Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 06-28-21.

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Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 06-21-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 06-14-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 06-7-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Control is our favorite fairy tale – one that we’ve bought into so often that we think it’s real.

Yes, there is control when it comes to things. Think of the volume control on your TV or smartphone.

But as humans, we don’t have control, even though we believe we do.

Do you control your appetite? If so, for how long? It’s a temporary thing we attempt to do. Those tantalizing temptations aren’t going away anytime soon.

Do you attempt to control other people? How’s that working?

The things or people we try to control becomes very trying.

Enter choice, the thing that’s real and works far better than control.

It may come as a surprise to you that people don’t break habits. They may outgrow them but they’re always present in the background. So, if one decides to come off of vacation and show it’s face, you won’t be able to control it, but you’ll be able to make a choice as to whether to engage it.

Life is a series of choices. We make them countless time each day.
So, when we run into a challenge, the surer bet is to make a choice as to whether to automatically comply with an old way of handling it (controlling it) that has never worked, or choose a new response.

The minute you attempt to exercise control, you’ve given up your power of choice.

Sorry to report, there is no Santa Claus, free lunch, or control. They are fairy tales from a long time ago, and if you want to move forward, it’s time for them to go.

You have a choice. Are you going to pick choice or control?

There’s only one answer that’s good for your soul.

All the best,

John

Here is the recorded version.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 05-31-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 05-24-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

I once read that when you label something, you limit it – to that label. The idea is once we categorize something as “this,” it can’t be “that.”

Think of the axiom “First impressions are lasting.” You get that impression in seconds, not minutes, hours, or days, but it can last a lifetime.

We label people and ideas as though they are things that are set in cement.

There are many personality typing systems that put us into categories and I, for one, find them quite useful. It’s a starting point. It shows me a doorway into their personality and allows me to communicate with a person more quickly.

But if we get locked into that they’re “this” type, we’re not going to be able to go deeper with them. We’ll stay on the surface and our back and forths will have the depth of an interaction that ends with “Have a nice day.”

One of the labeling systems I have a fondness for is called the Enneagram. It casts people into one of nine different types. But within each type, there are what they call nine levels of development. Their labeling system outlines a person, but it doesn’t limit them with hard and fast rules and paint them into one corner.

Reminds me of a story. The legendary hypnotherapist Dr. Milton Erickson commented on the description of the work he did by two self-help luminaries: Richard Bandler and John Grinder, founders of NLP – Neuro-linguistic Programming. He allegedly said, “Those boys cracked the nut on my work. The trouble is, they took the shell and left the nut.”

We’re not going to stop labeling people anytime soon, so the message here is to avoid getting locked in and laser focused on any label. Have your label be in soft cement, or as my dad, a bricklayer, used to say, “C-ment.” That gives you the flexibility to shift to another position with someone, past your initial impression, and dare I say prejudice.

“Labels outline but not define” is a mantra that’s quite helpful to adopt. It will remind you that people are more than their shells.

All the best,

John

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Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 05-17-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.

Here is the recorded version of the Grasshopper Note for the week of 05-10-21.

Read the written version here.

Make sure to download a FREE copy of my ebook: INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change here.