Beginning The Conversation

Since issuing the first blog post in this adventure to find balance in my life I chose to begin with the area of communication. This is a great place for me to start. I feel it to be important, of course, and have been told that I often expell so many words that at times my conversations create less than effective communication. Wikipedia summarizes communication as so; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communication

Communication is a process whereby information is enclosed in a package and is discreeted and imparted by sender to a receiver via a channel/medium. The receiver then decodes the message and gives the sender a feedback. Communication requires that all parties have an area of communicative commonality. There are auditory means, such as speaking, singing and sometimes tone of voice, and nonverbal, physical means, such as body language, sign language, paralanguage, touch, eye contact, by using writing.
Communication is thus a process by which we assign and convey meaning in an attempt to create shared understanding. This process requires a vast repertoire of skills in intrapersonal and interpersonal processing, listening, observing, speaking, questioning, analyzing, and evaluating. It is through communication that collaboration and cooperation occur.[2].....
There are also many common barriers to successful communication, two of which are message overload (when a person receives too many messages at the same time), and message complexity.[3] communication is a continuous process.

So what does communication mean to you? Searching the land of Twitter I have found that communication has different meanings. To some it is simply saying what you have to say, with others it is about intention meeting to create meaning.  Here are just a few of the twits that I liked.
 
EarthMotherHeal: RT @CoachDawn: "Good communication is just as stimulating as black coffee, & just as hard to sleep after." Anne Morrow Lindbergh #quote
 
brettlegree: @chrisbrogan it is amazing how inefficient *any* text-only communication is, and yet it what we use - email, Twitter, blogs, IM... :)
 
Gitay9: Realizes one of the main reasons communication between two people is so difficult is b/c while one talks the other does NOT listen!!!
 
PilatesbyAIM: Communication breaks down if one fails to recognize that all happenings in life run on a continuum; there is always a pattern that connects.
 
business_system: Communication from the heart is a precious expression of love. Write that letter, make that call today or send that email
 
This last Twit reminded me of one of my favorite tools for creating a letter to someone with whom you would like to reconnect or resolve an issue. The reason I liked the idea of a letter is that my words often get tangled up with feelings and emotions making my intention less clear than I would like. To begin it is important to tell the other person how important the relationship is to you then explaining where you feel the relationship deserves mending. Maybe there was a misunderstanding that caused hurt to one or the both of the parties. Maybe, it is an old relationship that deserves a reunion. Next you take accountability for your part in creating the damage that has been done and ask if the other party is open in re-creating the relationship in a way that works for the both of you.
 
I have found this letter to be a very effective tool even when the other party does not respond in a way that I would choose, if they respond at all. The reason I feel this way is because of what it does for me. It gives me time to reflect constructively on past events and take accountability for my part. The letter provides a way for me to create a restitution with my self and my Creator so that I am in alignment with who I know myself to be. This letter is certainly not a magic wand that you wave to resolve to all of your relationship problems, but, it is the beginning of a conversation that can lead to resolution in your relationships and with yourself.
 
Look for my next post when I will share the results of the Communication Skills Test I found at http://www.queendom.com/tests/access_page/index.htm?idRegTest=683 Feel free to take the test yourself and join the conversation.
 
If you have any tools, books, or other resources that would progress this conversation about communication please share.
 
Till next time... Live BIG,
 
Elle

Houston, We Have Lift Off

Elle here. This is a new adventure for me so for those of you who have opted to be of support, because I said so, thank you so much. For those of you who missed the threatening email message inviting you at risk of your life to visit this blog I feel you might want to know what the heck is going on. Here’s the skinny.

I have this marvelous idea that has brewing in my evil little brain for, well lets just say, awhile now. It has driven family members crazy as I have talked and talked about it and what I want it to look like, because, for what to me seems like a marvelous plan to take over the world is big on paper. I figure, if it can fit into my head, which is roughly the size of a small melon, it must be doable. Right? That’s what I thought.

My wild and wonderful plan begins with this blog. I intend to blog about how to create a successful strategy for balancing life, that’s not to say that you won’t occasionally see my personal life and experiences leaking between the letters of the words because you will. You see, I’m not writing this because I have it all figured out, quite the contrary, I’m writing this because I want my life to feel balanced and free flowing even when major change happens. So, each month I am choosing an area of balance and compiling information, articles, websites, and local area products and services that support that area of balance and sharing it with you here, over cyberspace. Fortunately, I have leads on many wellness services and products already so I feel like I have a good start. Unfortunately, I live in South Jordan Utah and so I may not be writing about products or services in your area. However, I have a beautifully evil plan, you, the reader, can email me about wellness products and services in your area and I, Elle, will qualify it (it’s gotta pass the eighty-year-old grandma test) and the share it with the audience.

Welcome to LYFE Empowered. Since we’ll be working with each other you might want to know a little about our mission. LYFE Empowered is dedicated to creating a community where health and wellness abound by providing guidance and resources that personally enhance everyday life, transforming it into living. Believing that the individual is intended to be the creator of his or her own world and through the power of giving all can enjoy the abundance that is available to each of us.

There you have it, an intimate glance at my evil plan to take over the world. I would be careful with whom you share this with, it is indisputabley contagious and could cause reactions such as, boldness, passion, laughter, and, dare I say it, joy.

Till next time…
Live BIG,

Elle