My Blog
Exhaling – getting rid of emotional toxins
In my recent surfing trip to the Mentawai’s, I intended to surf a whole lot, and “exhale”. I haven’t exactly figured out what I mean by exhaling. But over the two weeks I started to gain a little insight into what exhaling would mean for me.
On arriving in the Sumatra city of Padang, we got on a “Fast Boat” to the land camp we would be staying on in the Mentawai islands. When we were about 15km’s from our destination, a few things began to filter through my mind
Status Update!
While a perceived “drop” in status can set off the “threat” circuitry. This is why when you speak to your boss, you may feel threatened or intimidated by her. And why, when you meet Kelly Slater (whom I have never met), you will feel rewarded because Kelly is one of your heroes (I hope).
Born Again? Wow, is that still a thing!
Religion is about rule keeping. Not only rule-keeping, but also comparing. Religion thrives on comments like, “I am not as bad as some”, or “I am more generous than some Christians.” Rule keepers believe that “bad” people deserve bad things to happen, and “good” people deserve good things.
A Tooth for a Tooth and an Eye for an Eye
Justice can take two possible routes, punitive justice or restorative justice. The “eye for the eye’ justice is punitive. The person gets punished for their crime.
Restorative justice is the “grace way”. “Turning the other cheek” is not a denial of an offence. It’s the messy way of seeking redemption. It’s the process of resolving why someone was slapped in the face in the first place.
Good Planning and Hard Work
It seems that to experience growth, there is always going to be a tension to manage. Personal growth is figuring out what God is doing inside of you. Then, taking what He is doing, applying yourself to the work He is doing in you.
What Does this Mean for You?
Change is Hard, but not Changing is Harder
The result is humbling. I have lived change, spoken about it, taught it and helped others through change. And now, change is more than a plan to be implemented, a formation of a new vision and all the other learnings we know about change – it’s a reality.
Change is hard. But, not changing is even harder