Wednesday 31 October 2012

What state are you in?

I went to the top of Glastonbury Tor at the weekend and it was a beautifully sunny, if also very cold and windy, day. Once at the top I managed to get right up against the Tor and shelter from the wind and spent over an hour and half there.

A tweet I sent at the time reflected that it's one of the few places in the world that I am able to stop. I don't fidget. I don't feel the need to move. I don't feel the need to do much. I wouldn't say lots of thinking goes on either. Generally I just look out and chat with others who join me for their 15 mins at the top.

On further reflection I realise that it's a place that helps me be more grounded - a trait I can sometimes misplace and allow the headless chicken to take control.

I wondered about the difference places that I visit - each with a different state they help me achieve:
  • Glastonbury - Grounding
  • Findhorn - Intuiting
  • Cumbria - Peaceful
  • Bamburgh - Relaxed
  • Florida - Laughing
  • Sydney/New York - Inspired
  • Uluru - Connected
I think my current home here in Burntisland perhaps offers a little of all of these which is why I stay when so much of my work is down south.

We often think our state is determined by what's happening to us - a bad day means a bad mood, a good day the opposite, a long awaited meeting possibly apprehension and our first date excitement. It's true these events can lead to us choosing to feel that way. We do, however, have a choice - it's not the bad day that directly led to a bad mood - in between there was a choice made about our response to the day.

When it's hard to make the most resourceful choice that's when doing things that help us achieve the desired state kicks in. I might not be able to go to Sydney every time I want to be inspired but I can tap into the people, books, films, clothes, colours, music etc that help me become inspired.

What state would help you most today and what could you to do to access it more easily?

Alison Smith
The Purchasing Coach
Sowing the seeds for resourceful states for all your purchasing team (in the whole of the UK and even more work in Scotland would be GREAT)

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