What we can accomplish: It all starts with the belief that you can accomplish anything if you don’t give up and you can think critically and creatively. Most importantly if you don’t see stop-signs (metaphorically speaking), and don’t accept statements or answers as if they are the gospel—even when and especially when-- negative beliefs have been supported for a very long time.
As a social worker, stories can be a source of inspiration and as a reminder that not only can I accomplish a lot, it is my responsibility. I am currently doing community work. Along the way I have stumbled upon barriers that I was able to re-frame. What looked like an obstacle to one person-I reframed it to be something else, and was able to accomplish a task which had been a major barrier over years of time. It was that simple. Chapter eight of Community Practice (Hardcastle and Powers, 2004) covers this use of self in relation to community work. They remind us to be careful about what we reveal, and to be mindful in all situations of what we say. Basically, they are pointing out the importance as a community leader or change agent not to alienate anyone, and you never know, even in the elevator, who might be listening. Then, they discuss beliefs that shape our behavior and the persistence that allows a person to solve long standing problems with creative solutions combined with a positive belief. I recently learned in my AOD class that when people are working through ambivalence they need three ingredients to be successful when working towards a change. They need to be willing, ready and able. When you can shift a belief from being helpless and hopeless to a belief that change is possible then you open your mind to consider next actions (the able part).
The following is a true story. When I was 11 years old, all I could think about were horses. I asked my parents if I could have a horse. We lived in a summer home on Puget Sound which had been weatherized by my father. To get to our house, you had to walk down a very steep trail through tall trees, maiden-hair ferns, and trilliums. We had no flat land. From the balcony, I could throw a rock into the water. Sometimes I would sleep on the balcony/porch and wake up to the sound of water lapping on the dock, and birds singing. I can’t think of a more peaceful setting, yet this beautiful surrounding did not support the needs of a horse. Yet, when I was eleven I asked my mom if I could have a horse. She said, first off we have no place for a horse, and second off we can’t afford a horse. This is when my wheels (my mind) began to churn. I found a pasture close by with a barn, whose owner agreed to my use free of charge. I baby-sat on a weekly basis and saved my money. Eventually, I saved enough for a horse, I found one through the local papers, enlisted my friends’ parents to trailer it home, and continued with my baby-sitting job to afford hay and grain. I learned how to build a corral with a peer and learned to care for his hoofs with help from a local Ferrier. What this story is about is a little girl who did not let one persons response be her destiny. With hard work, persistence, and the belief that she could find a way—she accomplished a lot.
As I read chapter eight of community practice—and look back to chapter seven which told a similar story about Erin Brokcovich—I see how these characteristics can make a difference. President Obama understood this with his slogan “Yes We Can”. Our Professor Michael Yellow Bird has been pressing us to consider our minds as one of the most important resources available to ourselves and to our community. It starts with our beliefs about being able, and then we can choose not to accept status quo or even what the majority says. How often do we hear people say they are hopeless and feel helpless? This kind of thinking stops us in our tracks! Our community can accomplish a lot, and we are not helpless or hopeless—even when things seem overwhelming at times.
What I would like to ask our class( –taking all of this chapter into consideration—which basically surrounds particular ways of developing particular characteristics AND—Tapping into what Yellow Bird has been drilling into us as our most powerful resource, developing the way we see the world, how we believe that we can respond, learning how to be persistent, to think critically, to move beyond an unconscious reactions of our reptilian brain based on fear and realities that don’t serve us well- to expand our brain to create a new way of being as effective positive change agents of our communities reaching across nations)-- is can we as a class take time to consider more concretely how we will develop our awareness about ourselves so that we can develop these characteristics mentioned in chapter eight of CO?
For instance: How does one develop persistence?
How does one develop the belief in ourselves, and lend this belief out to others? I used to think that some of these characteristics were either inherent or not. For instance I am one of those people who see the cup as half full—My husband on the other hand is much more cautious and see’s the cup as half empty—He brings some strength to the table for me because he considers details –when I might just be jumping forward without making important considerations—Now that I’ve made this statement---I see that with some critical thinking we could both gain from our limited vantage points—but my concern is that I have developed these trenches in my brain or pathways so now I need to take deliberate actions to develop these new pathways—which is not necessarily clear to me at this time. I also need to develop my awareness. Is Yellow Bird suggesting that through meditation and focus this is what we can accomplish??
As a social worker, stories can be a source of inspiration and as a reminder that not only can I accomplish a lot, it is my responsibility. I am currently doing community work. Along the way I have stumbled upon barriers that I was able to re-frame. What looked like an obstacle to one person-I reframed it to be something else, and was able to accomplish a task which had been a major barrier over years of time. It was that simple. Chapter eight of Community Practice (Hardcastle and Powers, 2004) covers this use of self in relation to community work. They remind us to be careful about what we reveal, and to be mindful in all situations of what we say. Basically, they are pointing out the importance as a community leader or change agent not to alienate anyone, and you never know, even in the elevator, who might be listening. Then, they discuss beliefs that shape our behavior and the persistence that allows a person to solve long standing problems with creative solutions combined with a positive belief. I recently learned in my AOD class that when people are working through ambivalence they need three ingredients to be successful when working towards a change. They need to be willing, ready and able. When you can shift a belief from being helpless and hopeless to a belief that change is possible then you open your mind to consider next actions (the able part).
The following is a true story. When I was 11 years old, all I could think about were horses. I asked my parents if I could have a horse. We lived in a summer home on Puget Sound which had been weatherized by my father. To get to our house, you had to walk down a very steep trail through tall trees, maiden-hair ferns, and trilliums. We had no flat land. From the balcony, I could throw a rock into the water. Sometimes I would sleep on the balcony/porch and wake up to the sound of water lapping on the dock, and birds singing. I can’t think of a more peaceful setting, yet this beautiful surrounding did not support the needs of a horse. Yet, when I was eleven I asked my mom if I could have a horse. She said, first off we have no place for a horse, and second off we can’t afford a horse. This is when my wheels (my mind) began to churn. I found a pasture close by with a barn, whose owner agreed to my use free of charge. I baby-sat on a weekly basis and saved my money. Eventually, I saved enough for a horse, I found one through the local papers, enlisted my friends’ parents to trailer it home, and continued with my baby-sitting job to afford hay and grain. I learned how to build a corral with a peer and learned to care for his hoofs with help from a local Ferrier. What this story is about is a little girl who did not let one persons response be her destiny. With hard work, persistence, and the belief that she could find a way—she accomplished a lot.
As I read chapter eight of community practice—and look back to chapter seven which told a similar story about Erin Brokcovich—I see how these characteristics can make a difference. President Obama understood this with his slogan “Yes We Can”. Our Professor Michael Yellow Bird has been pressing us to consider our minds as one of the most important resources available to ourselves and to our community. It starts with our beliefs about being able, and then we can choose not to accept status quo or even what the majority says. How often do we hear people say they are hopeless and feel helpless? This kind of thinking stops us in our tracks! Our community can accomplish a lot, and we are not helpless or hopeless—even when things seem overwhelming at times.
What I would like to ask our class( –taking all of this chapter into consideration—which basically surrounds particular ways of developing particular characteristics AND—Tapping into what Yellow Bird has been drilling into us as our most powerful resource, developing the way we see the world, how we believe that we can respond, learning how to be persistent, to think critically, to move beyond an unconscious reactions of our reptilian brain based on fear and realities that don’t serve us well- to expand our brain to create a new way of being as effective positive change agents of our communities reaching across nations)-- is can we as a class take time to consider more concretely how we will develop our awareness about ourselves so that we can develop these characteristics mentioned in chapter eight of CO?
For instance: How does one develop persistence?
How does one develop the belief in ourselves, and lend this belief out to others? I used to think that some of these characteristics were either inherent or not. For instance I am one of those people who see the cup as half full—My husband on the other hand is much more cautious and see’s the cup as half empty—He brings some strength to the table for me because he considers details –when I might just be jumping forward without making important considerations—Now that I’ve made this statement---I see that with some critical thinking we could both gain from our limited vantage points—but my concern is that I have developed these trenches in my brain or pathways so now I need to take deliberate actions to develop these new pathways—which is not necessarily clear to me at this time. I also need to develop my awareness. Is Yellow Bird suggesting that through meditation and focus this is what we can accomplish??
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