and other small animals have strategies to survive, then even more fully we humans do.

That is why psychological labels need to be used in a very limited, careful way. Why? Because everything we do is an attempt to make more sense of the world, and to better survive.

𝗚𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗕𝗲𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝗜𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗜𝗹𝗹𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀

There are books written, for example, about how what is called ADD or ADHD can be seen as a biological strength in evolution for those who are meant to be great hunters, helping the human gene pool.

Those individuals are not so attuned to sitting still (e.g. in a school classroom) but are terrific in hunting wild animals or perhaps more appropriate for most of us these days, running a busy business or serving multiple customers, and tracking a rapidly changing environment.

Rather than pathologize and fight the ADD or ADHD behaviors, ... 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗹𝗲 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲: https://www.insightandenergy.com/lust-for-life-and-inevitable-empathy/

𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗢𝗻 𝗔 𝗪𝗶𝗿𝗲

There is a mockingbird couple on my block, in Roslyn Heights, Long Island, and these birds raise, for me, some interesting questions.

I live on a quiet, dead-end street, which is ideal for the seven or more feral cats here; they don't get run over by speeding cars. Apparently, the birds like that as well.

Generally, one of the pair (I have occasionally seen them together) sits on a wire above one side of the street, from dawn to dusk, and at times emits a raucous sound, over and over (not loud enough to enter the house, but loud when one goes outside).

***************
Here is a good article on mockingbirds, with multiple videos: https://www.kcet.org/redefine/an-intro-to-mockingbirds-the-noisiest-most-aggressive-small-bird-youll-ever-meet
***************

I know that the loud, raucous birdcall is a warning sound, because it gets louder and more frequent just before the bird divebombs one of the neighborhood cats. The bird (or both birds) shows no fear, and will peck a cat before swooping away, barely evading the cat's claws.

The cats seem not to know what to do. Of course, these are not the wild hunter cats that they would be if living in forests without humans and surviving by their ferociousness and quick reflexes, so it may be more understandable that they are outmatched by a bird.

Last summer, the cats killed two of the baby mockingbirds produced by that couple. The parents were constantly attacking the cats, more than usual, because the baby birds had launched too soon or fallen out of the nest, and were stuck on the ground. A few days later, first one, then the other baby was killed.

So, I have questions.

One question is, how can these small birds be so aggressive? Is it really good for them? They are attacking the cats from March to November. Is this similar to a hyperaggressive human who occasionally gets her/his way due to extreme aggressions, but probably loses out far more due to that temperament? Cannot the birds see it is not really working? And imagine the amount of energy lost, and the danger.

The other, related question I have is, why don't these dedicated parents move one block away, where they and their babies would be relatively far safer? It seems they would rather fight than switch. It appears (anthropomorphizing) to be a stubborness, saying, "You will not win and force me to move away from my neighborhood, cats!"

These same two questions can be rightfully asked of many of us human beings. Maybe we can learn about ourselves, at times, by observing animals.

***************
See my upcoming free events and offers at:
https://www.insightandenergy.com/store

On Friday, May 7th we will have the regular monthly meeting of our 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 & 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗔𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲. We are a friendly community of professionals from a variety of organizations, all of which are connected to either the world of healthcare or nonprofits--or to both.

You are very welcome to join us as a guest (free), for up to two meetings. I am a board member and also happen to be the meeting sponsor this month. 𝗣𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗲 𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄 (𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗹) 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝘆 𝗴𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁, and I will make it happen.

The education speaker is 𝗠𝗼𝗿𝗱𝗼 𝗕𝗼𝗻𝗼 𝗼𝗳 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗛𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲, speaking about "Aspects of Long-Term Care". He is the dedicated CEO of a company that provides reliable aids to care for sick and elderly, and to help their families feel secure that loved ones are well cared for.

As sponsor, I will be speaking about how I work, and 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱. People are people, everywhere, and we all need to hear and be heard in an authentic way. When that happens, 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲.

I firmly believe that business and everyday activities need to be carried out with a social consciousness, if we want a better world as well as our own happiness. Because of that, one of my favorite "devices" is this cell phone stand (from www.mmpromos.com). The supplier has a number of other thoughtful and environment-friendly offerings.

With two simple pieces of wood (which can be separated to be carried flat) you have a stand that lets you see any important calls / texts coming in while doing other work. It is also excellent as a support for carrying on a phone-based video call, or making videos (of course place it on a surface at the desired height).

The resources needed to create, ship, and carry this item are minimal, which is the way it should be whenever possible!

Is anyone else somewhat tired of repeatedly hearing the words "Great!!", "Amazing!!", and similar superlatives, including at least double exclamation points, if intonation is factored in? It would be "great" if you feel that way too, because then I would know I am not alone in this!

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗰𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 where I (and I suspect, you) can be truly transported in enthusiasm, such as when an ice skater performs a triple axel (named for the move's inventor Axel Paulsen) flawlessly. I just watched the excellent though abbreviated Netflix series "Spinning Out", thus this particular example.

It is 𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 that you are reading this post, and it would be 𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 if you would make a comment. I truly mean that... but now I have already slipped into the "Great and Amazing" cult!

I have to believe that mental health and ability to distinguish truth from falsehood, as well as the quality of our relationships, depends to some degree on 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹, 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀--and reserving words such as "Great" and "Amazing" for truly great, amazing moments.

What do you think?

𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝘀 𝗭𝗼𝗼𝗺 𝗳𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗴𝘂𝗲. There are, however, Zoom meetings and webinars that are not 𝗲𝗻𝗷𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗽𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗺𝘂𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 enough. So perhaps we can call it "predictable, repetitious Zoom meeting exhaustion," especially when we experience one after another meeting of that nature.

My recommendation, in just a few words, is to 𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 to the meetings you are running, whether online or in person. Find a way to be warm, personal (and appropriate), innovative, relevant, engaging, and inspiring, in a real-time way.

That is what I try to do in my webinars, and I am still working on finding the best ways to make the experience as lively and meaningful as possible for the participants.

Come to the Health & Business Alliance meeting, tomorrow Friday 8:30am-10:15am ET. We meet via Zoom for now (so attend from anywhere).

Register here: http://bit.ly/3pTwHzu

I am a board member of this valuable organization. If you have a connection to the healthcare field, services for healthcare companies, or a nonprofit organization, you should attend, and attendance is free for new guests.

Dr. Jenkins is a professional speaker and an expert on the benefits of the multicultural workforce. Meet others, network, and find out more.

Sometimes our own thoughts or feelings are tyrants.

Read the full LinkedIn article, here: https://www.InsightAndEnergy.com/FF

Do you ever have the experience in which you keep coming back to the same thoughts? Usually, those are negative thoughts about how you did something badly, or what someone else did wrong, or what may go wrong with your plans, or even worse, what will very likely go wrong with your dreams for the future.

And often, those thoughts are on an endless loop playing over and over without our even realizing it.

......

So, the question I am asking is: how can we find that true, enduring freedom from one's own tyrannical thoughts and sensations?

The key I have found is entering deeper into one's true self...

Read the full LinkedIn article, here: https://www.InsightAndEnergy.com/FF

Escaping From Freedom ebook: Healing Our Society

I want to offer, once again, my free ebook 𝐸𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚, with the important principles of how to make a saner, more loving society:

𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸: https://www.insightandenergy.com/EFF

What good is a good job or career when one's nation is falling apart, or is an armed camp? These are a very readable 19 pages of insight.

You will be subscribed to my email list, which offers thoughtful newsletters and free events, and you can unsubscribe any time.

The ebook is based on and updates the psychology and sociology in Erich Fromm's iconic 1941 book 𝐸𝑠𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑒 𝐹𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝐹𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑜𝑚.

Escaping From Freedom ebook: Healing Our Society Download the 19-page ebook for free, and find out from a sociological and psychological basis why democracies become vulnerable to the enticement o...

This is the official fact sheet about the Pfizer-BioNTech coronavirus vaccine, for those who want the manufacturer's own public information, including ingredients, contraindications, side effects, and more: http://labeling.pfizer.com/ShowLabeling.aspx?id=14472

Heart-Wise Communication for happiness and health

Join a lively, informative conversation on how to make life more peaceful and richer. Good, effective communication is an art and a skill, that can be learned and practiced! Find out more at: https://www.insightandenergy.com/HWC.

Heart-Wise Communication for happiness and health This will be an enriching, safe opportunity for sharing and learning how to deepen relationships of all kinds and express your authentic self, while achieving more often the results you desire.

In times of division and loss of understanding ("How can 'those people' believe in that?"), we need to look more closely, with an open mind.

I have written a free 19-page ebook (you can get the ebook here: http://smpl.ro/EFFfb) which presents in a clear manner the driving forces behind the move to authoritarianism in this country and some other countries as well, past, present, and very likely and in various locations, in the future.

The ebook builds on the insights of Erich Fromm's iconic book Escape From Freedom, in order to shed light and offer emotional connection. In this way, we can understand better and take effective action in society to promote healing and improvement in the real quality of life.

As mentioned, you can get the free ebook here: http://smpl.ro/EFFfb