2010-Coaching, Elections and Gaming Tables,…oh my!

December 31st, 2010 by jevon No comments »

If you follow this blog at all you will notice that there hasn’t been much going on this past year in the way of entries. This does not mean that I haven’t been busy.

The Road less traveled
Early in 2010 I made a choice to change paths with regard to my focus and moved away from facilitation training. This has had a profound effect on much of the remainder of the year. I take pride in my word and my work. When I say I will do something, it will be done and it will be done well. When I came to the ‘fork in the road’ with regard to my training I had to make a choice. Choose to complete the training and keep my record un-tarnished or chose the path that would serve me better in the long run (even if it meant that I could not keep my promise).

While I still feel some sadness over not keeping my word this is a new place where I feel I can be counted on to “Do the right thing.” From this point forward I will alway make the best decisions I can with the information at hand and if that mean changing direction part way through a process then that is what will happen.

One of the largest positives to come out of this choice was me finding a new direction for being of service and a new ‘training’ program. I began studying with The Demers Group in their Core Alignment Coaching program. Through this 9 month program I will be come a Certified Professional Coach in April 2011 and with the work I have done already I can also be Credentialed by the International Coach Federation (ICF) around the same time as an Associate Certified Coach (ACC).

I am grateful to the Facilitator Training that I did. It helped to prepare me and allowed me to practice my skills, the skills I’m now honing in the coaching program. I am grateful to my employer who is supporting me in this training and encouraging me to move forward as I develop my skills.

The Purple Man

This past year also saw one of the most exciting Civic Elections Calgary has ever seen. A friend of mine ran for and won the Mayor’s Seat in Calgary. Naheed Nenshi. I couldn’t be more proud of him and the work he has done and is doing for my city. A city that I thought would not for for him based on race or religion turned out in droves to vote overwhelmingly for him.

I wrote an entry on why I voted for Nenshi back in October if you want to know more about how I felt about this and I include his youtube site if you want to meet him.

http://www.youtube.com/user/Nenshi4Calgary

This years big wood

It seems that I will now have an annual project that I’m constructing to keep my self entertained. In 2009 it was the Deck (see previous articles for that one) and this year is was a gaming table. What is a gaming table? Well a gaming table is designed for those who love, and I mean really love, to play games. Either board games or role playing games or war games. You name it this table will support that.

My buddy Brennan came back from a gaming convention raving about these tables he had seen there. He took me to the website to look at them and I just about died when I saw the price. These tables start around $10,000.00 and go up depending how you configure it. My reaction was to say, “I can build it cheaper than that!” When Brennen started renovations on his basement and it was to be his ManCave I decided that he needed a gaming table for it. Me and a bunch of friends planed this out and chipped in for the supplies. While I won’t disclose the total amount spent here I will say I made it for about 1/10 the price of the purchased table, and it took around 200 hours to build.

We delivered it to his house one night when he was out and surprised him when he came home. I believe he is still in shock. :-)

I learned so much on this project and was able to practice some new behaviors during the construction. I was honored to be assisted by Tarra for much of this project as well as my good buddy Aaron.

The Road Ahead

While I know that I’m beginning 2011 by continuing my journey training as a coach I’m unsure of what else this year will hold for me. I know that based on where I have come from and what I have learned this year can be an awesome example of living. I also know that I have the milestone of turning 40 in August so I figure it’s time to start planning the celebration.

I wish everyone the best in 2011 and a great night tonight.

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Why do I like Naheed Nenshi?

October 17th, 2010 by jevon No comments »

With Calgary’s Civic Election tomorrow I thought I’d write about what makes Naheed Nenshi my choice for candidate.

Back in June when Naheed announced his cadidacy I joined his social networking groups and online presence to stay in touch and do what I could to boost his campaign. I was short of time this past summer and did not volunteer my time, however I did make a couple of donations to assist the effort.

So why Naheed?

Naheed brings a great deal of pride and education to the position. He has a platform of ideas and solutions, not just promises. He presents actual plans for ‘fixing’ the problems with our city, city planning, city council and every area.

He is willing to stand for the rights of every Calgarian, not just one or two groups. He is willing to ask the necessary, and sometimes hard, questions to ensure that the citizens are represented and served. He does not get angry or upset when someone or group of people attack his ideas and merely presents reasonable arguments. He is a Leader!

I encourage you to go to nenshi.ca and look at his platform and ‘Better Ideas’, his platform is available in video format on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/user/Nenshi4Calgary), also on you tube is a town hall discussion where he answers voter questions.

If you are undecided, consider Naheed Nenshi as a great choice.

Jevon

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Big Deck Lesson 3: Creating a new foundation and The Two Wolves

July 31st, 2010 by jevon No comments »

What is a Foundation?

Well in the case of a deck or house or building. it is the base structure that you build upon. From Dictionary.com it is defined as:
the natural or prepared ground or base on which some structure rests.

In the case of personal development the foundation is comprised of your core beliefs and values. Everything we do is generally driven by these beliefs and values.

What makes a new foundation necessary?

In the case of my new deck the old foundation could not support the new structure I wanted to have in its place. The previous deck was 16 X 15, rotten and falling to pieces. The new deck was to be 20 X 30 and needed to hold a hot tub that would weigh up to 7000 lbs when full. A new foundation is required.

Recently on my journey I chose to move forward down my path and call in a larger way of being. By larger I’m referring to my becoming a coach and working on my certification over the next nine months as well as my next steps down the path of leadership. These amoung other changes have necessitated a new foundation of beliefs to ensure that they will support me on my journey.

Albert Einstein said,
“We can’t solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.”

What I am saying is we cannot grow or expand our experience of the world with the beliefs which have created our current experience of the world.  I don’t believe it is necessary to throw away every belief we have at this point, but an expansion provides the opportunity to find the beliefs which would cause it to fail.

What is hard about creating a new foundation?

Nothing has to be hard about creating a new foundation. The old foundation will naturally fall away where it needs to and make room for the new foundation that we bring forward.

Intellectually I believe what I the previous paragraph. My personal experience so far has not been that serene though. I really enjoy as much certainty as I can get and when things start changing and falling away, especially at the core level, I find it quite unsettling. Even when I know in my mind what is going on I find that I am challenged to let go of my attachments.

What I can say is the more I am able to move through the transition, without trying to force it or hold it back, the easier I have found the shift.

What about the old foundation?

As I said above. Not everything from the old foundation needs to go. I find its like a home reno project where we hang on to pieces we can reuse, perhaps in new ways to support the continuing journey.

There are parts though that will not provide further value in our development and it is these that I recognize the most.
When I have found a belief that limits me and I choose to let it go the biggest piece which makes the letting go so easy is seeing the gifts that living with that belief has brought to me.
The example from the deck story is how paralyzed I was when it came time to make the new foundation. As I spoke in lesson 1 I was unable to move the construction forward, my inner world was in turmoil. This is the part where my existing foundation was crumbling. I was having panic attacks and I felt trapped. (I didn’t need to have the panic attacks and freak outs – the is the place where I could focus on being more with present moment rather than resisting it.)

Anyway, I managed (with much support) to move through this part and the belief I came to was “I don’t deserve to be supported.” How could I possibly consider making a foundation to support the deck when I don’t believe that I deserve support.

So now I have the belief and I’ve decided that it no longer serves me. To make it easier to release this belief “I don’t deserve to be supported” I choose to see the gifts I have gained from living with it.

• Since I have to do it all on my own I have build up a great strength to carry me through so far
• I am able to create what I need and when I need it so my mental and creative skills are sharp
• I have great self reliance

Moving forward now I get to take these gifts and use them in conjunction with other people who do believe in me and who do support me.

The Big Piece

The biggest piece of this story didn’t come to me until over a year later. The initial title of this entry was “Creating a new foundation is sometimes necessary and can be scary as hell” The title changed from recent experiences where I was shown how much my attention I focus on the negative aspects my life.

It was during my first onsite of my coach training that I was reminded of the story of the two wolves.

An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy.

“It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.” He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”

I could focus on how hard and painful that time was and say “…scary as hell…”, however I’m brought to the place now where I see how much harder this lesson could have been and choose to fee the wolf that I want to win and the next time I’m into a new foundation piece I choose to move through it easily.

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Next stage of the Journey

July 1st, 2010 by jevon No comments »

I know what your thinking: “Next Stage Jevon? We haven’t heard from you in months and now you have a next stage?”

Yes I do.

I’ve made many choices this year which have altered the course of my travels, and although my destination remains unchanged the path has. Starting this July I will begin a 10 month program on personal and executive coaching. While this is a new program for me it ends up being a continuation of the work I started 2 years ago, but moves out of being strictly facilitation and broadens the tool selection at my disposal. Also by the completion of this program I will be eligible to be certified by the International Coach Federation (http://www.coachfederation.org/)

I’m looking forward to the final leg in this journey and would like to begin this stage by thanking all of you who have supported me so far on my journey. It is through working with all of you that I have traveled this far and experienced so much. I could not ask for better traveling companions and from my heart thank you all.

So here is to the next stage of the journey, to all of you who have been there before, and to all of those who have yet to join me.

Salut!

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Happy New Year to You and Yours – A Year of Gratitude

January 6th, 2010 by jevon No comments »

Greetings,

This past year, for me,  has been a journey of learning and living and I find it hard to believe that a year has passed already.  As I look back over the past twelve months I am very aware of how much abundance I have in my life and I am truly grateful for all of it. Part of abundance is Gratitude, they go hand in hand,  and this is where I am starting 2010 from. 

I  thank you who have been to see me in my Facilitator-in-Training practicum and assisted me on my journey.  Your investment of time and money in me are truly appreciated as each of you have brought me lessons and learnings on this journey.  I feel that I have come so far, and I know that I would not be where I am if it weren’t for the support of people like you.

My Third Practicum comes to an end on the 11th of February and I am still looking for individuals and couples who are interested and willing to work with me and support me in my journey by coming to me for facilitation sessions. 

My rates are $20/hour for individual sessions and $30/hour for couples sessions. 

I’m also offering a 5 session package for the price of 4.  With this package you get 5 sessions to be used within 6 months for the cost of 4 sessions. This package is especially beneficial for those with a desire to make some real change in their lives very quickly.

I still have several more sessions available in this practicum. If you, or any one you know would like to join me in this journey please have them contact me.  My availability during the week is in the evenings and on the Weekends during the day (See my Facebook page or website for the times).

Again my heartfelt thanks for journeying with me so far and I wish you all a great 2010.

Jevon Hills – Facilitator in Training
Phone: 403-217-8468
Email: Jevon@thewarriorsvoice.com
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Calgary-AB/Jevon-Hills-Personal-Development-Facilitator-in-Training/42602232911
Skype: jevon_at_thewarriorsvoice

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2009 – “What’s past is prologue”, William Shakespeare

December 31st, 2009 by jevon No comments »

Here we are at the close of another year and I find myself looking at the journey of 2009 and taking note of the milestones. It is amazing to see what has changed or happened in such a short period of time. Logically one year is about 1/70 of my life (assuming I live to be seventy), and yet in that small of a fraction of my life I feel I have experienced so much. It was less than 1 year ago that I wrote my first annual review, that I was worried I wouldn’t complete my first practicum and I was playing small (well smaller than I am now) trying to avoid my calling. 2009 saw me take many steps along my path and I am in a very different place now.

Raised Consciousness: The Main point of 2009

My Facilitator training is going very well. I completed my first practicum successfully and since then have completed my second practicum and I’m working on my third practicum which ends at the start of February. I find that my focus on being a facilitator and the training is raising my consciousness. I engage in activities more mindful of what I am doing and what I am feeling. This consciousness is rather new for me and thus it pervades my activities for 2009

I have met some big challenges and I have engaged in them in a variety of ways. I built a deck (which I have been and will continue to blog about) that brought to me many challenges, I was an actor on stage for the first time and I took on a leadership position at Evoco (where I work) which brings with it many opportunities to engage consciously. I wouldn’t say I met all of my challenges brilliantly, in fact I’d say I failed brilliantly some of the time. Judgements aside, however, all of the experiences I have had where I was consciously engaged have been very beneficial to me.

It is these experiences that reminded me of the saying we used back in elementary gym class, “It doesn’t matter if you win or loose it’s just a game”. This was my mantra because I was never any good at sports, however the actual quote is from a poem:

“For when the One Great Scorer comes
To write against your name,
He marks — not that you won or lost -
But how you played the Game.”

(from the poem “Alumnus Football”)
        Grantland Rice (1880 – 1954)

This sums up my view of my past years journey. I am looking beyond the results of my challenges, to how I felt when I was engaged in the challenge and how I responded to the challenge.

In the past I would, and sometimes still do, react unconsciously to stimuli (kind of a Pavlov’s Dog). Now, as I practice becoming mindful about what I am experiencing, I am able to choose my actions, rather than just reacting, and by choosing I can produce different results. I don’t always engage my activities or challenges in a mindful manner, but I have made the commitment to reflect on what I have experienced and felt to see how I could have responded differently. My habit of reacting is a 37 year old habit, and that can make it rather a tough one to move, but I choose to practice bringing consciousness to my experience continually, even if it is after the fact. The more I practice mindfulness the closer it gets to being in the experience rather than after.

So what has changed that is bringing this raised Consciousness? Somewhere I began to realize that my experiences can provide valuable information for me. That through each experience, and how I acted in it, bring with them gifts. This required me to become mindful of my experiences, no matter how I would judge them, and see the gifts that they brought. Even the most painful experience brings with it the possibilities of an abundant life.

The Devil in the Details

I feel more and more like a leader. This is rather new for me, but it does feel right. I knew I was starting to feel like a leader when I claimed a promotion at work. I had been a developer (worker bee) at Evoco for 3 – 4 years and in that time I had several supervisors whom I reported to. When one of my supervisors was let go and his replacement decided after 5 months to resign it was announced that we were looking for another person externally to fill the position.

I wondered why we would look outside the company for this person. This would mean that I would spend 3 or so months training my new boss on their responsibilities. That seemed to be illogical so I approached my boss and submitted my candidacy for the position of ‘Maintenance Manager’. I was given the chance to prove my self and since February I have been working as the Manager of software maintenance. I am still somewhat stunned that I stepped up to this position as I never would have previously. This position gave me many opportunities to practice how I will be in a variety of situations and to practice being a leader.

A big portion of 2009 saw me doing things I have never done before. I took the concept of “Beginner’s Mind” and began playing in it. It [Beginner’s Mind] refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would. (Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoshin)

This year I built a new Deck. I find that even I am getting tired of me saying that now, but the experience was so Profound and Life changing that I will continue to review it. This project gave me practice and experiences that have truly hit home and that is why they get their own blog. What makes this project beginner mind is how I approached it in a more conscious fashion rather than just pushing through to get the job done and it is the first large scale construction I have ever done for my self and my family.

I also did my first stint as an actor by being in the chorus and playing Mr. Fogg in Sweeney Todd. I have been a musician for about 27 years now, but this was my first run as a singer rather than Tuba player. I have also been involved in many musicals as a music director, but this was my first time as an actor. The whole experience challenged me, but provided some insights into my patterns and behaviors one in particular around balancing my facilitator temperament with my music director temperament.

The Big Milestone

The big milestone for me came in December on my 13th Wedding Anniversary in the form of a recommitment ceremony. Tarra and I have been talking about doing one of these for several years, but there were too many blocks which prevented us from going through. This whole year of our marriage has been about our old foundation crumbling away, making room for and building our new foundation together. The basis of our new Story and what can we commit to now.

I am honored and humbled that Tarra would choose to marry me again and proud to call her my spouse, my partner and my wife.

Finally

I’m reminded of the Quote that I used to open my 2008 review.
        “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. ” – Ferris Bueller

This past year has been me practicing just that. I took the time regularly to stop and look around at my Life. This alone is probably the most profoundly affecting practice I started in 2009 and will continue it going forward.

I wish you all a very happy new year and I will see you 2010.

–====================================================================–

Books Read or Reading
- Attracting Perfect Customers: The Power of Strategic Synchronicity by Stacey Hall and Jan Brogniez
- Strength for Life by Shawn Phillips
- Reframe Your Blame: How to be Personally Accountable by Jay Fiset
- He Revised by Robert A. Johnson

Movies Watched
- Knowing
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Star Trek
- Up
- FanBoys
- In Search of the Holy Grail: Understanding the Masculine Psychology
- A Gathering of Men
(for those that know me, they know I’ve seen way more movies — on average I watch about 3 movies a week)

Podcasts
- The New Man
- The Mind of Men

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Reframe Your Blame: How to be Personally Accountable – Jay Fiset

November 29th, 2009 by jevon 2 comments »

Reframe Your Blame: How to be Personally Accountable. Jay Fiset. Calgary, AB, Canada: Personal Best Publications, 2007. 232 pp.

In the world of personal development the concepts each practitioner talks about are very similar across the board. I would say the concepts are exactly the same, but it is how each practitioner speaks about these concepts which differs. So with everybody talking about the same things it is not surprising to find that there are certain words which appear in almost every practitioners vocabulary. One of these words is Accountable or Accountability.

Accountability is a concept with which I have struggled principally because no one I spoke to, or whose books I read, could ‘accurately’ define this term. One definition of Accountability I have seen used is ‘Stop blaming. Stop justifying. Stop complaining…Accept accountability’. When I read this I thought, “Is that it? Is that the fullest and most complete definition of Accountability?” Stop Blaming, Complaining and Justifying. Well, this definition does not work for me. I’m not saying that this definition is wrong, but I don’t find it to be accurate enough or complete enough. I need more.

My first concern is that this definition is at odds with the ‘Law of Attraction’. If you are unfamiliar with the Law of Attraction there are many books on the topic (I will review one of these at another time), however the basic Definition of the Law Attraction is that whatever you focus on is what you will get more of. So if one focuses on feeling contentment then you will get more contentment or if you focus on your financial abundance then you will attract more financial abundance into your life. The other piece of the Law of Attraction is that it doesn’t understand the words Don’t, Not, and No. With a phrase that starts with a negation you are actually focusing on that which you say you don’t want. If you don’t believe me then try this; “Don’t think about a BLUE house”. Now if you are honest I will guarantee that you just pictured in your mind a Blue House. It is important to understand this piece of the Law Of Attraction, because the definition that we are using is as follows : ‘Stop blaming. Stop justifying. Stop complaining…Accept accountability’. So we are actually focused on blaming, justifying and complaining. We are focused on all those things that which would lead us to non-accountability. So if we ignore all of the negative phrasing we are left with ‘Accept Accountability’ and we still don’t have a definition.

My second concern is around the ‘completeness’ of the definition. If you were to attend a weekend workshop this is about the size of the definition you get on Accountability. Short, Sweet and it assumes that you probably already know what accountability is anyway (which begs the question then why mention it at all since we are all on the same page). Many Personal Development practitioners only spend about 3 minutes out of 48 hours on this, and yet you are expected to be accountable.

My third concern with this definition is the results of it. You may, or may not be aware, but you will have a hard time making real, lasting changes in your life if you are not accountable. Accountability is a cornerstone in making the life you would want. So I want more on Accountability. I want to understand it and I want to know how to apply it in my daily life.

Jay Fiset did something that I feel needed to be done. Rather than just 8 words he spent 200 pages on really defining this term. This book thoroughly defines exactly what it is to be accountable and different levels of accountability. Thats right Accountability is not an On/Off switch, but a dimmer.

With many personal development books which I have read I found them to be didactic or instructional. The author will often speak about their point, use a story or anecdote to illustrate their point and re state the point. Having instructed you on the concept you are expected to now apply this your self. This approach can be very useful for getting through information, teaching it, and I have always benefited from these type of books.

Where Reframe Your Blame differs from many other books I have read is the ‘practical’ approach it takes. From the get-go this book brings its message to the individual reader by having the reader bring forward their own story or experience and writing them down in the book. It is a text/workbook. Fiset shares with the reader his own experiences as he asks you to share your own experiences and learn from them, and through working with your own life see how you could apply accountability to your experience and make the integration of a new practice easier.

From the liner notes on the back of the book Fiset puts it this way,


Every personal development book tells you that you can’t change your life until you become accountable, but none of them specifically tell you how. Instead they supply stirring axioms like ‘If its to be, Its up to me,’ ‘I create my own reality,’ and ‘Stop blaming and complaining.’ All these statements are true, but now you are going to learn HOW TO DO IT


I found this book to be an interesting read and personally challenging as I worked my way through it to learn more thoroughly what it is to be accountable and how I would apply accountability in my daily life. Well written, easy to understand and full of invaluable information. I would recommend it to any one who wants to know how to practice accountability in their own lives and position themselves to create the lives they would like.

Walk-in-Peace,
Warrior Jevon

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Big Deck Lesson 2: I Should Really Listen to What I Say

November 29th, 2009 by jevon No comments »

I said That?!
One of the many opportunities I’ve had brought to my attention is the opportunity to listen to my own words. Whether I’m speaking to a friend, telling a story, writing in my journal or blog; I don’t often pay attention to what I’m saying. Even as I write this I think, “Really? I don’t listen to my self? I wonder why not?”

What do I mean by, “I don’t listen to my own words?” I’m not speaking of a physical disconnection or inability to hear. I physically hear my words being vocalized when I speak. I ‘hear’ my thoughts in my head as I write. I see my words on the page or computer screen. I know I love to talk and tell stories and I enjoy being the center of attention from time to time. There are, however, many times I have had my own words come back to me in a light or circumstance that I hadn’t heard them in previously.

I’d like to share with you a couple of examples of how I don’t listen to what I say.

About a year ago I began looking into making short films. This is a medium which I love to watch, but have never bothered to communicate through. For my background I have a degree in Music Performance and I spend much of my time working in theatre either as a music director or soundscape designer. So I really wanted to expand my palette for artistic creativity. Almost instantly after I decided I wanted to make movies I came to the first hurdle. I had no story to tell. I could’t think of a single subject that I could make a story out of. I only needed a page or two of story to make a film (many of the scripts I have seen are 3 to 5 pages in length), but I couldn’t think of any thing to say.

About two weeks after ‘starting’ this endeavor I went on a Personal Development retreat where I spent 7 days looking into my self and getting accountable. One of the exercises we did was a guided meditation. It was through this meditation that I had one of the most incredible experiences and came to a profound realization about who I am. I wanted to share this experience with the group and so I told everyone the ‘story’ that I took part in during the meditation. It took about 5 minutes to get through all of the details of my experience and when I had finished a young lady turned to me and said, “You should make a little movie about that.”

I was absolutely shocked! I sat there stunned right to the very core of my being. I had that story and I didn’t even think to use it as the basis for a movie. It never entered my mind. I experienced the story in my imagination, I then told the story to a group and at no point did I think to make a production out of it.

I don’t consider what I say important enough to listen to.

Often I talk with others, tell stories, listen to their stories and often ask question or through intuition illuminate possibilities. I rarely listen to my own words though. This deck project has shown me that what I have to say is just as important for me to hear as it is for the people I am telling it to.. An example of this is illustrated in the following story.

I was speaking with a friend who indicated that he liked to help out others with whatever the other needed, but would never call on anyone to help him. He is more that willing to do for others, but not have others do for him. I asked, “What is this one-sided behavior was about? What is it about doing for others he ‘liked’?” He replied it made him feel good, useful, and a ream of other, similar, emotions. So I asked, “Are you aware then that by not allowing others to assist you that you are denying them the similar good feelings?”

I did not hear these words or how they applied to me when I spoke them, however I now recognize that without the help of others that I could not complete my deck. If I hadn’t asked for other people’s assistance I would have denied them the same feelings that I get when I assist another.

Why don’t you want our help?

So I hear you asking, “Jevon, why on earth would you not ask others for help?” In the answer to this there are several reasons I would not ask for assistance.
1) If I were to ask friends or neighbors for help that they would feel obligated to help me, but wouldn’t really want to help.

2) It would take longer as I would have to communicate to others what I want in a way that they would understand it.

3) I would have to lead the team.

As far as reason number 1 goes it never entered my mind that my friends, family and neighbors would/could enjoy my company and that they would want to be part of my project. I never thought that they would have fun building something that they could take pride in and when the come over for dinner say “I helped put that together”.

I don’t want to have to explain how to do something to another because that takes time and it would be faster to do it my self (As I wrote that line that no longer feels true for me, but that was once the truth of how I view asking for assistance). The crux of reason number 2 is that I would have to be an effective communicator to convey exactly what I want to another so that they understand and can produce it the way I want it. Ultimately it means I would have to ask for what I want and believe that I deserve to get what I want. If I don’t believe I deserve to get what I want or I don’t deserve the assistance to get what I want then asking for help is the last thing I would think to do or want to do.

Connected with number 2 is number 3. I would have to lead. Leading is a ‘risky’ place to be. It means being visible, accountable, vulnerable, exposed. However as the axiom goes, “Nothing Ventured…Nothing Gained.”
What are the results of me not willing to lead in this example? By avoiding leading I would have do the work my self. It would take longer and it would not have been done as well, however there are further consequences that would be incurred by me not leading and communicating. Many of the people I had help me have never built a deck before, where I have assisted on decks. It was that experience of assisting my father in building his deck that gave me the skills and confidence to build my own deck. If my father had not taken the time to explain to me and educate me then I would not be as effective as a home maintenance guy. By not leading and sharing my Vision, desire, skills and knowledge I would deny those who wanted to work with me the education, the experience and the opportunity to broaden their skill base.

If i did not lead a team on this project I would have also missed out on my learning from them and their expertise which they had to share. I would lose the opportunity to practice communicating and loose the opportunity to build community with my friends and neighbors. While it may feel like it takes a little longer to explain, educate and bring others along on my journey, without practice I will never be any good at it, however with practice, explaining and educating, will also become easier and take less time. I have a stone plaque which reminds me “Everything is hard before it becomes easy.”

What am I taking away from this?

From all of this experience (Talking to people, building the deck and the writing this article) I’m clearer on the opportunity at hand. The general jist of that being listening to what I say. It seems like I might have some value to offer myself with my own insights. I have stories that are worth sharing, and if the saying “Practice what you preach” holds any validity then I should start practicing a little more often.

However that is not all i’m leaving with. By working through the example of asking for help when I needed it I have more clarity about the what some of the potential losses would have been if I had not asked my friends for help. Also I have a sense of what I would not have in my life if I had not been asked for or allowed to help others. More over I got to spend a great deal of time with some of my friends and really get to know them. And, as a result of asking for help, I got the chance to practice my communication, my patients, and many other skills that are required if I am ever to lead.

Finally I would like to say thank you! Thank you to all of those who assisted me in constructing my new Deck. Those who gave their skills, efforts and time so that I could learn more of this lesson. I am forever grateful for the opportunity.

Walk in Peace,

Warrior Jevon: In-Service

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Posted in Deck Chronicles

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The Third Practicum Continues…

November 26th, 2009 by jevon No comments »

 I am now in my third practicum  of Facilitation Training and I’m seeking individuals, and NOW COUPLES, who are interested and willing to work with me and support me in my journey by coming to me for facilitation sessions. Through attentive listening, exploration, discussion, questioning and mutual discovery, we will create the opportunities to look at situations from a new perspective.

My rates are $20/hour for individual sessions and $30/hour for couples sessions. 

I’m also offering a 5 session package for the price of 4.  With this package you get 5 sessions to be used within 6 months for the cost of 4 sessions. This package is especially beneficial for those with a desire to make some real change in their lives very quickly.

My third practicum wraps up at the end of January and I still require several more sessions to complete it. If you, or any one you know would like to join me in this journey please have them contact me.  

Jevon Hills – Facilitator in Training
Phone: 403-217-8468
Email: Jevon@thewarriorsvoice.com
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Calgary-AB/Jevon-Hills-Personal-Development-Facilitator-in-Training/42602232911

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Jevon Hills – Facilitator in Training – Practicum 3

September 8th, 2009 by jevon No comments »

As most of you are probably aware by now I’m in a Facilitator Training course. I have done over forty client facilitations and I am honored by, and most grateful for those who have participated so far.

I am now in my third practicum and seeking individuals and NOW COUPLES who are interested and willing to work with me.

My rates are $20/hour for individual sessions and $30/hour for couples.  I’m available many weekday evenings and weekends with times to suit your schedule.

I’m including the original introduction message I sent out so that, if you wish to pass my information on to anyone, it is available to be passed on.  If you, or someone you know who is interested, have any questions please give me a call or drop me a line.  I will be most happy to answer.

Jevon Hills – Facilitator in Training

Phone: 403-217-8468
Email: Jevon@thewarriorsvoice.com
FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/pages/Calgary-AB/Jevon-Hills-Personal-Development-Facilitator-in-Training/42602232911

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Original Message:

As you may know over the past few years I have been actively involved in my own personal development. Through this work I have noticed that my life has shifted dramatically in very positive ways.  My financial situation, for example, has gone from facing significant financial hardship only 3 years ago to being consumer debt free and having assets I would have never dreamed possible.  My marriage is stronger than it has ever been and I am more confident, healthier and enjoying my life.  I am finding that through this work I am experiencing my life in as far  deeper and richer than I have before.

I now feel called to go further with my personal development work.  I am in the process of taking facilitator training to learn how to effectively provide the guidance which has profoundly affected my life when I have received it.  As part of my training, there are several practical components I need to complete.  One of these components is working with individuals in one on one facilitation sessions.

I’m currently looking for individuals who would like to support me in my journey by coming to me for facilitation consultation. Through attentive listening, exploration, discussion, questioning and mutual discovery, we will create the opportunities to look at situations from a new perspective.

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Posted in General, Journey Guides