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How
do we cope with the temptation to consume ourselves
into oblivion? Our proposal is simple. We suggest two
things. First, that you begin replacing the habit of
"accumulating" with the practice of "assimilating."
And second, that you make sure what you ingest in any
form is of the highest quality possible. Let's first
quickly define these words:
Accumulate:
To heap up in a mass; to pile up; to increase; to collect
or bring together; to amass; as, to accumulate a sum
of money.
Assimilate:
To appropriate and transform or incorporate into the
substance of the assimilating body; to absorb or appropriate,
as nourishment; as food is assimilated and converted
into organic tissue.
Proper
assimilation and digestion of food, experience, and
information will allow us to extract its full benefit
and put it to good use. Whereas overstuffing ourselves,
in any of these arenas will cause a buildup of unsightly
fat, waste, stress, toxicity, confusion, unease, often
fueling an unconscious compulsion for more. All of us
know how much better we feel when we push ourselves
away from the table before we're full, and the satisfied
feeling we get when we give ourselves a little time
for our systems to "assimilate" what we've
taken in. (Hey...this is turning out to be a very appropriate
Thanksgiving issue!)
Unconscious
compulsions for "more input" seldom satisfy
our true needs. Nor will having piles of unread books
and magazines ringing our desks reduce the nagging sense
that there is some piece of information that will really
change everything for us.
Satisfaction
comes from fully digesting and extracting the fine nutrients
from what we already have, and making choices for new
input based on our true values and passions, not our
casual likes and vague interests.
Saying
yes to only what most serves our needs and resonates
with our deepest sense of self, and our chosen mission
will go a long way to lessen the burden. So will focusing
on what is important to ours and not someone else's
sense of self.
How
to Facilitate Assimilation
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Of Information. We often spend a great deal of
time looking for that special piece of information or
that magical answer to our current problem when more
often than not, the answer we seek is right in front
of us.
But
unless we slow down to see, hear, and process what's
already in our world, we may miss these gifts. In your
groups, model this by inviting your participants to
assimilate fully the meaning and consequences of every
activity.
As
a facilitator, observe closely and resist the desire
to pile on just "one more" experience to make
sure your groups get their money's worth. Make sure
that the desired outcomes of each activity and experience
are evident to you and the participants before moving
on. And, if you dare, stop before you are faced with
a sea of bobbing heads with glazed eyes trying to take
that one more step together.
If
they seem to need additional information, help them
clarify their specific requirements adding just enough
to be complete.
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Of Relationships. We rush around so often focused
on "getting stuff done" that we sometimes
neglect our most precious resources--our friends, associates,
coworkers, and family. The benefits in good will, emotional
support, new connections and ideas, very often offset
the time spent cultivating and maintaining these existing
relationships.
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Of Customers. Balance your expenditure of energy
on seeking new customers with efforts to deepen and
enrich your relationships with existing customers. It
takes a whole lot less effort to cultivate these existing
relationships where some trust already exists. Share
your gratitude for them being in your life, appreciate
their trust in you, and seek to deeply understand and
respond to their needs.
Become
so familiar with their situation that you can act as
a trusted advisor and in turn help them assimilate the
tidal wave of information bearing down on them as well.
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Of Ideas. If you're anything like us, you're
a life long student of personal growth and have hundreds
of books on your bookshelves. Just imagine what might
happen if instead of picking up yet another new title
to read, you were to study the principles from just
one chapter of a favorite you've already read and actually
apply them for the next 30 days? This, my friends, is
called assimilation.
Create
a learning plan with specific goals for the next six
months. Include both informational and learning goals
into this plan. And, only include that which you know
you can assimilate with minimum effort so that you have
time to really make the information a part of your very
being instead of just being a walking index pointing
people to this book or that website.
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Of Food. During at least one meal this week...you
may even want to experiment with the (big) one this
Thursday, try eating slower than usual. Chew your food
just a little bit longer. When you're talking or listening
to someone, stop eating. Take time to really assimilate
your food and experience with family. Try just doing
one thing at a time. Enjoy the rainbow of flavors and
textures, each bite a miniature world of experience.
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Of Experience. We're all tempted to accelerate
our pace of life to match that of our increasingly frenetic
culture. But this is a personal choice. Most of the
time, we can choose to slow down and carefully select
our inputs, experiences, and the speed at which we subject
ourselves to them.
There
are ways to help make this choice easier. Commit to
a practice of "being fully present" for a
few minutes each day. Use whatever method appeals to
you. Some choices are meditation, yoga, quiet walks,
prayer, tai chi, marshal arts, sitting alone quietly,
journaling, etc. Or just look out the window with all
of your senses. Focus on what is before you and allow
it to really enter your being.
These
kinds of practices are more and more important as the
world accelerates around you. They give our inner selves
time catch up with, reconnect with, and properly assimilate
with our outer experience.
Now
go forth and assimilate!
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From
the Publisher: 
