Years ago I had to take a big test. A six hour test. It was a newly required test, the first of several, for my job. It had been a while since I’d studied or taken tests and I knew that if I failed I would have another chance. But I didn’t want to plan for second chances. I wanted it to be one and done!
Oh, and this is long before online material and tutorials and study guides. It was paper. Lots and lots of paper. Paper that spilled over the tables and chairs in our small apartment. Paper that multiplied as I slept! The test was the General Securities Representative Exam, also known as the Series 7. It would qualify me as a Registered Representative in the world of stock brokerage. That wasn’t my plan, but I needed this certification as a foundation for the manager tests that would follow. So I learned about bonds and stocks and margin and options and government debt. I could tell you all about IPO’s and syndicates and more than you’d probably care to know about things I can’t even remember now. So why bring it up? It was then that I realized how beneficial the act of thinking out loud was. I suppose I could have just talked to myself but it really helped to have a listening ear. Dear hubby was elected. I found that as I explained short calls and long puts and the difference between margin requirements and maintenance it became so much clearer to me. I found myself with questions to look up that hadn’t occurred to me before I’d regaled him with this exceedingly tedious material. I was able to make analogies to things I understood better. The material actually started to make sense and become part of my knowledge base rather than rote facts to remember until I hit the submit button at the testing center. I learned that thinking out loud changes things. Hearing yourself ask a question allows for the possibility of more answers to emerge. Talking it through helps to integrate the ideas deeper and allows new ideas to form. Commitment and accountability go deeper Every single person who has been a member of Your Creative Edge: A KMI Master Mind has cited this as one of the things that helped the most. They say that having someone mirror their thoughts back to them shifts their perspective. They tell us they had wrestled on their own with a particular goal or project and a KMI Master Mind made them feel connected and ready to take their next step. They found that the receptive, creative and compassionate ears of their fellow master minders let them feel more creative and be more compassionate with themselves. How would being able to think out loud among a creative, compassionate group of people feel for you? That’s just one part of a KMI Master Mind that works hard for you. There’s a 10 week Your Creative Edge: a KMI Master Mind starting April 18th. Find out more here. See what the others are talking about!
1 Comment
For years, when my family gathered music accompanied them. There were guitars and maybe a tambourine or maracas. A piano, a banjo? Sure, they were included when available. And there was always singing. Certain songs were always on the playlist because 1) the musicians knew the whole song and 2) the rest of us knew all the words. And whenever the music came out we naturally gravitated into a circle. (One of the regular songs was Harry Chapin’s Circle. “All my life’s a circle, sunrise and sundown.” It was one of those we could sing all the verses and add a little harmony.) The right circles are inclusive and supportive. (Notice I say the “right” circles. Yes, there can be wrong circles but that’s not where I choose to focus.) Those right circles expand and contract as needed. The shape sustains the intention and perhaps the intention informs the shape. With my family we gathered close to listen and sing; we opened out to let others join. Much is written about the power of the circle. As I contemplated writing this post I asked myself about the significance of a circle. I already had opinions. I went online to do some research. I was curious if there was any geometric strength in a circle. (Geometric shapes don’t have strength. Strength is a property of physical objects. OK…) I was curious about quotes on circles (found lots!). I found an article by a design firm discussing the meaning of shapes, the “grammar” of a circle. Of course, that piqued my interest. “What do you feel when you see a circle, square, triangle?” For instance, we are influenced by the universal color and shape of traffic signs. If you see an octagon what comes to mind? (Very good. You may proceed.) Even in my yoga class, when there’s room, we arrange our mats in a circle. The energy changes. And, as so often happens, synchronicity presented me with Madison Taylor’s article Uniting in Thought and Action: The Power of the Circle. One sentence that stood out for me in her article: “People who take part in a circle find that their power increases exponentially while with the group.” Yes. Exponentially. That says so well what I wanted to convey about circles; why I'm drawn to them and why I believe in their power.
Particularly, in an intentional circle. At The Purple Ink Café we serve up guided circles where you can imbibe the energy of the gathered patrons in a virtual, yet extremely effective, setting. Very cool! There is a Writers’ Circle as well as a 4Rs Circle: Relax, Read, Review and Research. Click on the circle name to learn more and register for a current circle. Two low-cost, low-risk ways to find time to write and research. And learn to do it in a relaxed fun way. Aah… What have you experienced in a circle? |
About KathyKathy Kane blogs about the creative process in the everyday, in writing and in the magical transition to the second half of life. Let's ConnectFollow The BlogCategories
All
Archives
August 2018
|
QUICK LINKS |
|