You’re not hearing me!

I teach and use persona work pretty much every day. When someone is really stuck in an issue, it’s liable to be because a persona has been activated. Since our most difficult personas originated when we thought our survival was threatened, rigidity and unwillingness to soften are pretty clear signals that a persona has seized the steering wheel.

I don’t mind playing with a lot of my personas. My Airhead, Agnes Angst, Mrs. Victoria Hudson-Smith and Mr. Fix-it can be a lot of fun to play with. I don’t take them very seriously anymore when they decide to make their appearance.

But there are a couple of personas I have that I don’t enjoy. To quote Katie Hendricks, “You know you’re really in the grip when it’s not funny.” This week I came face-to-face with “You’re Not Hearing Me!” You know how it goes–you’re not hearing me so I HAVE TO TALK LOUDER!! As you might imagine, You’re Not Hearing Me has just about a .000 batting average in ever getting heard.

So I went back to the basics, being with it for awhile, then finally (with the help of my friends) getting down to the unarguable truth. Adding the dollop of appreciation allowed for real shifts to happen.

The good news of the week? You’re Not Hearing Me got heard. By me.