Scoreboard

I wonder what the "Resolved" book would have turned into if it had been written by a woman instead of a man.  The examples in the book seem to be pulled from business and sports, and there is no getting around "Scoreboard" as a chapter title almost turned me off on reading the chapter.  However, it wasn't as bad as I feared.  The scoreboard referred to is simply a way of defining whether you are on track with your goal, and getting feedback so that you can continually improve. (Whew! I was not willing to resolve to be more competitive in my work or relationships.)

For anyone who is still keeping track of my progress, This week I have spent very little time reading Life Leadership related books or listening to CDs.  Instead, I have outlined an 8-part workshop on Addiction and Trauma (which is making considerable progress toward my goal).  I suppose that is putting the scoreboard into action.  In the long run, it doesn't really matter whether or not I read and listen to anything that has been assigned if I don't actually meet the goal of designing a program to teach as a class. In the process of acting,  I have really been inspired in my research as I started to write ideas.  I have a vision of making the info into a format that transitions well to online learning.  This is part of the growth process of having a vision and working toward goals.  In the process we also grow and learn new skills. 

The other application of "scorecard" has to do with making sure that I have clearly defined goals for my program and a way to evaluate whether the goals are being met.  I have had a lot of data in my head, and I enjoyed writing it into a structure, but until I tried to define clearly what I hoped to accomplish, I had no way to know whether the interesting data was relevant to my purpose of helping others.  For anyone who has read this far, I apologize for the boring prose.  These blogs aren't my preferred writing style, but they do serve the objective of getting me to write again and be accountable for the 90-day challenge I initiated.  

Here is the good stuff:
Program title: "Binding Broken Hearts and Minds"
Description of the problem: "Despite widespread addictions in our society, there is little public awareness of underlying risks or protective factors related to addiction.

The goal of "Binding Broken Hearts" is to reduce stress and anxiety within families dealing with addiction through increased understanding of the nature and roots of addiction and skills to increase emotional resilience.

Program Goals:
1. Participants will be able to distinguish between addictions and bad habits.
2. Participants will understand the role of secure attachments on emotional development and self-regulation.
3. Participants will be able to describe types of trauma and how trauma may lead to addiction.
4. Participants will identify 5 resiliency factors that reduce susceptibility to addiction, including 3 that can be learned or acquired as adults.

I am excited to see this project move forward.  Whatever my excuses about 90 day challenge might involve, I am grateful to see the results that have come from focused attention to a worthwhile goal.