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THE INSIDE CONNECTION: Keeping you focused on what's most
important.
A free newsletter from Kesslin Associates
http://www.kesslin.com
mailto:insideconnection@kesslin.com
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ISSUE NO. 1 – NOVEMBER 2001
In this issue...
1) Welcome
2) Inside The Inside Connection
3) Feature: Individual Action and World Events
4) Action Tip
5) Related Resources
Subscription, unsubscribe and copyright information can be found at
the end of each issue.
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1) Welcome
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Thank you for joining us to explore The Inside Connection. It's the
initial, and also the final, frontier for all of us seeking lasting
success in our work and in our lives. If you enjoy our e-zine,
please forward it to colleagues, friends and family who might
benefit.
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2) Inside The Inside Connection
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Most of us focus our attention on creating results in the external
world; the world of material things. We want more income, a larger
home, a successful business, a fabulous relationship, and so on.
That's all well and good, perhaps even necessary for our sense of
personal satisfaction and success.
What we tend to ignore and avoid is the internal work of examining
and changing who we are, which prevents us from creating the
lasting success that most of us want. What's most interesting is
that the world responds much more readily to WHO we are rather than
to WHAT we are trying to do. And, as we change ourselves, the world
around us responds to that change. As we become more successful
internally, we become more successful externally too.
In the context of personal action, Gandhi said it best:
"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
If we focus exclusively on the external world, we run the risk of
accumulating external rewards trying to satisfy some insatiable
internal hunger. Unhappy millionaires exist in far greater numbers
than most of us want to believe. What's the use of having lots of
stuff, if you're continually driven by a fear of failure or
personal inadequacy? All the money in the world won't change who
you are. At best it'll change how people see you. If that's all
you want, fine. But there's so much more to having a truly rich
and satisfying life.
But you probably already know some of this or you wouldn't be here
reading. Right?
So how do you really change and develop the important connections
you need in order to live a fabulous life? How do you change your
connection with yourself? Your connection with those you love?
How do you stay connected with your own true values? And how do
you strengthen the vital connections with your body, your energy,
your health, your spirit, your passion and your joy?
Helping you discover ways to maintain these vital life and success
connections is what we'll be doing together in The Inside
Connection. Over the coming months we'll explore a wide range of
topics that will call upon you to connect with the most important
aspects of who you are and what you truly want to be doing with
your life.
I'm thrilled that you're joining me on this journey. Now fasten
your seatbelts and enjoy the ride!
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3) Feature: Individual Action and World Events
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About six years ago I decided to stop reading the newspaper and
stop listening to TV news. Part of it was my desire not to feed my
brain so much negativity. Another part was an attempt to break my
addiction to "needing to know" about everything in order to
feel
safer and more secure.
The recent terrorist attacks and related world events have
attracted me back to a more regular diet of news stories. I know
part of it is still my way to try and feel secure. My reasoning
goes something like this: The more I know, the more information
I'll have to protect myself, the safer I'll be in the event that
I'm faced with ...
But somewhere past my fear and insecurity, I know that the only
thing that will bring me, and those I love, more real security, is
action taken to change things. Taking individual action that will
impact the world.
When fear becomes the result of all the news, then reading the
paper and spending time trying to figure out what's happening does
little to create a safer, more humane world. If anything, it seems
to generate even more fear which leads to extremes of destructive
reactivity or immobility.
In talking with others, after the grief of what we've all lost, the
feelings that seem most painful are helplessness and hopelessness.
A sense that there is nothing we can do that will make a
difference.
Margaret Mead said, "A small group of thoughtful people could
change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."
Let's take her idea one step further. If Chaos Theory and the
Butterfly Effect are correct in proposing that the flap of a
butterfly's wings affects weather patterns globally, then ANY
action we take would surely impact world events. Even if we're the
only one who takes action. This includes both constructive as well
as destructive actions.
Questions for self-reflection:
- What kind of world am I creating inside myself? Am I peaceful?
Fearful? Loving? Angry? Hopeful? Disillusioned?
- How does my internal world impact life around me?
- Am I fully aware of my personal power?
- Do my actions reflect my deepest values and desires?
- If I don't feel like I can make a difference, what's really
stopping me?
- What thoughts, feelings, or events stop me from taking action,
even when I believe it would be helpful?
Perhaps one of the factors inhibiting human development is our
reluctance to look inward and realize the power and impact that our
personal actions have on the world. What if we became Margaret
Mead's "small group of thoughtful people" and decided to change
the
world? Are you up for it?
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4) Action Tip
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Spend some time checking in with yourself over the next few weeks
paying special attention to your internal world. Take this Inside
Connection Checkup a few times each day:
- What are you doing at this moment?
- What's happening around you?
- What are you thinking about?
- How's your energy level?
- Your stress level?
- What are you feeling? Emotionally? Physically? Spiritually?
Record whatever you become aware of and start to notice how your
Inside Connection is reflected in the world around you. You may be
surprised at what you discover.
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5) Related Resources
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Article: Do You Have the Will to Lead?
Philosopher Peter Koestenbaum poses the truly big questions: How do
we act when risks seem overwhelming? What does it mean to be a
successful human being?
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/32/koestenbaum.html
Article: Growing the Leader in Us
"Leadership is a verb, not a noun" begins this excerpt on
leadership from Jim Clemmer.
http://www.clemmer-group.com/excerpts/growing_leader.shtml
Book: Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Cashman
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1890009318/kesslinassociate
Book: The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for
Leadership and Life by Robert K. Cooper
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0812932870/kesslinassociate
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THE INSIDE CONNECTION is a free monthly publication from Kesslin
Associates designed to help you stay focused on what's most
important for lasting success. Most of our readers are passionate
leaders who understand that they must BE the change they want to
see in the world.
Kesslin Associates is a success coaching and training company
dedicated to helping you become an extraordinarily effective
leader. We help you strengthen your inside connection to values,
passion, vision, and soul—-so you can deliver extraordinary results
with far less effort. For lasting success, we also work with you to
discover how you, your work, and the rest of your life can support
each other, rather than cause conflict. For more information about
our work, visit our website at http://www.kesslin.com
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The Inside Connection
ISSN: #1535-1076 Library of Congress, Washington, DC
Copyright © 2001 by Ken Kesslin – All rights reserved.
http://www.kesslin.com
mailto:insideconnection@kesslin.com
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