Self Fulfilling Prophecies..

A recent email I received from The Pacific Institute:

Thoughts Drive Results

How would you describe a self-fulfilling prophecy? Most people understand that a self-fulfilling prophecy is an expected situation, and therefore more likely to happen. Some would say that we actually cause these events to happen.

For example, according to Success magazine, two different groups of psychologists were once asked to observe the same child playing. One group was told beforehand that the child was emotionally disturbed. The other group was told that the child was a genius. When the psychologists were asked to report on their observations afterward, each group had found evidence to support their preconceived ideas.

Now, it’s important to realize that self-fulfilling prophecies are everyday experiences – not just laboratory experiments. What do you expect your day to be like when you get up in the morning? How do you expect your kids to behave? How much success do you expect for yourself? What do you expect for your organization’s production or sales for this month, or this year?

You see, if you predict failure, failure is generally what you will find. And if you expect excellence, excellence is likely what you will get. How we think about a situation determines how we act, and how we act, more than anything else, determines the results. Our thoughts drive our results.

That is how self-fulfilling prophecies work. There’s nothing magical about them. What you get in life is pretty much how you behave, coming back at you. Does that make sense?

Do yourself a favor this week, and see if you recognize areas where you are setting yourself up because of your expectations. If you are setting yourself up for the good, terrific! If not, what can you do to change those internal expectations, and change your life, your work, your business? For the school-age children in your life, how can you help them set themselves up to expect the best, creating self-fulfilling expectations, and work toward them?

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To learn more visit: the pacific institute.com

Images: Kareen Fellows

Needs

All human beings share needs, in addition to our physical needs, such as food, water and shelter, everyone of us has a number of emotional needs. We have the need to give and receive attention, to heed the mind / body connection, the need for purpose, goals and meaning in our life, which is very important.

We have the need to feel connected to community and making a contribution, needs for challenge and creativity, for intimacy and a sense of control and a sense of status. Also we have the need for a sense of security in life.

1) How often do you get to meet up with friends?
(the need for attention and community)

2) Can you and your partner really talk together?
(the need for attention and intimacy)

3) How are you sleeping these days?
(the need for mind body connection)

4) Are you happy with your diet?
(the need for mind body connection)

5) How much exercise are you getting?
(the need for mind body connection)

6) Is there anyone who you feel really understands you, and is close to you?
(the need for intimacy)

7) What choice do you have about what happens in your life?
(the need for control and security)

8) Do you have a clear sense of where you want to take things in life?
(the need for purpose, what gets me out of bed in the morning)

9) Do you feel excited by stuff in your life?
(the need for challenge / purpose / meaning)

10) What involvement do you have with people around you?
(the need for community and status)

Maslow's Hierarchy, (or Pyramid), of Needs is one of the central ideas in modern economics and sociology. The work of a once little-known American psychologist, it has grown into an indispensable guide to understanding the modern world. This film explains who Maslow was, what his pyramid is, and why it matters so much.

What your emotions are saying...

Our emotions are messages that we can sometimes struggle with

Our emotions are messages that can sometimes be difficult to understand or sit with. Rather than being something we need to push away, emotions can give us important information about what is happening within us and what we may need.

Sometimes an emotion can feel particularly strong, or we may find ourselves returning to the same feeling again and again.

Are you feeling stuck on one particular emotion?

Take a look at the guide below and notice what the emotion might be trying to tell you. You may not immediately identify with the message, and that's okay. Emotions are personal, and their meaning can be different for each of us.

It can be helpful to become curious about an emotion rather than judging it. You might ask yourself:

• What am I feeling?
• What might this emotion be trying to tell me?
• What happened just before I felt this way?
• Is there something I need right now?
• What would I like to be different?

Explore the emotion

You could use this guide as a starting point for some journalling. Write about the emotion, draw it, or even cut out pictures and words from an old magazine and create a page about how you are feeling.

Sometimes expressing an emotion creatively can help us notice things that are difficult to put into words. Give yourself some time to see what you discover. You don't have to find an answer straight away.

And if an emotion feels overwhelming, confusing or difficult to work through on your own, talking with someone you trust can help. Counselling can also provide a safe and confidential space to explore what your emotions may be communicating and what you might need.

Sometimes, listening to our emotions with curiosity and compassion can be the first step towards understanding ourselves a little more.