Faith

The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen….(Heb II, 11:1). Faith is the lynchpin that connects desire to fullfillment. A charged word for sure. The Kabbalists identify the enemy in this life as Doubt. It’s opposite is certainty. Faith is the faculty each of has to increase our level of certainty. Acquiring Type 1 diabetes knocks certainty out of us like getting the wind knocked out of you. The path back to faith requires patience and perserverance.

Confront, Understand, Internalize, Master and Triumph; A Step by step perspective in dealing with Type 1 Diabetes

I have introduced in prior writings a five step process that I have used in assessing and developing systems and procedures and the associated training protocols. I would like to expand on that here and also offer a few different perspectives from which to understand it. My primary objective is to communicate the reality of the challenge that faces those of us who have Type 1 Diabetes and to put forward a perspective and a process to achieve positive results.

The 5 steps are:

Step 1:  Objective

Identify and state primary objective. What is it you want to accomplish or manifest? What does the outcome look like? It should be, in the end, a written statement that is specific, time bounded and measurable.

Step 2:  Functions/Ingredients

The second step is to identify and prioritize the ingredients or functions involved in accomplishing the objective. This step is a brainstorming exercise followed by a ranking from most important to least important. What are the components involved? Which ones are more important?

Step 3:  Systems and Procedures

In this step it is time to create a system that most effectively accomplishes the functions we identified in step 2. This is the creative step. How do I want to go about this? How do I integrate the tasks so that I am doing it in an effective way? What procedures do I want to put in place?

Step 4:  Implementation

Step 4 is the implementation step. We work the system that we created. Training is involved here as well as action steps. What do I need to do? How do I do it? What should be my practice?

Step 5:  Managing Outcomes

As a result of employing steps 1 through 4 we will have achieved outcomes. Step 5 is about managing these outcomes. How do we measure them? Am I getting the results I want? How do I enjoy the results I get? What are these results telling me?

The 5 steps are a step-by-step process but it is by no means linear. Instead it is more cyclical. Once we have reached step 5 and assessed our outcomes then it is time to go back and re-commit to the primary goals, explore for unseen or now more important functions or ingredients that we may have missed, alter systems and procedures, and evaluate our implementation strategies.

This 5 step process was born from what I have learned over the years as a systems developer and trainer. One of the most profound things I came in contact with is something called the Growth Cycle. The 5 step process mirrors the growth cycle. What is interesting, at least to me, is that many of my studies in metaphysics, religion and spirituality have similar tenets running through all of them. They all in one way or another refer to the cycle of growth from the seed level to the manifestation level. Christianity and Judaism reference the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge. The Buddha sat under a tree and contemplated the roots of suffering. Continue reading Confront, Understand, Internalize, Master and Triumph; A Step by step perspective in dealing with Type 1 Diabetes