The Daily G.I.F.T. from The GratiDude

If you want folks to dance, dance first. That’s how you get the crowd moving.

www.grateful4.org

Gratitude

Intention

First

Things

The G.I.F.T. Today

Grateful: for this one week adventure of the MMA and all of the experiences and love that I have enjoyed.

Intention-flow all day like a sun salutation done in warm honey

First-major stretching and moving needed before driving today

Things-check ins in SRQ

Morning Meditation from The GratiDude

There are million ways to create safe spaces for people, and it all starts with removing yourself from the situation and doing your best to look at things from different perspectives.

In other words, if you want to make people feel safe and comfortable, you must consider both where they come from and what their needs may be at that particular moment.

If you have a group of people that are getting together for the first time and perhaps don’t have history together or a comfort level as to who the other people are in the group, it often takes one person in the group to be vulnerable and to take some risks in order to open up, dialogue and create an energy that feels safe.  That’s a more nuanced or challenging situation, however with empathy and staying connected to there is always the opportunity to find ways to create safe spaces.

About a year after quitting alcohol, going back over four years now I was paying close attention to how other folks that had gone through an experience of sobriety were telling their personal story.

When you are struggling with addiction, it’s interesting when you were exposed to stories of people who have overcome their personal challenges because you both are super curious about how they did it and where they drew the courage yet at the same time you feel compelled to avoid the conversation because you’re just not ready to deal with it yourself and it’s a really stark reminder of your own personal demons. 

I can recall specifically a conversation with a woman who had gone through being prescribed OxyContin, which led to a heroin addiction as it did with millions of people in the United States(thanks Big Pharm and the legal billion dollar drug pushers who make way more money than all of the drug cartels in Mexico and Columbia combined).  She told me that there weren’t many men that had been successful in business, especially in the golf industry that we’re comfortable enough with themselves to share their stories of addiction and because of that it was important that I got comfortable with it because even if I only moved or reached one person over the years that one person is worth it.  I had never really looked at my story. Is that potentially valuable until a person who had been through addiction explained it to me.

By sharing being vulnerable, safe spaces for others to do the same.

Vulnerability can help create safe spaces by encouraging open communication, trust, and authenticity: 

·         In relationships

Being vulnerable to the people you care about can create a safe space for sharing thoughts, emotions, and experiences. This can help strengthen bonds and create trusting relationships. 

·         In the workplace

When leaders are vulnerable, they can create a sense of psychological safety where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, taking risks, and being authentic. This can lead to stronger relationships, increased innovation, and greater success for the organization. 

·         In difficult discussions

When people are willing to be vulnerable, they can allow others to see that they feel safe and courageous enough to do so. This can lead to collaborative discussions that encourage growth. 

To create a safe space for sharing vulnerabilities, you can ask open-ended questions that start with “what,” “how,” or “why.”

It is just like in this video where all you have to do is let folks now that here is a space where it is safe to express yourself with physical movement in any way that you like and you don’t have to worry about being judged because the name of the game is just letting go and boogeying down.