Sunday, 18 September 2011
We want a quick and dirty "how to" list for happiness
"We don't want to be uncomfortable. We want a quick and dirty "how to" list for happiness.
I don't fit that bill. Never have. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to skip over the hard stuff, but it just doesn't work. We don't change, we don't grow, and we don't move forward without the work. If we want to live a joyful, connected, and meaningful life, we must talk about things that get in the way"
(p35, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. (YOUR GUIDE TO WHOLEHEARTED LIFE) Brene Brown.)
I don't fit that bill. Never have. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to skip over the hard stuff, but it just doesn't work. We don't change, we don't grow, and we don't move forward without the work. If we want to live a joyful, connected, and meaningful life, we must talk about things that get in the way"
(p35, The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. (YOUR GUIDE TO WHOLEHEARTED LIFE) Brene Brown.)
Friday, 16 September 2011
Director of @actionhappiness, Mark Williamson visits our group; A red letter day of mutual appreciation
The longer video of Mark meeting the group is on this page: http://actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com/p/national-importance-of-hastings-and-st.html
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Vote for funding from the NatWest CommunityForce fund. It's easy to register so that you'll be able to vote to support St Leonards Sharing Consortium, when voting opens on 26th September. Please spend two minutes on registering for your three votes now, before you forget. The NatWest CommunityForce page for the "St Leonards Sharing" project is here.
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The Economics of Happiness -1st St Leonards Screening was at The Film Club last night
A Happiness 102 session follows on from a Happiness 101 session, which you ask for by emailing actionforhappiness[at]mediationsupport.info
More information -and a lot of background films to inform you on this page.
Thursday, 15 September 2011
Not only is it a question of how much frustration you are willing to sit on
One route into deep happiness work is through a training in communication.
The key lesson for me from Maria Arpa's training last weekend was about frustration - how much you are willing to sit with, before you do something to try to change it. (Then the question is how aware and flexible is your capacity to respond creatively to the feedback you get from the universe when you choose to do something about your frustration).
The other half of it, as I see it is how much opportunity are you willing to miss out on?
(Most likely reasons to miss opportunities include
1) not liking/trusting the person offering the opportunity, 2) feeling low in energy/motivation/creative space
3) holding onto views about how you want to be treated by the person offering the opportunity (status concerns)
4) being out of touch with your power (& imperative) to evolve
The key lesson for me from Maria Arpa's training last weekend was about frustration - how much you are willing to sit with, before you do something to try to change it. (Then the question is how aware and flexible is your capacity to respond creatively to the feedback you get from the universe when you choose to do something about your frustration).
The other half of it, as I see it is how much opportunity are you willing to miss out on?
(Most likely reasons to miss opportunities include
1) not liking/trusting the person offering the opportunity, 2) feeling low in energy/motivation/creative space
3) holding onto views about how you want to be treated by the person offering the opportunity (status concerns)
4) being out of touch with your power (& imperative) to evolve
Wednesday, 14 September 2011
Money from NATWEST to build the local transition economy
Another attempt at a template for your personal letter or call to your friends:
Would you like to see people around you giving more and getting more connection with others? This is what the "St Leonards Sharing" group stimulates. I was greatly moved by a group event last Friday on taking responsibility for my frustrations & seeing the beautiful needs that motivate every action. I want the group, led by my friend, Paul Crosland, to have the NATWEST's money to build a less money-driven economy; one that works more on the basis of giving hours....
Just google NatWest CommunityForce & register to give my mate, and your community, a chance. You get three votes; please use them well.
"St Leonards Sharing" Consortium : www.stleonardssharing.info
Please register to have your three votes & support St Leonards Sharing get NatWest CommunityForce money
Dear Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness supporter
Last weekend's inaugural event for the St Leonards Sharing consortium is generating small waves of loving kindness locally; both from the acts of generosity and expansion that are coming in by email/text/phone, and from a number of things happening that I'm not hearing about.
One example is the offers which are being made to support Stuart, the homeless guy who was with us for the two days of the "Words are Windows or they're Walls" training.
I've begun having in-depth conversations with Erica, who has 5 years timebank development work experience in London and is wanting to help with setting up a time-bank. From the 26th of the month, Erica and I are founding a monthly "Bexhill, Hastings & St Leonards" time-bank development group.
The funding to have a timebank broker in place by the end of the year is something we're seeking from the NatWest CommunityForce fund; we'll get up to the necessary £6,000 if enough people register on the CommunityForce site and use their votes to support the "St Leonards Sharing" consortium.
Please forward this email to friends and encourage them to register, then later check that they've actually registered and voted please. (Voting begins on the 26th)
I've produced a compilation video which shows some of the activities of the St Leonards Sharing Consortium members and am now wondering which of my thirty blogs to publish it on; this blog has the film and the links to the CommunityForce registration page (a two minute task that may make great waves locally): http://additionalinfo.blogspot.com
Kind regards
Paul
(Co-ordinator of the "St Leonards Sharing" Consortium : www.stleonardssharing.info)
(Co-ordinator of "Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness":
www.agoodweek.info)
0780 70 66 202 -phone calls often preferred to emails -for connection, clarity and making plans cooperatively.
(Does your local wellbeing group support your personal happiness, your inter-personal sharing, and the wellbeing of all? http://local-well-being-group.blogspot.com/)
*************************
Life's short; compose your quarrels. (from The Dhammapada)
Paul
(Co-ordinator of the "St Leonards Sharing" Consortium : www.stleonardssharing.info)
(Co-ordinator of "Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness":
www.agoodweek.info)
0780 70 66 202 -phone calls often preferred to emails -for connection, clarity and making plans cooperatively.
(Does your local wellbeing group support your personal happiness, your inter-personal sharing, and the wellbeing of all? http://local-well-being-group.blogspot.com/)
*************************
Life's short; compose your quarrels. (from The Dhammapada)
Monday, 12 September 2011
Application to join St Leonards Sharing Consortium, which is FREE (both for associates & full members)
Application to join St Leonards Sharing Consortium, which is FREE (both for associates & full members)
Below is the first draft of all the questions considered to put out there. The shorter interactive version -so that you can leave your interests/details is here.
1) Are you expressing interest as an Individual or a group?
2) a) Your Name:
b) Your Group's name, if applicable, your position in the group & the geographical area that the group covers.
3) Tel number
4) email
5) Other Internet? Eg a website you'd like us to see to get more of a sense of your interests, twitterstream, willingness to receive/make a friendship request on Facebook etc?
All the following questions are OPTIONAL; ie you don't need to answer any of them to be an associate of SLS; and if you do then there's more opportunity to receive the benefits of full membership.
B1) Please rank these objectives in terms of priority to you and cross out any that seem irrelevant to your interests:
Increase interaction between people who do not ordinarily meet, such that greater understanding and trust is built.
Share resources within the community, not least of which is the encouragement of privately owned resources to be increasingly made available to others in the community by promoting initiatives such as streetbank etc and making resources offered on-line more accessible to those who do not use the internet.
Encourage the recognition, development and offering of skills in the community through the process of timebank brokerage, or similar initiatives.
Promote wellbeing, initially with reference to the "5 ways of wellbeing" as published by the New Economics Foundation and combining these with learning from the St Leonards Community in the development of local wellbeing groups
Share understanding of ways to work constructively with difference and empower people in handling their own differences with others such that 'systemic win' is in mind, opening up possibilities not just for 'win-win' between individuals but also for a stronger community for having worked through and learned from the differences between individuals.
Encourage the development of local community-based caring structures, enabling individuals to have more choice in how their care needs are met.
Generate creativity in relation to how St Leonards becomes a more "caring and sharing place".
B2) Is there an additional objective or two that you'd like to recommend be adopted by the consortium?
B3) Please estimate how many emails you'd be comfortable with receiving in the next 6 months about how the work is going on fulfilling these shared objectives?
B4) How often would you like a face to face contact with the consortium in the next 6 months and/or a phone call?
B5) Preference Phone or face to face?
B6) Home Address
B7) The neighbouring 4 streets (This is for forming local well-being groups)
B8) Work Address
B9) The neighbouring 4 streets to your work address (This is for forming local well-being groups around your work place location)
B10) what support would you like from the consortium?
B11) what contribution do you forsee making to the consortium?
B12) Approximately, how many hours a month social activism do you do - so that we can consider giving you time bank credits for this work?
(If more than 0, please describe that work)
B13) Are you able to provide any hours (credited of course) to the work of the consortium? If so, how many?
B14) Are you a member of www.streetbank.com or www.freelender.org ?
B15) What is your impression of St Leonards Sharing Consortium so far?
B16) How soon will you be likely to visit www.stleonardssharing.info ?
B17) Anything else you'd like to say?
leave your interests/details here.
Below is the first draft of all the questions considered to put out there. The shorter interactive version -so that you can leave your interests/details is here.
1) Are you expressing interest as an Individual or a group?
2) a) Your Name:
b) Your Group's name, if applicable, your position in the group & the geographical area that the group covers.
3) Tel number
4) email
5) Other Internet? Eg a website you'd like us to see to get more of a sense of your interests, twitterstream, willingness to receive/make a friendship request on Facebook etc?
All the following questions are OPTIONAL; ie you don't need to answer any of them to be an associate of SLS; and if you do then there's more opportunity to receive the benefits of full membership.
B1) Please rank these objectives in terms of priority to you and cross out any that seem irrelevant to your interests:
Increase interaction between people who do not ordinarily meet, such that greater understanding and trust is built.
Share resources within the community, not least of which is the encouragement of privately owned resources to be increasingly made available to others in the community by promoting initiatives such as streetbank etc and making resources offered on-line more accessible to those who do not use the internet.
Encourage the recognition, development and offering of skills in the community through the process of timebank brokerage, or similar initiatives.
Promote wellbeing, initially with reference to the "5 ways of wellbeing" as published by the New Economics Foundation and combining these with learning from the St Leonards Community in the development of local wellbeing groups
Share understanding of ways to work constructively with difference and empower people in handling their own differences with others such that 'systemic win' is in mind, opening up possibilities not just for 'win-win' between individuals but also for a stronger community for having worked through and learned from the differences between individuals.
Encourage the development of local community-based caring structures, enabling individuals to have more choice in how their care needs are met.
Generate creativity in relation to how St Leonards becomes a more "caring and sharing place".
B2) Is there an additional objective or two that you'd like to recommend be adopted by the consortium?
B3) Please estimate how many emails you'd be comfortable with receiving in the next 6 months about how the work is going on fulfilling these shared objectives?
B4) How often would you like a face to face contact with the consortium in the next 6 months and/or a phone call?
B5) Preference Phone or face to face?
B6) Home Address
B7) The neighbouring 4 streets (This is for forming local well-being groups)
B8) Work Address
B9) The neighbouring 4 streets to your work address (This is for forming local well-being groups around your work place location)
B10) what support would you like from the consortium?
B11) what contribution do you forsee making to the consortium?
B12) Approximately, how many hours a month social activism do you do - so that we can consider giving you time bank credits for this work?
(If more than 0, please describe that work)
B13) Are you able to provide any hours (credited of course) to the work of the consortium? If so, how many?
B14) Are you a member of www.streetbank.com or www.freelender.org ?
B15) What is your impression of St Leonards Sharing Consortium so far?
B16) How soon will you be likely to visit www.stleonardssharing.info ?
B17) Anything else you'd like to say?
leave your interests/details here.
Sunday, 11 September 2011
Why would you buy something if your neighbour would lend it to you whenever you wanted to use it?
Why would you buy something if your neighbour would lend it to you whenever you wanted to use it?
Why not be that neighbour for someone else nearby, by letting them all know what you are willing to stretch yourself to lend?
You might do this to build community, to meet people nearby with similar interests, to increase the possibility of human behaviour becoming sustainable on a planet of finite resources. Or to save money. Either way, it makes sense; as long as we take responsibility for how we're doing it. Some people take deposit money. Always agree the replacement value & intended return date. And for some, the most efficient way to get social capital (ie connections of value) out of the stuff they own, is on-line. If you want to see the online version, try our website or our friend's:
http://freelender.org
www.streetbank.com
If you don't like using the web and want to ring a number to find out if anyone has x,y,z, then we hope you'll offer time to help this develop, or ring me for the latest news and your chance to offer tools, leisure equipment or whatever. Time you give to this initiative can be "time-banked" so that you can claim it back from a network of people offering care, courses, or other leisure/maintenance activities.
Lending plus borrowing plus time-banking extends neighbourliness. It's worth it because the risk of not sharing more in St Leonards is greater!
I'd love to hear where you are now in relation to these ideas? An "early adopter"? Or part of the early majority? Or you'll wait until everyone else does it first?
Kind regards
Paul
(Co-ordinator of the "St Leonards Sharing" Consortium : www.stleonardssharing.info)
(Co-ordinator of "Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness":
www.agoodweek.info)
Dear friend,
How are you? Is there anything that I can do to make things (even) better for you?
Kind regards
Paul
(Co-ordinator of the "St Leonards Sharing" Consortium : www.stleonardssharing.info)
(Co-ordinator of "Hastings & St Leonards Action for Happiness":
www.agoodweek.info)
0780 70 66 202 -phone calls often preferred to emails -for connection, clarity and making plans cooperatively.
(Does your local wellbeing group support your personal happiness, your inter-personal sharing, and the wellbeing of all? http://local-well-being-group.blogspot.com/)
*************************
Life's short; compose your quarrels. (from The Dhammapada)
Sue Coates, Or Else
Sue
This email, which you may want to forward to friends has gone to the blog too (using the blind copy option, so that your friends don't get the email address from which they might write directly to the blog!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=843odEIFlUw
OR ELSE!!
I am not ready to be born.
I want to stay where I am for a few more days,
But the system says that it is time.
My mother must comply.
Or else.
So I am dragged with violence into the world.
I am not ready to leave my mother.
I want to stay where I am for a few more months,
But the system says that it is time.
My mother must comply.
Or else.
So I am dragged with violence into school.
My eyes are not ready to see these images.
They want to play for a few more terms,
But the system says that it is time.
I must comply.
Or else.
So they are dragged with violence to the violent screen.
I am not ready to sit all these exams.
I want to learn for a few more terms,
But the system says that it is time.
I must comply.
Or else.
So my brain is squeezed with violence into boxes where it does not fit.
I am not ready to submit my body.
I want to stay innocent for a few more years,
But the advertising world says that it is time.
I must comply.
Or else.
So answers are forced with violence to questions I have not yet asked.
Or else.
Or else what?
Or else what?
OR ELSE WHAT?
NOW I am ready
Ready to think.
I must NOT comply.
OR ELSE…. I AM LOST
Sue Coates
10.09.2011. after the first day of Maria’s course
How to turn an email into a blog posting
Just like this; just in case.
(Instructions sent to Sue, in case I have a fatal accident on my bike etc).
"Those who know death is coming, compose their quarrels" - or get Maria Arpa in for support/impact.
(Instructions sent to Sue, in case I have a fatal accident on my bike etc).
"Those who know death is coming, compose their quarrels" - or get Maria Arpa in for support/impact.
I remain intrigued as to what the participants in the "dialogue road map training" will do to create more social justice in the world in the next three weeks, three years & three lifetimes?
Lots of loving-kindness to all; I'm still working on a more sensitive delivery style.
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Economics of Happiness - St Leonards -1st public
Any chance of coming to the 7.30pm
Thursday Arts Forum showing of 'THE ECONOMICS OF HAPPINESS?' with a Q & A session that I'd like our loose group to be well represented at
Tony May, from Hastings Town Magazine makes up with Paul Crosland
I came across Paul in the midst of setting up his 'Happiness Tent' amongst a line of stalls along †he seafront near the pier.
The tent itself was MASSIVE and Paul and his lady assistant appeared to have quite a job on their hands to get the thing up and so I chipped-in and gave them a hand.
Now, to anyone who knows the pair of us, Paul and I are about as poles apart in the way we see the world as you can get. He is Mr. Positive and I am The King of Negativity by nature. In fact I often joke with people that the singer, Morrissey (known for his doom and gloom) calls me whenever he is shocked to find himself in a good mood. Obviously, the great man 'doesn't do happiness' and so a quick phone call to listen to my news and political views is obviously the order of the day. Suitably frustrated, angry and depressed once more - our 'Mozzer' puts the receiver down as 'unhappy as Larry' again!
Bearing this in mind, you can imagine how I laughed when Paul draped one of his natty blue 'Happy? Hastings 4 Happiness' t-shirts over me and took my photo! What credibility will the poor chap have left if word of my involvement with the project gets out, I wonder?
No, seriously, I have met Paul on a number of occasions before and I think he sees 'an old reprobate' like me as the ultimate challenge. He is a man full of innovative ideas and someone who believes that life for all of us really could be as idealistic as we would like it to be. As miserable an 'old git' as I am, I sincerely wish him luck in achieving the goals he has set for himself and others."
Next event offered at the Southwater Area Community Centre
If you are in the loop, want to stay in it, or just curious about what this loop might be:
Dates for your diary: Weds 5th Oct (7-10pm &/or Sat 8th 7-10pm, Southwater Centre.) Contact me in advance to confirm if you'll come to either screening of 'Burning Bridges'. More on http://sussexcommunity.blogspot.com
& http://stleonardssharing.info & http://actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com
Dates for your diary: Weds 5th Oct (7-10pm &/or Sat 8th 7-10pm, Southwater Centre.) Contact me in advance to confirm if you'll come to either screening of 'Burning Bridges'. More on http://sussexcommunity.blogspot.com
& http://stleonardssharing.info & http://actionforhastingshappiness.blogspot.com
Wednesday, 7 September 2011
The banner I intend to arrange to be hung on the pier:
The banner I intend to arrange to be hung on the pier:
"St Leonards Sharing" Consortium asks:
What does the pier, as it is at present, symbolise to you?
To us it symbolises a deep wound in the creation of a more caring & sharing community.
www.sussexcommunity.blogspot.com
& www.stleonardssharing.info
Deepening connection, understanding & peace. And 'paying it forward'
Good Morning Paula,
19 people are coming to the "Words are Windows or they are Walls" training; also called "The Dialogue Road Map" training, being provided by www.centreforpeacefulsolutions.org and now hosted by the "St Leonards Sharing" Consortium, which sprang-up just last week!
The number on Saturday is now more definitely 15. Can you lean towards vegetarian food a bit please. On Saturday I plan to video a piece about how you gave your time in cooking as your way of 'paying it forward'; having been given a place on the course. I want to demonstrate through a number of film clips how trainings can be run smoothly at low cost for participants and with the trainer's input into the local economy bearing much fruit in terms of how people go out with enhanced skills to carry on their community work, or join in with projects of their co-trainees.
Warmest regards,
Paul
(The Imperfect Idealist)
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