💎 Friday Gems #34 (Effective Communication, The German word 'Fernweh', Noticing Good Things)
Hello, dear readers,
I hope you’re having a restful week so far. The topic of rest has been on my mind since my recent podcast conversation with Ida Persson, a communications design lead at IDEO. Our conversation focused on the topic of bias in design education, and I can’t wait to share the new podcast conversation with you. Ida shared that she is currently reading the book Rest is Resistance: A Manifesto by Tricia Hersey. The title itself is a timely reminder for us all to prioritize our well-being, our rest, and our whole selves instead of giving in to the idea that we rest only to do better and more work. It’s a mindset shift I need to make, and I will be exploring this topic at a deeper level going forward.
In the meantime, think of one small step you can take for your own self-care. Perhaps it is closing your eyes and meditating for a few minutes or going for a mindful walk in the middle of the day.
Whatever you choose, prioritize yourself! 💜
On to this week’s gems!
💎 Assume the Best for Effective Communication
Has this ever happened to you? You send an email to someone for an important decision, and it takes them some time to reply back, so you start making false assumptions and stories in your head about why they didn’t reply.
I used to fall into this overthinking trap and start to create elaborate stories about what may have happened and why it was taking so long to get a reply. As I waited for a response, I would begin to mind-read and assume the worst, which usually made me feel anxious, worried, sad, and blaming myself for even trying, which definitely was not the right mindset to be in; plus, this caused a lot of misunderstanding and inner conflict. However, when I would hear back from the person, I would realize that all the worry and anxiety were for nothing and I had wasted all that precious time and mind space.
Thankfully, there is a better approach…
In this article, John Millen suggests we approach our interactions instead by assuming the best in others. This shift to a positive mindset is an act of goodwill and trust. All strong relationships are built on trust so by assuming the best in others, we can build and strengthen our personal and professional relationships.
Source: John Millen
💎 The German word ‘Fernweh’
Ever have the feeling you wanted to leave everything behind and just travel the world to see all the beautiful places and experience the different cultures in the world?
Well, in German, there is a word for that feeling of longing for a distant place you don’t know yet, and it is called ‘Fernweh.’ In this essay and collection of photos, photographer Andrea Gjestvang shares her fernweh, which led her to the island of Lofoten in northern Norway, about 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle.
Her essay is a good reminder of how travel helps us find meaning both in the places we encounter out in the world and within our own mental landscapes.
Be forewarned, though, that Andrea’s dreamy photographs of Lofoten will evoke feelings of fernweh in you, which may not be a bad thing after all.
Source: Panos Pictures
💎 The power of noticing good things
Our brain’s natural instincts are to remember the negative, which is why focusing on the positive is so important. Even when things go well but end on a downward note, we remember the whole event by how it ended, and our last impression colors our whole experience no matter how well it went.
But what if we intentionally point our attention to the positive things that happen throughout our day to overcome our natural tendency toward the negative?
What if we focused on just three good things that happened to us?
These don’t have to be groundbreaking things; anything positive you notice is good enough. I would argue the smaller and seemingly insignificant, the better because it will show you how much goodness there is hidden in plain sight if we only focus on big things to be grateful for.
As
and , wrote in their post,Positive psychologists and resilience researchers have found that as we focus on gratitude, on good things or even on things we found funny during the day, we build and strengthen neural connections that reframe our memories. That not only helps us to remember good things but makes us more resilient long term and better able to weather the storms ahead. In writing and in life.
This is a wonderful daily practice to end the day to push back the negativity and end on a positive note.
Source: Breakthrough & Blocks
💎 A gem of a quote
Please consider sharing this post with all your friends, family, and coworkers if you find it useful.
Thanks for reading, and have a fantastic weekend!
Rizwan
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