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talktodiana

~ Igniting the power and passion in others…

talktodiana

Tag Archives: working together

Breaking It Down

30 Sunday Oct 2016

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 36 Comments

Tags

200 words, building community, common, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, goals, mission, Purpose, strategy, teams, vision, working together

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If I look at the masses, I will never act. If I look at the one, I will.

– Mother Theresa

Mother Theresa was referring to the masses of people she cared for during her life with the above quote. But the wisdom in the quote can apply to many situations. I often apply this principle when working on something big.

Whether you’re looking to improve the lives of a specific group of individuals like the poor, the sick, elderly, oppressed, vulnerable or working on a complex personal goal,

or your goal is to create a team that’s on page and working together for a common purpose or negotiating rules of engagement between several groups with varying needs,

or you’re tackling a project like constructing a building, planting or harvesting a crop, renovating your house or designing and implementing a functional system,

you can very easily become overwhelmed if you digest it all in one gulp. When an individual looks at the entirety of a cause, project, or goal, they can become swallowed up and paralyzed by the enormity of it all.

So it really does make sense to break it down into smaller, chewable pieces.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

 

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Doing Things Together Is Like Magic To Me

18 Wednesday May 2016

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, In My Opinion, My Stories, Out and About

≈ 33 Comments

Tags

building community, common ground, community, compassion, connecting, heart-to-heart, Hump Day Chronicles, laughter, life, living in the moment, love, mission, passion, Purpose, Relationships, stories, vision, working together, world issues

We can do more together than can be accomplished alone

We can do more together than can be accomplished alone

This last week has served to remind me how much I value, and how important community is. Community, or a sense of belonging if you will, drives us to discover the things we have in common and start from there to create something beautiful together.

On Thursday night from 6:30PM to 3:30AM on Friday, I volunteered with a group of people, some of whom I’d never met, at a local casino to raise funds for Oxford House Foundation of Canada. It was only the second time I’d ever worked a volunteer shift at a casino. And oh man, staying up all night is not as easy to bounce back from as it was in my twenties! A month or two ago I worked a day shift for another wonderful organization called Fresh Start.

I gotta tell ya, both volunteer shifts were incredibly fun in that I always like learning new things and I always love meeting new people. The outstanding part of this experience for me, has got to be the fact that over the two days that a non-profit organization hosts a casino, up to 40 volunteers are needed to make it work. And they all work together, very hard I might add, to benefit a specific charity.

It really is something of great value when opportunities like this arise and one is able to take part in them!

On the following Saturday, I was invited to speak to a group of about hundred people on fundraising. Fundraising is both a science and an art, and I focused my talk on the art.

The art is all about relationships. And relationships are all about two-way communication, learning from each other and adding and gaining value from working together. In essence, it’s about building community which just happens to be my core passion!

My talk was divided into parts including: Know yourself and know others. One of the best ways to build solid relationships is to connect through stories: telling your story, learning their story and building a story together.

In other words, my story with the challenges I’ve faced and the resolutions I’ve come to have shaped who I am, what I value, what I am passionate about and why. The same is true of your story. When I know myself and I know you and what your values and passions are, we can find ways to be together for the greater good to create a better world for all of us. We are committed through our common values, passion and goals.

Now that’s like magic to me! What could possibly be more meaningful than that?

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

What is one of your favourite stories about working with a group toward a common goal? What was one of the challenges you have faced in your life that has made you who you are today? Which values did you adopt because of it? What are you passionate about?

 

We’re Not So Different, You And I

17 Sunday Jan 2016

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 35 Comments

Tags

200 words, belong, caring, common ground, community, compassion, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, dreams, family, friends, growing up, happy, health, integrity, joy, living in the moment, love, meaning, passion, Purpose, Relationships, safe, working together, world issues

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“We are all alike, on the inside.” – Mark Twain

I used to want to STAND OUT. To be UNIQUE. To be ONE OF A KIND. To find ways that DIFFERENTIATED ME from others, regardless of whether or not I was being true to myself.

Don’t get me wrong, I love and admire many qualities and attributes in others that I do not have. And I try to emulate the ones that resonate with me.

Yet the older I get, the more I realize that we have more in common than not.

We all need nourishment.

We all need to feel safe.

We all need to belong somewhere.

We all need to love and be loved.

We all need to care for others and be cared for by others.

We all need to have purpose; something that gives meaning to our lives.

And beyond the basics, there are many who share our values and passions and dreams for the future.

So the older I get, the more I realize the truth of the quote above and the more I want to connect with others on common ground; regardless of whether that makes me different or not.

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

How To Destroy Your Enemies

04 Sunday Oct 2015

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 51 Comments

Tags

200 words, building community, collaboration, common ground, common sense, compassion, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, enemy, Fear, friend, health, integrity, love, peace, war, working together

Banner_MenAtWar

Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? – Abe Lincoln

How To Destroy Your Enemies

  1. You could dig up dirt on them and leak it to the public
  2. You could study them to determine their weaknesses and chip away at them until they break under the pressure
  3. You could study them to determine what/who they love and cut them off from it/them
  4. You could gather data to prove that they are wrong about something and discredit them
  5. You could bear false witness against them, thereby inviting the unjustified wrath of others
  6. You could harm them in some way and render them useless
  7. Or you could enter into a conversation with them to find out what you have in common and take it from there…

Often when disagreements surface, we feel we must clobber down those who work against us and their ideas.

We’re afraid if we don’t, we won’t get our way.

We want to win.

If we really want to win, we should start where we agree and work forward from there. And if we’re really lucky, the end result will be better than either side could have imagined alone.

(c) Ferens Art Gallery; Supplied by The Public Catalogue Foundation

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

Getting My Rhythm Back

13 Wednesday May 2015

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, My Stories

≈ 55 Comments

Tags

believe, career, community, courage, Diana Schwenk, fate, happy, Hump Day Chronicles, job, joy, laughter, living in the moment, passion, Purpose, teamwork, trust, work, working together

IMG_20150510_150645

Today is Day Nine.

My daily routine has changed. And as with any change, it takes time to get one’s bearings.

And it’s going to take some time to get my rhythm back.

Looking back over the last five years, I can see how all my experiences have led me to this place right here, right now.

All the learning; the good times, the hard times, the fun times and the not-so-fun times – have taught me so much.

And I’m grateful. I feel joy. I’m excited to help build something amazing.

Here’s why. As of the first of May, I am happily employed at an amazing organization that makes a huge difference in the lives of hundreds of people.

Today is Day Nine.

I’m getting my rhythm back. I can’t wait to find new ways to build community.

I promise to tell you more about my new role in subsequent posts, but for now, I’ve got to get ready for work!

Until then, here are some pictures I took on the Mother’s Day weekend.

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I couldn’t spend Mother’s Day with my mom or with my daughter, but an edible bouquet from Michaela delivered to my new office on Wednesday made my day!

On Mother’s Day, I took a long, long walk downtown. Here are some pictures I took.

An ominous shot of the Calgary Tower
An ominous shot of the Calgary Tower
What is it with long line-ups at Ice Cream Stores? Village Ice Cream, Calgary AB
What is it with long line-ups at Ice Cream Stores? Village Ice Cream, Calgary AB
Central Memorial Park, Calgary AB
Central Memorial Park, Calgary AB
5th Street SW, Calgary AB
5th Street SW, Calgary AB

Wishing you all a great day!  🙂

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

When you look back on your life, can you see the events that led you to where you are now?

Beyond the dividing line

10 Sunday Aug 2014

Posted by dianasschwenk in Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, In My Opinion

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

200 words, accountability, Airdrie, Alberta, Calgary, collaboration, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, greater good, understanding, working together

Sunlight bursting through the storm

Sunlight bursting through the storm

Our mind is capable of passing beyond the dividing line we have drawn for it. Beyond the pairs of opposites of which the world consists, other, new insights begin. – Hermann Hesse

Above, my view on Friday.

Just before, it was 27c/81f degrees. And when the second storm cell came in it was 12c/54f.

It’s supposed to be hot and dry.

What’s with this sudden storm?

Oh but it was powerful.

And I couldn’t help being in awe of it.

And when the sun broke through it brought the rainbow.

That’s Alberta for you. The calendar tells you it’s summer,  but nature tells you different.

This got me thinking about negotiations where opposing sides each feel strongly about their position.

It creates a dividing line.

It can get ugly.

I’ve also witnessed the beauty that transpires when both sides start from where they agree.

The outcome often surpasses the hopes of both sides.

Things don’t always go our way.  

But if we can reach beyond the dividing line, 

just as rain and sunlight bring the promise of the rainbow,

mutual understanding may bring new insights…

~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~

 

 

The ‘I’m Right and You’re wrong’ Mindset

07 Wednesday May 2014

Posted by dianasschwenk in Hump Day Chronicles, In My Opinion

≈ 32 Comments

Tags

believe, caring, collaboration, community, courage, environment, health, integrity, mission, natural resources, passion, Purpose, working together, world issues

When I think about the tensions between companies that harvest natural resources and groups who want to protect our environment, I am saddened that both sides often get stuck in an ‘I’m right and you’re wrong’ mindset.

Instead of hitting heads where we disagree; often resulting in the end of any discussion or collaboration at all, why can’t we start from a place of common values and build on them together?

This video illustrates what we may face if we can’t work together.

 We need to find a way to work together.

~ HUMP DAY CHRONICLES ~

What can we do as individuals to encourage open dialogue in situations where two parties have stopped talking?

Related posts: For the Greatest Good and Is being right, always right?

 

Talk to Diana


"I RELATE WITH, PROMOTE AND SPEAK COMMUNITY WHEREVER I AM..."

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