Mastering the Art of Cooperation...





Get involved , Bring up your Inputs.

Cooperation is a real value, a social process, a principle that has been used by countries in war or in process of bringing peace. Cooperation is a skill that we need to learn if we want to be a part of a team at home, at work, or in the community. In a way, is a benefit that we give to others in order to contribute with a project of building and strengthen relationships, communities services  and organizations, or just helping a friend in need. It's the benefit we receive  in special occasions from friends, family, and in many times and occasions from people we have never seen before. When we see how cooperation is fostered,we understand that with our attitude we either encourage a cooperative attitude in our environment or we discourage it. But, at the same time we need to be sincere with ourselves on not using cooperative attitude to manipulate others. Nor when we are the givers, neither when we are the recipient. Cooperation in its best expression is natural in people who cares about others, about the society, about education, about children and families... this is the kind of cooperation I am writing about here.

Since the beginning of all times I would say we have the natural need to recognize, acknowledge, and appreciate people's help and every one has their own way to express gratitude.  But, if we are in charge of a force of contributors, we need to find a way to preserve the energy of peace and harmony between those, that with care and commitment, support our mission, even when there might be times when they are dealing with some misunderstanding between them. So, as a leader we have to be able to see when a problem is just bringing an opportunity to work together with our group and see if there is a need to introduce some new communication skills. If we do it right, everybody win, and the group stay together because we have done the work to overcome the friction that normally keep us stuck in the problem.
 
I have seen great work and jobs well done where people work in cooperation for one purpose, one goal and one mission, but I have to say it take courage to work as a team at the beginning, because it is normally a learning experience where humbleness , fairness and transparency is not always present. So the commitment of people starts to decrease when we get distracted by personal differences and affected by others behaviors, instead of keeping the focus on the goal, and the best way to accomplish it with excellence. I have not seen yet any real successful project where every one does their own thing without contribution in form of planning, organizing, coordinating, administrating, or just working together.

Are you a Cooperative person?

Lets consider some particular points that can help us to address this question from different perspective.

• How many times during your journey, you realize on the effect of your attitude, or the importance of your commitment  for the success or wellness of  others? Can you see the importance of your positions when you are working with other people?
• How many days in a week  you need other people's information, process, results, disposition, or maybe support in order to accomplish your project goals? Its the feedback that you are receiving good, great, ok, or excellent? How did you do it? How was their answers to you?
• In which ways have you fail to cooperate in difficult circumstances?
• Do you feel you have put people down when you were part of a team or when you were the leader of a group? What did you do? How did you do it? To whom you did that? Were you fair with every one?
• Would you consider yourself a leader that promote Teamwork and Cooperation? How are you promoting cooperation?
• How have you cooperate with your own personal and professional development? How do you do with family goals?

Cooperation is a real Value.
All this questions are meant to lead us to see if there is any kind of circumstances in our life,  where we would like to improve our responses in a cooperative and more assertive way. Any behavior pattern can be modified with awareness, love, knowledge and a lot of practice of self control. If you are still here, please take a piece of paper and write Your Name on the top-centered of the page, and then make two columns;

1. Column I. I am very cooperative with...(Please add 7 names of the people you normally cooperate with, and 7 names of the kind of help you are always willing to give). Remember this is your homework, nobody will see it, only you will evaluate it.
2. Column II. I don't want to cooperate with (Write 7 Names of people that have ask you for help and you have turn your back to them. You have either neglect them, avoid to answer them, refused to support them. Write your seven best reasons to avoid cooperation  in each moment).

Work on it...and come back soon.
__________________________________________________________

Be Grateful for all the people in your life.



The more light I receive, the more beauty I can express from within.

Most beautiful people in our life are genuine people.

We enjoy looking at them in their ways, and being with them, is always a pleasure, that also help us to learn how to admire their nature and their efforts to grow and keep going.

One of the most relevant characteristic in them is that they know they are not perfect, they are not always successful, and they are not always feeling great. They also recognized their talent and their skills , but they are so humble...

When they need to move from what ever might be holding their progress, you know they will do it. They will find how to go on the direction they want to lead their life. They have also felt the need to Step Up and take a higher route many times. They are normal people.

From what I have learned, these people embrace correction and change because they are open to their own transformation. 
These are  also people that strive for excellence!
This is the people that we can count on, when we have questions and need suggestions to move forward in a right direction. We know they are honest and sincere in their opinions. We normally trust them!
 We all have some of those people in our life. Don't we?

Take a moment to thanks each one of them if they have help you to see farther, deeper, and closer to your own life and circumstances. Being grateful is also a virtue that is important to nurture and also to learn how to express without falling into over doing it.
 Life is a gift, that bring us beautiful opportunities every day. Being able to recognize that the blessings of my life come from the experience of living in the present, loving people and learning from wonderful human beings is one of my best way to express gratitude!

The FIESTA Spirit...Showing your Positive Attitude!

You have being invited to a wonderful party, the date is comming and all your friénds are sharing their thoughts and comments about all The preparation for this magnificent event. You are all in the spirit of FIESTA. What a great feeling!

Who doesn't like Fiestas?
O well, some time people are not up for a party, but we can always enjoy  life with a Fiesta Spirit. For me, the essence of any get together It's enriched with our attitude, who does want to miss the fun with real cheerful people? Some time we call them optimist, positive, friendly, lovely, nice, genuine.However  you want to describe them is ok, but what you or I  really receive or give is the energy from  love and goodness irradiating from our thoughts, the feeling of appreciation, and the faith for the best to come.

Can we extend the Fiesta Spirit when we are sick?    When work is getting hectic, or slow? When just ending a relationship? When leaving your country for better opportunities? When fighting the burocracry in a govertment organization?  When working in pro of ideas that will help to shape better humans beings in this  world?
Can we try to extend it to our daily life, (Ok I heard you-that can be to much for some people) lets  have the exceptions of  few days...but can we work to make it our normal attitude?...how good Would that be?

Relationship Matters.

Its hard to think about relationship without going into the most meaningful experiences in our life. The idea of this article came up as a kind of appreciation for the relationships  we can embrace in life.  So I can't go further without highlighting the richness and beauty of growing up in a very active, strong and bicultural family. I truly appreciate the experience of been frequently exposed to be surrounded by different culture and people. The thing is that today more than ever, I do acknowledge with gratitude the great diversity of people I have encounter in my life. Most of them have bring me the opportunity to learn and grow in this direction. Too bad I were no aware of this for many years. Thanks God, today I can understand better the benefits of the wonderful opportunities I have had.!

The believe that we come to this life with a purpose which is normally achieved by  connecting us with other people is stronger that ever. I would love to know your experience and thoughts about this, but its possible you agree better to do the exercise of appreciation by your own. So try to think about how its your life better because of the experience you have had building relationship. Are you overwhelm with your relationship or you are enjoying your relationship with your families, friends, and associates.

What is the key that help you to build the trust needed in any relationship?
What is the given gift in you for the rest of the world? Have you found  it out?
We help people to grow as well they help us to grow. We get together like crossing a line at the same time because we have to, for some unknown reasons; maybe its not a coincidence your are reading this article today. Maybe you are the reason I wrote this article. I can say I am glad you are here! Burt the bottom line is, how do you feel now?
We are all learners and  no matter how good, brilliant, rich, poor, happy, sad or successful we think we are, life will keep showing  us what we need to learn until we are ready to receive it and accept it, because we are part of an universe that is bigger and better than us.

This direct me to the center of this article "Relationship Matters" because we alone are nothing. We need to build our relationship with God to have the courage to stand up when we need to. We also build our strength throughout actions of  love, care and support to our family and friends, and caring for them its the way we learn how to build healthy communities too. Friends and families are our first significant relationship, they give us the opportunity to put in practice our personal attribute, sentiment and skills in something that give us life instead of taking it from us.

Relationship matters because we all have memory, and with that memory there are feelings and emotions, even though sometime we  choose to live in denial. It's important to educate and recognize those feelings and emotions, and understand that sometime they are the ones that get us into trouble and there we have a good reason to recognize them. That's the only way we can start resolving any possible problem in the way we manage relationship.

I have met people in my life that are the most beautiful relationship keepers,  I have also being around the most straight, sincere and even pragmatic people that are so happy with themselves that they don't need to have their life tide to too many friends because they are best at their own with their family and few associates. Some people are easier than other to keep a good relationship with, but the fact that we are referring to relationship in this topic, shall call our attention to the importance of why are this people in our life, and why are we in theirs...we all have to figure it out.
If the cycle of the connection with anyone in your life is open, you shall try to keep it open in peace. If the relationship  is not good, then close it in peace. The key here is that, to achieve that ,we have to make sure that we have acted  with love and justice...For the best of Human Ecology.



Giving, Loving & Caring

I believe We are all call to transcend our human limitations in this beautiful experience of Life. We can only honor that opportunity with commitment. tenacity and the noble desire to excel. 

It's HEART WORK, nothing else!


Achieving Personal Quality. The Value of Being Fair with Others.

Being Fair with others may be the easiest way of responding to some people,  while for others is just the most difficult thing to do.  Its also very difficult to be in the middle of situations where  you see  that attitude of just being unfair, but sometimes you have to appreciate the goodness of living in between those circumstances, as well as you appreciate the blessing of being around of people that really know how to play Fair in life.

We have two alternatives when we are in front of unfairness circumstances and we are not the victim. We either correct  the person who is unfair,  or try to help the recipient - who receive the mistreat . Either ways make us as part of the whole behavior game. On the other hands, in the long term, we will notice two other alternatives. We either learned and copied the same attitude, or learned how not to repeat the same pattern of behavior. So, in this last case, we wisely turned something bad in a very good learning experience. Its wise to choose well, when discerning what to learn from others.

In fact, If I ask you, where are you, in reference with these subject? What would your answer be? Any Experience at all?

How can you take it easy, when you are in the middle of a situation where you see unfairness?. Think about how many times, we are sad or angry, asking God to listen to us, while he is still listening to the other version, of our story. The other side of the line is plenty of feelings, reasons and emotions too. We are not the only person who need attention and comfort. It's not easy for any one. Perhaps, some times we can  imagine about the other part of the equation. When  we are sad,  or hurt  in some way, because of any difference in a relationship with another person, we can be sure that on the other side of the line there is no happiness, joy or peace.....There might be different emotions, reasons, perceptions and attitudes from ours, but nothing really good either.

As human beings,  we have so much to learn and practice about relationship, that the time we are awake is not enough during the day, and less when we are so busy to cope with the daily routine and the long "To Do List" that everybody have.

Many research shows the benefits of meditations and the blessings of having time of contemplation. Now, we have to understand that there are many ways to practice both disciplines. In order to find answers that help you to be fair in any situation, you need to meditate and contemplate them in an integral way, not only from your only perspective, from what you want or you would like. Its important to consider others point of view, even a moral perspective,and then, reflect where the differences are and how you can come across some solutions.

There are things that sounds different but they are so alike. Also, there are things that are different but they sounds alike....So to be fair in our responds,  we shall take a little of time to really find the best answer.  Some references on this subject, teach us that the following attitudes do help;

• Listen to others opinion and needs on the time they are expressed; But make sure you ask this question to your self. Are you truly listening to the other person?
• Don't Judge anyone. Do what you think is the right thing to do in the specific situation to change only circumstances, since every one is responsible to change by their own resolution. Ask for help if you are not sure what to do.
• Treat others, so you want to be treated.
• Always, Think about the reflection of your actions.

Some of the best quotes I have recently found about fairness  are:

1. Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both. (Author; Eleanor Roosevelt).
2. If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. (Author; Nelson Mandela).
3. Let us not seek the Republican answer nor the Democratic answer but the right answer. (Author: John F. Kennedy).
4. These men ask for just the same thing, fairness, and fairness only. This, so far as in my power, they, and all others, shall have.(Author; Abraham Lincoln)

Achieving Personal Quality is a constant work of personal reevaluation of our Values and attitudes. This special time of the year,  its perfect to keep walking on the high route, retake the high performance and rewrite our destiny or enjoy the beauty of the vision you have embraced or the direction you have already choose for Good!

                                                                        Keep Walking...you are not alone!

Achieving Personal Quality. The Value of being Honest .

Honesty is one of the most important value in our life.
We daily face the opportunity to be honest with our-self, with God and of course with all the people we are related to. 

In this daily adventure of trying to improve our responds to the challenges of this life. Completely committed to the purpose of overcoming our human miseries, and to achieve the personal quality that God is asking us to earn in this life, we have to face the truth of how HONEST we are.

We might want to go through the exercise of listing the times where you easily express your self with honesty and the times that you know you are not. Look into details and find out differences. Use the Positiveness of acknowledging the great feelings from one response to help you to improve the other.
God love us so much, that he is writing on his notebook every step we give. He is in control also Looking forward  into all the details in your process of becoming a better person. Why in control? Just because he has a wonderful plan for each one of us, he needs to see our answers. So, while you are doing your part, remember God is working on his part too. Both of you, are walking together...Keep that in mind.

YOU WILL RECOGNIZE God's work in you the next time someone feed your purpose and fuel you with passion about the beauty of Being Honest. It can be during a personal conversation, or  trough a magazine article, a movie, a book, an speech or even through your own reflection...

Please consider that nobody is perfect, and we are not looking forward to be perfect, either. I am just promoting a life style where people really want to be a better person, walk the talk, and recognize that every day, every effort count!


Keep Walking!

Achieving Personal Quality.

II. What  qualities shall I consider as a reference?
Be ready to embrace the Source of God and do not be afraid of looking  deep inside yourself to find your lights and shadows.

Considering the importance of having a good reference at the special time of looking for a real change in our life and our life style, it is, and will always be a wise attitude.When we start opening our heart and our mind asking for the blessing of  God, and wishing to be shaped by his hands,we have to be able to embrace his power in our life.

If we start walking that path as a seeker of the light, and we listen to a role model who is immersed in the charisma of God as our reference, we  will start noticing that little by little we start becoming part of God's light.

• Its important to be humble enough to recognize our weakness because the Holy Spirit is the great giver of all the gift we are unconsciously seeking and he is willing to bless us with them in the proper time.
• Its necessary to be obedient to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
• Its fundamental that you pray that God will help you to develop meekness.

Be Firm and Alert...God wants you in peace!

                                                                                                                              Keep Walking...

Achieving Personal Quality.

I. There are some questions that can help us flow with the information about "Personal Quality". And all depend on the stage we are...Think about them...

Some aspects of life are easier to address than others. Here there are few question that  might sound like too dry, but remember it is the result of our reflection after facing them what we are focus on at this first stage of our goal.

•  How open I am to face my own weakness?
• Do I recognize envy in my own feelings, thoughts, and attitude?  
• Do I like to be commenting about other people life with a third person?
• Do I use to put people against people, by the art of highlighting their faults, mistakes or weakness or I am more close to the style of connecting them by highlighting their strengths, assertiveness, or success?
• Am I humble to serve or Am I a slave when I serve? 
• Do I always try to put others in second or third place or its my attitude fair in most of the circumstances?
• Am I a negative thinker?...Always looking the dark spot in everybody else?
• How many times do I practice the mirror reflection,  when I am in front of attitudes that really bothers me? How do I respond?

There are more questions that go deep inside our human condition to go over, but its good to have time between one and the other...

Walking through all the possibilities of change and the different stage where we can be at one point in our life, you might be on the position to start answering to questions like these;

•  If I think about one thing I need to overcome immediately. what would that be?

•  If I need to ask somebody to help me to achieve a higher personal quality in a program of 1 year, who will I choose to be my mentor? A good friend, a pastor, a coworker, a sister, a brother, a psychologist, a husband or wife,... God?

Am I ready to start a long term program of Personal Quality? Am I excited about it?

Lets Keep Growing...Shaping our Personal Quality...Come back and you will see!

Are you happy with who you are?

One of the most important part of our life is to face who we are. But, at what age are we really interested or concern about recognizing single aspects of our human condition?
We are who we thought we could become.We are what we have being able to build or develop in ourselves until today. 

Addrian Liddell Hart Indo China. 1952
"I fought in foreing Legion

But for many people, there is time, when in front of those questions, they will say....

• Life is to busy...I don't have enough time to get into those dramatic reflexions...
• Its not about what I think or not think, I am what I am and that's it. I can't change it.
• I am just like my father. All I am, I learned from him. I have always be the same and I will be the same until the day I die.

How many of you have had this kind of answers in different cirscunstances?

Have you realized that when we have this kind of answers we are in the higher percentage of risk to face the  question again?. Yes, life will raise the question again, over and over, until we come to acknowledge the importance of it.

 

"Are you happy with WHO you are?"

Many of us have had the great opportunity of facing this question since we were young. Sometimes I think there is people that is pleased to answer it instantly. Those are the one, I call the "Saints" of our time. Definitely, that was NOT my case. I had to work very hard to overcome what I called my "Human Poverty" and reach progressively the levels of “Personal Quality” I wanted to achieve. As soon as I was able to face that question, and my answers were not of my complete satisfaction, I knew I have to do something. So, I made my list and I went through it and I did it ALL, but of course, I am not done yet. I will be always learning how to do better. That makes me alert of my own weakness and fault, that’s why it has being one of the most worthy mission in my life. Thanks to the answer I choose,  I can integrally respond  "Yes, I am very happy of being who I am".  

When you get to that point, where ever you go, you will know who you are and what you can do. You will have a different dimension of your real value, because you know how much it takes to endure progress in oneself. You did it by your own decision, happily engaged, so you know you don’t need to compete or show up. You just need to be “YOU”,  real. There is “nothing” that can be compare with the great feeling of being aware of your capacity, gift, virtue, and potential. That’s what will give you position in life and you can recognize it in people instantly.  

The greatest part is that when you run for the wonderful answers to this important question. You will realize that there were always help around you; people, information, material, prayers, inspiration, training, work,…everything. But you know, the path you are walking on was not mapped, conceived, or  viewed by your friend, parents, boss or government, or  wasn’t anybody else plan, but God’s plan for you. There it is a huge difference.You listened to it, you worked through it and you will receive the blessings for ever.  That also give you a sense of integrity and dignity.

Again, the question itself is simple, but sometime we are so lost in doing what we think we need to do, that we mistake who we are with what we do or what we have, or where we are.  

So think about this it’s not what you do, it’s not what you have, it’s not where you are..... It’s who you are, what you want to find out, to enjoy it and and share it.

            *Would you like to know more about this particular aspect for Personal Development?...
            *Article: Achieving Personal Quality. Coming Soon.            

                                                                         


 

Every thing has its own perfect Space and Time. Even us!

"Thinking about the beauty of being what you were meant to be, and achieving what you were sent to achieve".

I believe that most of the fights that human being embrace during their adult age, are just a way to feel that they are in control of their life. We see people around us, including us, in the constant selection between activities of work, hobbies, residences, schools, professional carriers, clothes, churches, restaurants, and even friends and any other "thing" that we want or need to match our style. 

Somehow in the line of time we have to recognize this behavior, as one simple manifestation of the divine feeling of being  in charge of our life and being able to choose  what make us happy, simply by allowing ourselves to fulfill our desires or satisfy our needs. Then, later, but  in the same line of time, we will need to reflect if the fight is worthy, or if the experience is just A WAY that bring us up to a new knowledge, a new skill, a different and interesting subject or a new perspective of life just for the purpose of expanding our vision.  

For good reasons we can admit that we are not alone in the edification of our life. We can, if we want to, listen, contemplate, feel, and recognize that God is with us, he knows us, and he is always sending helpers to us.

Will you receive it and accept it?

 How would you recognize "anything" as a blessing or not? 

Will you just turn around if it does not look like what you have preconceived?.

Think again, reflect on it. Major changes in life, always bring conflicts. It is just a normal stage of the process of growing in some dimension. Considering our own limitations sometime opens a window to see well. Do not be afraid. Avoid being just reactive in front of the challenges you have now. Pro activeness it's a good skill to learn, and understanding that we are not always in full control of what is happening, it's most of times, a good thing to do, when you trust God and you are open to receive his blessings . We are normally put into circumstances that only help us to achieve or overcome SOMETHING we need to, in order to keep growing and enriching our lives. I am not saying, we have have to accept what ever comes as good...But I want to highlight the importance of good discermment.

 Now, it's always our choice, from which other perspective would you like to see it?

I have learned, that we, all, are here for a wonderful reason,  don't you think?

See around you, contemplate your past, imagine what could be your future without all the people that have touched your life in a certain way. It is interesting to reflect on how they appeared into our lives. Where were you, what was happening into your life?

There are many questions that help us to clarify and find the purpose of people in our life and vise verse. But all of the answers we will find, will help us to realize that even though, some people stay with us, and many of them leaves,  all of them have  taken good part of us as well as we can feel grateful for all the blessings they have brought into our life.

Would you say this its not worthy? that, It takes too much from you?...

I can assure you it is worthy. See your whole life, and find one simple but valuable thing that you have achieved without an effort or sacrifice of your part...I would  say you won't find it.

Life, is a constant learning experience that it is mean to teach us how to live and love in a way that bring up happiness and plenitude in each stage... There is no grace on living each one of those stage without Enjoying and Sharing your blessings with the world!