It’s hard to be thankful on command. Yet, this time of year, we are inundated with reminders to do just that. “Thanks” is literally in the name of the holiday. And every year, like clockwork,Thanksgiving is thrust upon us at the end of November. And we are asked to give thanks. Sometimes on command as […]
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken.” – Oscar Wilde
“Be yourself, everyone else is taken. In order to be oneself, one has to take risks, to accept that one is not perfect and to be courageous enough to say what one really thinks” Oscar Wilde When our students were little, they had a fairly easy time being themselves. This probably was true up to […]
A Simple Exercise to Encourage Successful Social Interactions for Students
Being social is by nature messy. The rules are vague and morph (often without fair warning) depending on a multitude of factors. Before you utter a word, you might consider who you’re with, what emotional state they (and you) show up in, what kind of interaction it is, and what is expected of you in […]
Mindful Daydreaming: Finding Your Happy Place
There’s a place between awake and sleep. It’s a bit dreamy, yet the laws of nature still apply. There’s a weighted presence that anchors you like the ballast on a ship as your body begins to surrender, yet you’re still lucid enough to shape a vision. We daydream all the time. It’s often what we […]
Entering Genius Territory: Improv as the Door to Belonging
There are no mistakes in improv. Yippee! Hooray! We are all geniuses. At least in improv, we’re geniuses when we’re on stage. This is not a suggestion. It’s a rule. Anything you or your partner says must be accepted and responded to with a “Yes, and…” Agreeing to whatever is said and adding on to […]
Failure as Fertilizer: A Practical Way to Approach Failure
It’s undeniable. Failure feels like sh#&. But it’s the perfect fertilizer for our growth. We feel what we feel. And failing, especially when there’s a lot invested, can bring us to our knees. We’ve all been there in one way or another. The work situation that didn’t work. The relationship that we gave our hearts […]
Slow Breath Practice©
We all have a built-in guidance system that helps us navigate through the choppy waters and high winds that life often serves up. So do our students. Most of the time we respond to the obstacles that invade our day with habitual thinking or knee jerk reactions, and ignore our inner wisdom. So do our […]
Learned Spontaneity
Life is improv. We make it up as we go along, responding and reacting to the words and actions of others. Sometimes life feels scripted as we go through the same experiences again and again, but if you really stop and think about it, each interaction has a tone and feel all it’s own. Most […]
4 Keys to Connecting with an Autistic Person
Some people are easy to get to know. After brief chit-chat you have a pretty good idea of who they are, common interests, and where they register on your potential friend meter. Other times, someone may seem a little “off” or “odd”. It seems your new acquaintance isn’t making eye contact or absorbing what you’re […]