Connect and Reflect
April 2020 with Be Well UC
Topic: Finding Social Unity with Ourselves and Others
Writer and thinker, David Brooks shares how our society is in the midst of a
social crisis and many of us are trapped in a valley of isolation and fragmentation. During this TED Talk,
The Lies Our Culture Tells us About What Matters- And a Better Way to Live, https://bit.ly/ted-talk-david-
brooks*, Brooks lays out his vision for a cultural revolution that empowers us to lead lives of greater
meaning, purpose and joy; and how a range of exceptional people known as “weavers” are helping.
*Today’s session will focus on the first 10 minutes of the video.
Brooks says that when we have bad seasons’ in our lives, we tend to believe some of the lies that our
culture tells us (e.g., career success is fulfilling). Why do we tend to believe statements that align with
the status quo? What do you currently do to cope with the ‘bad seasons’?
What "lies" have you believed in the past?
How you coped with it? How have you used that lie to create a positive change in your
life?
In
a world often fixed on perfection, why do we believe the cultural lie, career success will lead to
happiness? How can compassion help overcome this?
According to Brooks, when you are in a ‘valley’ you can either be broken or broke open. What do you do
to work towards getting out of such a valley? Who helps you? Use the stepping blocks to show what you
are doing to become more resilient as you move out of the valley. .
Connect and Reflect
Brooksterm, “weaversare persons not living an individualistic life but
instead who are living a relationist life and have a different set of values.
They have moral motivations. Weavers reach down and grab people out of the
valley. Have you crossed paths with a weaver? How did this person pull you
out of your ‘valley’? How have you been a weaver in someone else’s life?
Brooks claims,Joy is not the expansion of self, it’s the dissolving of self. As we are adjusting to remote
work/study, how do you continue to bring joy to yourself and others? Write your answers in the blocks
below.
How can you use the current social change and social distancing in a positive way to be a community
builder/weaver?
Additional resources to consider this month:
American Heart Association’s Healthy Living, find COVID-19 resources on lifestyle, eating and nutrition, stress, etc.
https://bit.ly/aha-healthy-living
Cleveland Clinic’s article How to Stay Connected to Loved Ones Despite Social Distancing:
https://bit.ly/cleveland-clinic-stay-connected
Greater Good Magazine’s Guide to Well-Bring During Coronavirus https://bit.ly/greater-good-well-being-covid-19
Sing up for virtual volunteering through Cincinnati Cares at https://bit.ly/virtual-volunteering
Mindful.org article Compassion Works: https://bit.ly/compassion-works
Visit Impact Solutions, UC’s Employee Assistance Plan, for various resources, like
Resilience Journeys and additional happiness webinars, at http://bit.ly/ImpactEAP
.
Connect & Reflect | Virtual Session
April 2020 with Staff Success Center
Topic: The Surprising Habits of Original Thinkers
Connect & Reflect sessions are informal get-togethers, where we discuss the provided resource that will
lead to some beneficial takeaways. Join us every third Thursday of the month! For this month’s session,
we will explore benefits and strategies for innovative thinking. Organizational psychologist Adam Grant
studies "originals": thinkers who dream up new ideas and take action to put them into the world. In this
TEDtalk, learn three unexpected habits of originals including embracing failure.
Note: The April session is held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square
holes. The ones who see things differently … The people who are crazy enough to think they can
change the world are the ones who do.
~ Steve Jobs
In Today’s Session
1. Read this resource to prepare for our discussion today: https://bit.ly/2QHX0JE
.
2. Answer the questions about the resource below.
3. Participate in the discussion about this month’s topic.
Discussion Questions
How do creative people come up with great ideas?
What are some of qualities of original thinkers?
"The greatest originals are the ones who fail the most because they're the ones who try the most.
You need a lot of bad ideas in order to get a few good ones." What do you think of Adam Grant’s
words?
What are the surprising habits of original thinkers?
How can an organization encourage original thinking?
What can we learn from original thinkers and how can we implement their ideas to our
advantage?
Reminders
Don’t forget to add this event in the Be Well UC portal at http://bit.ly/alyfe
to get points.
Spread the word! If you enjoyed today’s session, please share http://bit.ly/UC-CR with a co-worker
and bring them along next time!