 By Shae Hadden | Bio
How often do we relate to our health as we
grow older as something ‘less than’ what it was in the past? I am
reminded of a dear friend in her 20s who has lived with polio all her
life. For her, the baseline of health is so very different than mine,
and yet, as she grows older, she too is caught up in the ‘less than’
comparison. Over the past few months, I have been discovering another
way of relating to my health—both present and future. I have been
discovering that I am not my health or any story I may have about what
was possible in the past or what’s possible in the future for my body.
I am learning how to be a patient patient, a middle-aged woman
committed to my healing process.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
balance
commitment
health
patience
By Shae Hadden | Bio
With each passing
day, it seems as if every environmental and social crisis we’re facing
is heading into even more dangerous waters. In the conversations I’ve
been having, it has been quickly apparent to me who is resigned about
this state of affairs and who is engaged and in action. Although the
latter group appears to me (for the moment) to be in the minority, I’m
reminded of Buckminster Fuller’s concept of the ‘trimtab factor’ and of
the potential influence a small group of people can have on the
future…and I am inspired by their actions. Similar to how a
trimtab influences the course of a large ocean-going ship, we can shift
the direction we’re heading in any large-scale issue by leveraging the
influence of a powerful sector of society.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Leadership
Tagged with:
business
commitment
leader
trimtab
By Shae HaddenBio
In a recent conversation with my sisters, I was reminded that people
don’t necessarily have to agree with the how, why or when of a
particular possibility. But they do have to be aligned on the ‘who’ and
the ‘what’ in order to move forward together—and the ‘who’ has to
include a commitment from each person involved to the possibility of
the ‘what’. In fact, disagreeing with the specifics of how to create a
possibility adds value to the conversation and can inform and, in many
cases, contribute to the success of the venture—whether it is the
creation of something intangible (like a relationship) or tangible
(like a product, project or organization). For
most, agreement occurs when one person surrenders their point of view
to accept another point of view.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
alignment
co-collaboration
commitment
possibility
struggle
surrender
By Shae HaddenBio
I’ve had some further insights since my last post about Balance. No matter what the extent of my commitments, I see ‘balance’ as my
ability to be ‘grounded’ and ‘present’. In each moment, I’m doing what
I’m doing…and just that. Nothing else. The whole idea of ‘balancing
work and life’, as if they are polar opposites, makes no sense to me.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
balance
choice
commitment
life
play
work
By Shae Hadden
Bio
Finding balance in life has been a concern of mine for a long time.
From the number of times it comes up in conversation, it appears to be
a major concern for many others as well. My struggle for balance came
to a head recently with a series of inexplicable dizzy spells.
Admittedly, I’ve been running non-stop since my mother passed away
suddenly two years ago—abandoning a work situation where I felt
inspired but unappreciated, leaving a 20-year relationship with my
husband to find out who I was and to find opportunities to grow,
abandoning my self-care practices to commit myself fully to my career,
taking no ‘time out’ to rest or recoup. I left behind my sense of
security and let go of my connections to the past—even changing my
name. The race I’ve been running and the choices I’ve made have often
left me feeling ‘unbalanced’ and disoriented.
[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
balance
choice
commitment
life
play
work
By Shae HaddenBio
In a recent conversation with my sisters, I was reminded that people
don’t necessarily have to agree with the how, why or when of a
particular possibility. But they do have to be aligned on the ‘who’ and
the ‘what’ in order to move forward together—and the ‘who’ has to
include a commitment from each person involved to the possibility of
the ‘what’. In fact, disagreeing with the specifics of how to create a
possibility adds value to the conversation and can inform and, in many
cases, contribute to the success of the venture—whether it is the
creation of something intangible (like a relationship) or tangible
(like a product, project or organization). For
most, agreement occurs when one person surrenders their point of view
to accept another point of view. Essentially, one perspective wins, the
other loses, within the context of agreement. An example: in
negotiations, the struggle for power is a struggle between perspectives
that has the winner take the dominant position at the head of the
table. Agreement is an either/or proposition. It does not allow space
for collaboration, respect or trust.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
alignment
co-collaboration
commitment
ment
possibility
struggle
surrender
By Shae HaddenBio
As the evenings get cooler and days shorter here, summer holidays wind
down. Everyone seems to be preparing for the start of September, and
looking forward to the last real weekend before things start up again.
Most everyone I talk with has enjoyed some of the summer outside with
family and friends, and I find myself experiencing a twinge of regret.
For me, the last few months have been a blur of work indoors in front
of the computer, interspersed with a few brief moments of relaxation.
This afternoon, I am acknowledging that I have ‘missed’ this summer
altogether in my efforts to fulfill as many of my commitments as
possible.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
choice
commitment
perspective
relationship
time
I was speaking with a friend today about how we sometimes feel
‘disempowered’ in certain situations where people repeat their patterns
of the past and where we have no ‘accountability’ for the outcome. I
realized as we were talking that we generally look at ‘being empowered’
as a solution in our careers and personal lives—as the pathway to the
promised land that will deliver us from whatever circumstances are
challenging us in the moment. When we see teams of people creating new
possibilities and managing themselves to solve their own problems,
we’re seeing people who have empowered themselves moving in action.
We often use a lack of empowerment
as a sweeping justification for all kinds of organizational and
relationship problems. The pursuit of empowerment can become an
impediment to change—effectively reinforcing or aggravating a person’s
or a company’s existing predisposition to the status quo. When people
start thinking empowerment as an entitlement,
they complain about autonomy, about being left alone and about being
responsible for particular outcomes without the ‘authority to act’.
Although they say they need or want power, they often continue to
behave as if they are powerless. If others in the organization buy into
this view of entitlement, they start accepting whatever excuses are
offered for not delivering on commitments—a shared conversation that
effectively disempowers people and creates a habit of using excuses to
‘explain away’ their behavior.[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Personal Empowerment
Tagged with:
action
commitment
empowerment
entitlement
responsibility
By Shae HaddenBio
Summer has finally arrived here in the Pacific Northwest, and with it
the seasonal display of beachwear trends. No matter what the
fashionistas may be sporting on the runways, the beaches are where the
reality of the North American body is exposed for all to see. Most of
us attempt to do what’s possible, given our lifestyles during the
winter. We’re not there just for the sun and surf. We’re trying to look
the best we possibly can with the bodies we have so we can attract
attention, whether for purposes of relationship or just plain
admiration. I
had always hoped there’s more going on here at the beach than just the
mating, dating and gawking games. But watching where everyone focuses
their attention in the throng of volleyball-playing, swimming,
strolling and picnicking crowds seems to prove me wrong. The natural
attraction seems to be to the trim, fit, energized bodies being
displayed in all their glory. Few look at bodies exposing belly fat,
pale flesh and flab. As I grow older, perhaps I’m becoming more jaded,
but it seems to me there are more and more of those spare tires and
fewer lean, strong bodies. Is this trend part of our aging population’s
destiny or is it a choice we’re (consciously or unconsciously) making?[ Read More]
Written by eldering at Health
Tagged with:
body
commitment
emotion
exercise
feeling
obesity
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