This past Friday I attended a mini-retreat hosted by a newfound friend, Dr. Nicole Cutts (aka @SuccessDoc). It was called “Reclaiming the Goddess” and the purpose of the event was to:
Take some time out and network with other Powerful women in an inspiring atmosphere while acquiring skills to help you succeed no matter where you are on your Heroine’s Journey.
There are so many things about Friday that resonated with me, including Nicole’s proposition that we are all heroines on a quest: in our daily lives, we are charged to leave our comfort zones, go out into the world, fight the battles that we encounter, win the prize and then…share our experiences with the world.
How much do you love that?
The second thing about the retreat that made a lightbulb go off for me was the very first exercise Nicole had us do while sitting in our sister circle – it was called appreciative inquiry and it’s a technique generally used by organizations to focus on what’s right when you are facing a challenge, instead of focusing on what’s wrong.
What a refreshing point of view and one completely in line with my positive and optimistic personality!
According to the Appreciative Inquiry Commons at Case Western University (I know! who knew?), appreciative inquiry is defined as:
[T]he coevolutionary search for the best in people, their organizations, and the relevant world around them. In its broadest focus, it involves systematic discovery of what gives “life” to a living system when it is most alive, most effective, and most constructively capable in economic, ecological, and human terms.
My husband often teases me for always seeing the best in people – even when their worst is staring me in the face. I kind of like that that’s my disposition – and learning about this appreciative inquiry technique is a validation of sorts.
Apparently some really smart people think that focusing on the positive works.
So there.
What gives you life when you’re most alive?
