The Renewal Times

The Renewal Times is a publication of Renewal Technologies Inc. and is edited by Roger Ellerton.

This newsletter may be republished without permission, provided it is reproduced in its entirety and provided copyright is acknowledged. To reproduce sections of the newsletter, contact Renewal Technologies Inc. at info@renewal.ca.

Please forward this newsletter to friends and colleagues. To become a subscriber or to view previous editions of this newsletter, visit www.renewal.ca/newsletter.htm.

Note: The material in this newsletter is presented for information only. It is not a substitute for medical, psychological or professional advice. Please consult a qualified professional.

Included in this newsletter:

• Thought for the day
• Health Notes
• Upcoming Seminars
• Feature Article
• Humour
• More Information

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Thought for the Day
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What I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it.

         Bob Tupes

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Health Notes
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Good Friends May Help You from Losing Your Mind

Some people don't have much memory loss from Alzheimer's disease, even though their brains show physical signs of it. And the more good friends and close family they have, the less affected their memory seems to be. Coincidence?

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Walking and Eyesight

People who walk at least three times a week are less likely than exercise slackers to develop wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that can smudge out central vision.

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Eat Better, Feel Better and Live Better
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Roslyn Franken is a proud cancer survivor and author of The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living – a book filled with practical guidance, personal insight and positive inspiration on how to eat better, feel better and live better through the practices of healthy eating and positive living. Roslyn shares the 9 principles that changed her life and can now change your life too. Each principle is explored as a necessary ingredient for successful long-term health, weight control and quality of life.

Along with loads of practical tools and information, Roslyn Franken shares personal insights from her own struggles with food, weight, health and self-image, plus real life examples from her healthy living counseling clients. With self-reflective questions in a workbook style, people understand themselves and their relationship with food in newer, deeper and more meaningful ways so they can relearn how to eat properly and improve their quality of life by making healthy, balanced food and lifestyle choices.

Roslyn offers Personalized Counseling, Motivational Speaking and her Corporate Gift of Health Program to promote, educate and inspire individuals, groups and corporations with the principles outlined in her book, The A List: 9 Guiding Principles for Healthy Eating and Positive Living. For more information, visit www.roslynfranken.com.

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Upcoming Seminars / Workshops
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We are pleased to offer the following public workshops/seminars in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:

Introductory NLP Evening

June 17, 2008 7:00pm - 9:00pm

Please come as our guest. Invite a friend to come with you. Registration is required so that we can reserve a seat for you. E-mail your name and the number of people attending to info@renewal.ca. For more information, please see www.renewal.ca/freeseminar.htm.

During this event, we will have a book signing for Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up: NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You and offer you a special discounted price.

NLP Practitioner Training

Seven consecutive days: July 7 - 13, 2008.

NLP Master Practitioner Training

Four weekends: March 27 - 29, April 17 - 19, May 1 - 3 and May 29 - 31, 2009.

Get More Out of Life

A program designed to help you get more out of life through discovering who you are at many levels -- your place in the world, your mission in life -- and to inspire you to take action to pursue your mission with passion and joy in a way that is respectful of others.

September 13, 2008. Discover Yourself -- Find Out What's Holding You Back

Going Beyond the Limits of Traditional Coaching

Discover why goals don't work and experience what does! Learn the nuances in the NLP coaching model for resolving the most common, challenging coaching issues such as procrastination, values conflicts and life transition issues. Presented by NLP trainer John Overdurf.

October 17 - 19, 2008.

For our most recent schedule and a description of these workshops/seminars, please visit www.renewal.ca/neurolinguistic.htm

Click on the following link for the location of our NLP Training Centre in Ottawa (Stittsville), Ontario, Canada.

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Feature Article
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This article may be reproduced, provided it is reproduced in full, including author bio and a reference to Renewal Technologies' website (www.renewal.ca).

Receiving Feedback

By Roger Ellerton Phd, ISP, CMC, Renewal Technologies Inc. www.renewal.ca

At one time or another, we are on the receiving end of advice or feedback. Sometimes it is because we have invited it to improve how we do something or our overall well-being. Other times, we may receive uninvited or unwanted feedback, simply because the provider feels that we or they can benefit from offering this information.

So how can you receive feedback in a healthy and respectful manner?

Be Resourceful

Receive feedback with a resourceful state of mind. That is, feel confident, enjoy who you are, be flexible and see possibilities. Doing so, will put you in a better state of mind to hear what is being proposed, to suggest alternatives and to get on with improving your life. If you need assistance accessing a resourceful state of mind, you may consider reading an introductory NLP book, engaging an NLP-trained coach or taking an NLP training.

If you are not in a resourceful state or the time is not appropriate, negotiate a time and place when you can be fully present. You may even inform the feedback provider that accepting this change will put you in a more open and receptive frame of mind.

Process as a Suggestion

Realize that you do not have to agree with the feedback. Simply recognize it as a suggestion that you can accept or reject. Consider it to be given with a positive intention for you. If it is offered with the intent of bringing you down to the level of the other person, recognize that this is not your issue, thank them for their feedback and move on.

You may argue that in a work environment, feedback can not be viewed as suggestions. Rather they are orders/directives and you have no choice other than to implement them as presented.

I would say that in any reasonable work environment, you do have the opportunity to get clarity on what the issue is and to explore different ways and means to address the issue. If this is not the case, you do have the option of seeking work elsewhere. To stay where you are and put up with these types of behaviours is only inviting disillusionment and illness. You and your family deserve better than that.

Gain Clarity

Sometimes when receiving feedback, you may not fully understand what you are being told or you may receive feedback that you have not requested. Rather than simply rejecting the feedback, gain clarity by:

• Exploring the provider’s purpose.
• Using NLP’s meta model - e.g. Who, what, when, where, how specifically, compared to what?
• Determining how the provider believes things would be different if you were to follow their feedback.

You may find that you agree with their overall intent, yet their suggested approach is not in alignment with your beliefs, strategies, etc. Now you can enlist their support (negotiate) to find alternative ways to achieve the same outcome.

View the Issue and Suggestions from Different Perspectives

Use NLP’s perceptual positions to gain clarity on what may happen if you did or did not follow the provided advice. This may also give you clarity on how you can modify the provided advice to better meet your own needs.

Use as an Opportunity for Improvement

Always approach feedback as an opportunity for you to grow and improve your life. You do not have to agree with it, simply appreciate that the provider is wishing to assist you in some way.

Avoid Abusive or Inappropriate Feedback

If in some way, you interpret the feedback as abusive or inappropriate, you may choose to explore if the feedback provider is open to feedback him/herself. If yes, this can be provided in a healthy and respectful manner as outlined in my article Providing Feedback. If no, then you may wish to explore ways and means to avoid or minimize getting feedback from this person or in the same manner in the future.

Finish with a Thank You

What you do with the feedback and how you react is your choice. Rather, than argue individual points, respect that what has been presented to you was presented with the intention of helping you. Choose which parts, if any, of the feedback you will implement or explore further.

Thank the provider and act accordingly.

Author: Roger Ellerton PhD, CMC is a certified NLP trainer, coach, certified management consultant and the founder and managing partner of Renewal Technologies. He is the author of the book Live Your Dreams Let Reality Catch Up: NLP and Common Sense for Coaches, Managers and You. Available from Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Chapters.indigo.ca, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes and Noble and other fine book retailers.

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Humour
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Publishers

Nations and what they would write about elephants:

• France: The Sex Life of the Elephant
• England: Elephants I have Shot on Safari
• Wales: The Elephant and its Influence on Welsh Language and Culture
• Scotland: How to Save Money with an Elephant
• USA: How to Make Bigger and Better Elephants
• Japan: How to Make Smaller and Cheaper Elephants
• Finland: What Do Elephants Think about Finnish People
• Germany: Short Introduction to Elephants, Vol 1-6
• Iceland: Defrosting an Elephant
• Canada: Elephants: A Federal or Provincial Issue?
• Sweden: How to Reduce your Taxes with an Elephant
• Switzerland: The Country Through Which Hannibal Went With His Elephants
• Israel: The Elephant and the Jewish Problem
• Denmark: Elephants - 100 Easy Ways of Cooking Them

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More Information
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For more information, please visit our website or contact us at 613 692-1424 or info@renewal.ca

Copyright © 2008, Renewal Technologies Inc. All rights reserved.

Renewal Technologies Inc.