People get used to being in control over their everyday functioning: engaging, concentrating, shopping, working. Other, less ‘ordinary’ things are involved as well: being a partner, a parent, a friend, a son or daughter, a colleague.
When people lose this control, when things do not go the way they are used to, they tend to react as if they were dealing with a broken vacuum cleaner: hit it a few times, shake it around a bit, replace the dust bag, and hope it will start working again. Or they reproach someone for using it in the wrong way. Of course, the most effective thing to do is to consult the operating manual and find out what has caused it to malfunction, and find out how to fix it.
This is exactly what people do when they find they themselves are no longer functioning in the way they are used to. They seek a quick remedy, ‘a kick in the pants’, ‘a good night out’, ‘an early night’. Sometimes this works, but mostly the effect is not lasting. In such cases, it is useful to grab your own ‘operating manual’ and try to determine what the real problem is. It takes a little more time, but it is the first step in the direction of more sustainable and more effective functioning.
The training will allow you to develop self-control and map out your personal ‘operating manual’. This concerns the style in which you give direction to your own thinking, feeling and acting. Self-management means you take control over your own destination. Personal ‘operating manuals’ for the following types of personalities will be described:
• serious thinker
• impulsive go-getter
• personable but feigning strength
• open and sensitive
Often, an unexpected change in circumstances will challenge your attitude towards life, driving you to reexamine your ‘operating manual’. This change can be sudden, a new job maybe, moving house, the loss of a loved one or the birth of a child. It may be gradual change, such as increasing work pressure, a series of setbacks, people who disappoint you or make you worry. All these changes, negative or positive, will put your personal ‘operating manual’ to the test.
As you become aware of the discrepancies between your ‘operating manual’ and the demands of life, it may be wise to take a good, hard look at them. It will provide you with more control and allows you to come to a deeper understanding of your individuality and idiosyncrasies, giving you a more solid and more resilient life stance. Finding a healthy balance between life’s demands and your personal possibilities is essential, and the ability to make the right choices, to plot your own way, to ‘take control’, is a fundamental guiding principle in doing so.
Your self-management and self-confidence will feel reinvigorated, and you will have sufficient skills at your disposal to react adequately to the many demands of everyday life, both at home and at work. The feeling that you are in control brings new vigor and vitality. This will have a positive effect on yourself and your environment.
The first day of the course will be devoted to mapping out your personal ‘operating manual’ and how to use it. The aim is to uncover your own style of thinking, feeling, and acting. Self-knowledge is the central topic of this first day.
Topics will be:
• Gaining control over your own thinking, feeling and acting
• Observing patterns of behavior
• Correcting less effective patterns in dealing with yourself; learning tools to tackle these patterns
• Utilizing your personal strength in thinking, feeling and acting
• What would be my ideal role and professional environment?
The second day will emphasize your attitude towards life and how you deal with other people. If the first day was about increasing self-knowledge, the second day will be about using this self-knowledge to practice effective behavior towards others. This will be in accordance with your own pattern of behavior, as follows:
• serious thinker
• impulsive go-getter
• personable but feigning strength
• open and sensitive
Topics include:
• Resilience in relations with others
• Clear formulation of your own needs and limitations
• Managing energy and commitment
• Personal strength in relation with others
• Personal action plan for home and work
The third day will offer an opportunity to exchange the results of the exercises and to evaluate the various topics discussed. The central question is: ‘What can I effectively learn from my ‘operating manual’ and how can I apply it to my life?’
Topics will be:
• Self-acceptance; learning to live within your limits
• Making choices; what do you find inspirational, what is important in your life?
• How to cope with ‘growing pains’ (overcoming resistance against the uncertainty of change)
• Explaining your ‘operating manual’ to others
• Your personal First Aid Kit: do’s and don’ts in keeping in good mental shape
All topics are introduced and explained, then followed by exercises and games. The course emphasizes gaining experience in new, effective behavior, towards yourself and others. You will be assigned exercises to do both at home and at work. Participants are given the opportunity to learn and apply the given personal guidelines gradually. This why there is a period of two weeks between the first and second day; the final day of the course will be two months later.
Groups consist of a maximum of 8 participants; supervision is given by trainer Richard van Holsteijn. This allows sufficient room for individual attention. The group will be split up several times to create more opportunity for exercises.
Based on a free consultation, Balans & Impuls will offer a proposal. The course can start as soon as we have received two signed copies in acceptance of our offer. We will then send you an invoice. Payment is due within two weeks.
Training may be given ‘in company’. We can make you an offer based on your particular wishes.
For more information, please call 0031-70-392 22 61 or send an e-mail.
You can apply by sending the completed application form down below (Word document). Please send it to secretariaat@balans-en-impuls.nl.