ChoicePoints June 2002

"If I do not choose for myself, someone else will choose for me. I then become an instrument for the accomplishment of their goals and intentions - and mine are lost."  _{Louise LeBrun}

This issue released: Saturday, June 8, 2002

Spotlight On - people, products and pronouncements
Today's Thought
Coming Attractions!
Did you know? - arcane tidbits for fun & frolic
Thought Waves

Spotlight On —
Executive Director of The WEL-Systems® Institute

What does it take to change the world?  Expansive vision, clarity of intention and a passion for living! All these and more are what Gwen McCauley brings to the expression of Executive Director of the WEL-Systems Institute! In addition, her sense of humour and healthy irreverence are essential ingredients in the recipe for a world-class organization dedicated to helping others create gratifying and fulfilling lives - for themselves and others.

Gwen's eclectic background includes large corporations, university administration and small enterprise; working with teams and one-on-one, both at home and abroad. Speaker, writer, coach and all-round awakened human being, Gwen's contributions have included fulfilling leadership requirements as a corporate executive, facilitator, mediator, service designer and developer, marketing manager, strategic planner and program leader. She is a WEL-Systems Educator and CODE Model Coach™ and WEL-Systems:NLP Leader who easily and generously shares her wisdom and knowledge with those who have a desire to know.

Gwen has a BA in Sociology/Anthropology and is also completing her MA in Human Systems Intervention. Gwen has invested heavily in her own growth and evolution and has studied extensively in generative leadership, Myers-Briggs Personality Profiling, Open Space Technology and Appreciative Inquiry. She is currently developing her book on the practical application of the CODE Model to life's daily challenges.

Please welcome Gwen to her leadership role at the Institute; she can be reached at: Gwen@partnersinrenewal.com

Today's Thought

"Man's perceptions are not bounded by organs of perception;
he perceives far more than sense (tho' ever so acute) can discover"
William Blake

Coming Attractions!

We are pleased to offer you the following seminars, workshops and programs -each one designed to provide thought-provoking and life altering experiences for your on-going personal and professional development.

For more details and the complete program schedule, see http://www.WEL-Systems.com/schedule.htm

Did you know?

Don Campbell, a world leader in connecting music with healing has suggested the following 10-minute sonic workout as a way to let music carry your body through exercise, increase your stamina and make exercise time more pleasant:

1. For 3-4 minutes, play music while you do yoga or stretching exercises (Spanish guitar is especially recommended). Improvise your movements and allow natural flow.
2. Now dance and move to more active, stimulating music such as Riverdance for 3-4 minutes.
3. Finally, lie down and listen to a second, slower movement of a Mozart symphony or string quartet for 2-3 minutes. Slower music allows the body to center itself, feel refreshed and cool down.

Simple, fast … and definitely painless!

Thought Waves

Reality: Fact or Interpretation?

We live in a world that is hungry for fact; for information considered accurate and precise. We believe if we have this, we'll know. If we know, we'll be able to choose intelligently, predict the future and so, be in control.

What if we're wrong? What if what we call 'reality' is nothing more than interpretation driven by beliefs, values and attitudes that have become transparent to us; have for so long been part of the way we live that they escape our scrutiny? What if 'truth' is nothing more than the familiar expression of habit … things repeating themselves … without the benefit of ever stopping … and wondering … what if? Or, what else? Or, why not?

Perhaps 'what we know we know' is useful as a starting point; 'what we know we don't know', an invitation to discover; and 'what we don't know we don't know', our gateway to the future. Consider: how much of what you call 'reality' has actually become a roadblock to your own growth - the growth of your business - and who you've become as manager, as leader, and, perhaps most importantly, as a human being?

I used to work for a very large, well-run, paternalistic corporation. As a new manager, I got into trouble shortly after my arrival because I did not follow the rules - the ones unwritten and handed down through company myth. How many other things did I do because they were "the rule" and yet no rule could be found? How often did the company pay two or three times for things to be done because no one thought to check if this was habit or considered need?

What do you accept as "real" in your world that is nothing more than habit? What efficiencies, breakthroughs, and cosmic leaps in innovation are just around the corner, waiting only for your thinking to shift? Start by making a list of the fundamental assumptions in your life about what's "real". Begin asking "why is it this way?"; "what would happen if I did it differently (or not at all)?"; "if I can't see it any other way, who might I be able to talk to who could give me a different interpretation?" (think of the people who irritate you the most - and then, pay attention to their assumptions.); "if I can interpret this differently, what results can I then produce?"

William James said it well when he stated that "People can alter their lives by altering their attitudes".

Louise LeBrun & Gwen McCauley

The WEL-Systems® Institute
( Partners in Renewal Inc.)
Leaders in WEL-Systems:NLP Experiences
9 Antares Drive
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada  K2E 7V5
Tel: (613) 254-7218
info@WEL-Systems.com