I discovered that my approach to completing the assignments this semester needed to change. The volume of reading, even done inspectionally, can easily become overwhelming. I realized in the first few weeks that I needed to make a shift. Making a shift from getting it done by the deadline to creating a meaningful experience that will contribute to my NPO was not happening swiftly. As much as I tried (and still try) I seemed to be working to beat the clock on all my assignments. This week is no different, it’s Thursday afternoon and I am putting the final touches on this blog minutes away from running out the door to my daughter’s softball game. This is not a comfortable position for me, there are too many variables that I can\u2019t control. I am only one emergency away from my ability to meet the deadline being completely derailed. There is so much to juggle as I not only manage my own business, but I manage a household filled with beautiful souls that rely on me to be present and operating at full capacity. Just like so many other brave beings, \u201cI belong to that classification of people known as wives. I am A Wife. And, not altogether incidentally, I am a mother.\u201d (1) This quote is from a famous satirical poem entitled, \u201cI Want a Wife\u201d. I often find myself wishing that there were two of me. One to take care of all the tasks that keep things in motion in my household and my business and the other that can handle the fun stuff, the creative side of life. The author of the poem, Judy (Syfers) Brady goes through a list of things that having a wife would solve or make easier for her. This poem is not about marrying a woman, this is not about that. It is about having a \u201cme\u201d to take care of me. It is acknowledging that as a wife and a mother there is an expectation that things will be taken care of, and if you add ministry to that mix-overload is quickly creeping on the horizon. It is common for me to feel like I am firing all cylinders while also feeling like none of my cylinders are in motion. <\/p>\n
Thinking, Fast and Slow is hailed as one of the greatest insights into the human mind. My belief about the writing, reading, and discussions, in this leg of the journey, is that all roads should lead to my NPO. The title of this book led me to believe that I would find a solution to my fast and slow processing that often leads to me feeling overloaded. I was hoping that it would help me determine how to be get it all done well and not face overload. Additionally, I was hoping that this book would provide tools useful to me as I conduct my research. To my surprise, the book is not about providing tools, it is an in-depth look into the mind and the systems that drive how we think.<\/p>\n
Kahneman introduces two Systems that are creatively named system 1 and system 2. \u201cSystem 1 operates automatically and quickly, with little or no effort and so sense of voluntary control. System 2 allocates attention to the effortful mental activities that demand it, including complex computations. The operations of System 2 are often associated with the subjective experience of agency, choice and concentration.”(2) Suggesting that the systems (specifically system 1 which informs system 2) that drive how we think operate automatically, made me uncomfortable. It raises concerns that there is no hope at changing incorrect, inaccurate impressions that may be driven by conscious or unconscious biases. I began to question how much experiences, exposures and environment plays a role in how we think in this automatic system that Kahneman describes. The book stops short of laying out concrete ways that these systems can be changed or altered. Malcolm Gladwell touches on this in his book blink (The Power of Thinking Without Thinking), he states, \u201cOur first impressions are generated by our experiences and our environment, which means that we can change our first impressions- we can alter the way we thin-slice-by changing the experiences that comprise those impressions.\u201d(3) This suggests that the automatic process that determines how we think can be shaped by changing our experience, our exposure. Gladwell also states, \u201cIf something is happening outside of awareness, how on earth do you fix it? The answer is that we are not helpless in the face of our first impressions. They may bubble up from the unconscious-from behind a locked door inside of our brain- but just because something is outside of awareness doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s outside of control.”(4) We have the power to change unconscious behavior and patterns. My NPO is examining the sociological factors impacting black women leading in white religious spaces (in Texas). Malcolm Gladwell\u2019s explanation was useful and encouraging as I try to apply this concept to my NPO. Although, I didn\u2019t find concrete answers in any of the resources that I tapped this week, I now have an additional question for my next Discovery Workshop- How do I work with Christian leaders to embrace new experiences that can help rewire the impressions that they hold that may have been shaped by unconscious and\/conscious biases? <\/p>\n
I started this post expressing my desire to find tools to help me manage overload. I found a book that I want to share with you. Dr. Saundra Dalton -Smith wrote Sacred Rest in response to burn-out from overload. She suggests that we examine 7 areas of our lives to determine how to achieve \u201cSacred Rest\u201d. Dr. Dalton- Smith states, \u201cHealing occurs when we allow ourselves the time, space, and grace to be in the presence of God in the middle of our busy lives.\u201d (5) I would also add that clarity occurs then we allow ourselves time, space, and grace in God\u2019s presence. The seven areas as Dr. Dalton-Smith defines them are:
\n1.\tPhysical Rest
\n2.\tMental Rest
\n3.\tEmotional Rest
\n4.\tSpiritual Rest
\n5.\tSocial Rest
\n6.\tSensory Rest
\n7.\tCreative Rest
\nIf you are curious about which type of rest that you might be missing, visit www.RestQuiz.com. I discovered that I am deficient in more than one area. For me, it is impossible to have clarity in thought and decision making when I am mentally, spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausted. It is also unlikely that I will find a wife to help lift some of the load. I must seek out spaces where there is no overload. Sacred Rest is the key. Loved Ones, I pray that you find sacred rest, we will need plenty of it for the journey that lies ahead. <\/p>\n
1.Judy Syfers, \u201cI Want a Wife,\u201d New York Magazine, December 20, 1971.
\n 2.Daniel Kahneman, Thinking, Fast and Slow (New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011), 20.
\n 3.Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking (New York: Back Bay Books\/Little, Brown & Company, 2019), 97.
\n 4.Ibid. 96.
\n 5.Saundra Dalton-Smith, Sacred Rest: Recover Your Life, Renew Your Energy, Restore Your Sanity (New York, NY: Faith Words, 2019), 28.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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