Published monthly by Sharon Eakes, Hope Unlimited, LLC
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FOCUS: Chew, chew, chew
Disciplines: Mental Models, Personal Mastery, Systems Thinking, Shared Vision, Team Learning

"Chew, chew, chew"
Dr. Lakshma Tiyyegura

I've been thinking about chewing lately. It started because I was privy to a lecture on the health benefits of chewing delivered to my 91-year-old dad by his doctor. As I listened, it seemed to offer metaphorical wisdom with wide application. Play with me.

HEALTH BENEFITS OF CHEWING

- allows nutrients to be absorbed easily and fully
- enhances digestion by stimulating enzymes
- decreases the chance of choking
- decreases esophageal reflux, constipation, obsesity
- prolongs the taste pleasure, making eating more enjoyable

So where else can this reverie on chewing shed light? Here are some of my thoughts:

- chew on a thought to appreciate it fully instead of speeding past
- chew on ideas to digest and integrate them
- chewing on an idea may reveal it's tough or complex
- individual chewing may reduce group think
- group chewing may enrich decision making, problem solving
- chewing on things cuts down on reactivity, encourages reflection and learning over time

CAN YOU CHEW TOO MUCH?

I'd say yes. You must eventually swallow. Take action. Endless chewing can be procrastination, being stuck in the past, running old tapes.

COACHING TIP:

Chew both your food and your ideas well, then swallow!

INVITATION
Please join me for a 45-minute telegathering to talk about the power and implications of chewing and some other uses of chew, as in chew up, chew out, chew the rag! Call Monday, Sept. 27 at 12 noon EDT (11:00 a.m. CDT, 10:00 a.m. MDT, 9:00 a.m. PDT) 1-425-818-9401 X925 No need to register....just call at that time!
Reach me: 1-888-907-HOPE (4673)or e-mail sharon@hopellc.com. I am a personal and executive coach and would be happy to offer you a complimentary coaching session by phone.

Each month FRESH VIEWS focuses on a single topic, relates it to one of the five disciplines of a learning community, and offers a coaching tip and a follow-up telegathering. Please forward it to friends and colleagues. My purpose in writing FRESH VIEWS is to nurture, prod and encourage readers to think and talk about these topics with their families, friends and colleagues. Mine is only one view. Multiple conversations may deliver us to insights only hinted at here. Such a process sustains the vitality of learning relationships, learning families, learning organizations and learning communities.