LISTEN & RESPOND TO KEEP RELATIONSHIPS POSITIVE

Listening and responding positively to each other, is something we can all be better at...and these strange times have pushed us together to practice it, when perhaps we wouldn't otherwise do it.

Active Constructive Responding is when you stay present to each other, setting aside your own agenda and stories; and holding the space to hear what is being said and meant.

Listen. Pause. Respond.

Remember, often people are filtering through their story about your reaction, whether adults or kids...it takes practice...but what happens is a deepening of trust, love, respect and a more honest conversation between each other.
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#flowinaction #wellbeing #resilience #flourishing #imagination #creativity #weareallconnected #designforflourishing #activeconstructiveresponding #acr

Another proven wellbeing practice is to do the 3 Good Things & Why exercise.

You can do it as a journalling exercise before going to sleep, as well as a regular rapid exercise through the day.

You can do it by yourself, or with friends and it's a lovely thing to do as a family.
It actively changes your focus, celebrating the smallest of good things and why they are meaningful to you.

Anything from seeing bees on daisies, a smile, getting the lid off a jar, contacting a friend...it's all in the detail and why you care about it.

Start by doing it everyday for the next 7 days...you'll find you continue it :)

Make it a journalling bricolage activity for yourself; and especially with kids.

As well as celebrating the loveliness, you'll also start to hear and see your incredible capacity to problem-solve and bring new perspectives to challenges, finding your way forward.

Also known as a gratitude practice, gratitude is the number 1 independent indicator of our emotional wellbeing...even when we're saying it through gritted teeth (for those of you who've watched Brene's A Call to Courage on Netflix...and if you haven't then watch it...)
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#flowinaction #resilience #wellbeing #imagination #creativity #flourishing #designforflourishing #changeperspective #gratitude #gratitudepractice #3goodthings

Strange times call for new perspectives in problem-solving creatively.

Start by grounding yourself and those you love in your strengths; and make this the lens to look through going forward.

It is a simple wellbeing exercise, which you can do for yourself, as a group of friends, or as a family.

I recommend www.viacharacter.org as it comes from the Positive Psychology stable.

You can create a free account and answer the questions. There is a children's version also.

Take everyone's top 3 strengths.
How do you practically live these strengths every day? List 3 examples.
Play with problem-solving by using one or more of the strengths.

As a family or group, make a grid, stick it on the fridge, consciously look through this strengths-based lens to tackle the small and large challenges in each day.
Celebrate each other!

​(Also...see your top 3 strengths as the doorways into which you access and use the other strengths in your list. Just because strengths are lower on the list, doesn't mean you don't have them!)
#flowinaction #wellbeing #flourishing #strengths #imagination #creativity #ideas #designthinking #designforflourishing #love #iamunprecedented #weareallconnected #resilience

Turning the SDGs into reality will take innovative, courageous and dynamic investing.
​For participants taking part in the Certificate of Advanced Studies in SDG Investing at The Graduate Institute in Geneva, immersion into the UN SDGs starts on Day 1. And I was there to run an introductory Flow In Action Innovation & Impact Challenge with the group.

Opening up to the level of innovation needed to bring new, radical solutions which make real impact, means challenging business-as-usual. That requires everyone to show up with their unique blend of problem-solving creativity. Designing solutions means thinking across systems.  

Which was the purpose of 90-minute scene-setting workshop!

Setting the 20-participants an ambiguous challenge around making a product sustainable, looking back from 2031 to how we achieved it, disrupted old patterns of thinking. We played with ideas, tinkering with some reverse-engineering and understanding impact across systems and supply chains; building an understanding of how interconnected the UN SDGs are; and the need to be focused on designing for flourishing.

All of which opens up new perspectives from different stakeholders with different expertise, creating an opportunity to come together and generate more impactful solutions designed around people and planet.

Connecting with creativity is the vital starting point for radical risk-taking and Flow In Action’s Innovation Challenge Workshops invite participants of all ages to step into this problem-solving space to be risk-takers and changemakers. 

Solution: Innovation & Impact Challenge Workshop
Topic: Systems Thinking for the UN SDGs
Location: Geneva, Villa Barton, The Graduate Institute
Commissioned by: SDGI, The Graduate Institute, Executive Education

#flowinaction #imagination #creativity #innovation #entrepreneurship #sdgs #designthinking #designforflourishing #systemsthinking #peopleandplanetcentreddesign #flourishing 

Looking through a positive lens, the Coronavirus is acting as a trigger for doing things differently, especially for those of us with conferences, events, workshops, learning programmes, toolkits…

How are you responding?
We know that the need to keep making a difference for people and planet doesn’t stop, so what can you do differently to keep making your positive impact?

Scarcity breeds innovation. We live in a digital age. Opportunities exist.  

I’m an early adopter of top Swiss cloud platform Hazu.io as an edtech, knowledge management and business management platform for my own enterprise; enabling me to interact live with audiences, visualise and scale up the impact of my activities at a local, regional and global level.  

I love running my innovation challenge events, toolkits and workshops through it, capturing real-time responses from my participants - kids and adults - via smart phones, tablets and laptops, so that we immediately see ideas come to life, like a constellation of creativity and positive impact switching on. 

And, I use Hazu.io to help you to keep delivering and scale-up your powerful solutions.
As a license reseller and implementation consultant for Hazu.io, I help you to structure your content, materials, business processes and activities to reach, as well as set-up your Hazu.io system, to engage and work with your communities.  

Book your free 30-min video discovery session with me today.
Email elaine@flowinaction.org or select a slot over the next few days

Together, we’ll look at where you are now, where you need to be in terms of delivering your event, learning programmes and social impact activities; and how to get there in the days ahead by exploring what a rapid, efficient, innovative Hazu.io solution for moving forward looks like for you. 

Taking action for people and planet can’t wait.
Responding as social innovators and entrepreneurs can’t wait.
Finding ways to make positive impact can’t wait.

Get started now. Book your discovery session here. We go together!

#flowinaction #designforflourishing #flourishing #creativity #ideas #innovation #entrepreneurship #peopleandplanetcentreddesign #humancentreddesign