Marcus Robbins

Contents
In the beginning: LIVE!.......................................................................................................... 3 NOTE! ....................................................................................................................................... 4 SORT! ........................................................................................................................................ 6 MUSE!....................................................................................................................................... 8 OBEY!...................................................................................................................................... 10 MOVE! .................................................................................................................................... 12 JOIN!....................................................................................................................................... 14 TELL! ...................................................................................................................................... 16 PLAY! ...................................................................................................................................... 18 SEEK! ...................................................................................................................................... 20 FIND! ...................................................................................................................................... 22 In the end: LOVE! ................................................................................................................. 24 STUDY GUIDE ...................................................................................................................... 26 FINDING OUT MORE ......................................................................................................... 27

To my sons and daughters, nephews and nieces, their children, and all who are young at heart. KEEP BALANCED!

NOTE! vs MOVE!

MUSE! vs TELL!

OBEY! vs PLAY!

SORT! vs JOIN!

SEEK! vs FIND!

To print PDF document as A5: Two pages on one A4 page, duplex, flip of short side, order of page printing: 28, 1, 2, 27, 26, 3, 4, 25, 24, 5, 6, 23, 22, 7, 8, 21, 20, 9, 10, 19, 18, 11, 12, 17, 16, 13, 14, 15 A. Marcus J. Robbins 2014

In the beginning: LIVE! We are being left, more and more, to our own devices smartphones, tablets, and the like. As a result, we are becoming very clever at navigating the internet. But how well do we really know ourselves and connect with our friends in the real world? Im a forester, and started out hugging trees more than people. That changed as I became more involved in management and learnt about my fellow humans. In doing this, I came across many ideas about how we behave, what we believe, and why were all so different. And being the sort of person I am, I spent a lot of time trying to summarise and synthesise these ideas. This booklet is an introduction to what Ive discovered. It aims to help start a process of understanding ourselves, so that we can become better, happier people, well connected to real life. Ive concluded that we each have ten powers (faculties or abilities forces, if you like) which we must use properly, balanced as five pairs. In the following pages, I describe each power hoping to encourage you to find more about them via a website, videos, book, and even an app. So dont worry, youll still need your devices! Each power is identified using a four letter word (but it isnt a swear word). Why use four letters? Well, I wanted to play with the idea that life itself is a four letter word which we are always wearing. Finding our place in the rich tapestry of life is like wearing power clothes that bring us to life. Sometimes they fit well and we feel great wearing them, but at other times we don't have the right stuff, things are uncomfortable - and we probably start swearing! Life wears us out. So read on and lets look at these ten powers. The diagram on the front cover lists them all, showing how they relate. You can browse them in any order you like, but look at all the introductions, understand how they match and balance each other, and then read the one at the end about LOVE! Thats the +1 power we must always wear over everything. You can look at the back cover at any time to get a summary and remind yourself of what the powers are about. So - may their forces be with you, and lets reconnect with real life!

Marcus Robbins Oxford 2014

NOTE! What does the power to NOTE! represent? Actually, it's more than one sort of power. Its the five senses with which we become aware of the world around us. Sight, sound, touch, smell and taste. We're talking here of how we take in sensory data. Its also about how we take in raw material to keep ourselves alive such as food, water and air, by eating, drinking and breathing. We have to do that all through life, so it goes without saying that we need to look after our eyes, ears, nose, hands, mouth, skin, and learn to use them properly. We mustnt take our senses for granted. I wasn't very good at caring for my senses as I grew up. I read books underneath the bedclothes, and got short sighted. I did DIY with noisy circular saws and sanders without ear plugs, and spoilt my hearing. I ate too many sweet things and got loads of fillings. I know that goggles, gloves, masks, earplugs and helmets can be a bother to remember and wear, but we've only got one set of senses, so it's a good idea to look after them. Health and safety is a bore - but it is necessary. It's only now I really appreciate the amazing ways eyes and ears are made, and am really aware of all the wonderful things they capture from the world. We must all try to be fully in the moment of what's going on around us. Most of us miss out on so much of what life has to offer in the way of our senses. And I mean of course, the real world not what comes to us via our TVs or mobiles! We must remember that there are other senses too, which many animals have. We may still have some of them, but have lost our ability to use. Extra sensory perception such as premonition, telepathy or a general sixth sense tend to be poo-pooed because they are difficult to prove scientifically. I dont know if you like science or the arts. Personally, I like both, and the arty scientists who dont mind studying phenomena that more conventional researchers shy away from. In this respect, we need to be open-minded using our senses. Besides looking after our five or more sensory inputs, we mustnt forget the physical inputs we all need air, water and food. In the west, we dont really have to worry about air pollution. However, we do ask for trouble if we start inhaling cigarette smoke. Most of our water is drinkable, but we need to keep a check on what we mix it with. Too much alcohol is every bit as damaging as tobacco and can lead to worse problems. And as for food we must make sure we have a balanced diet, and are not greedy. Were all getting far too fat and thats a fact! Its as well to note, too, that with this faculty of observation, what we take in while we are growing up will affect us for the rest of our lives. When it comes to the senses, our bodies are like video cameras, taking in and recording good and bad alike, never to be deleted. And as for our physical inputs, all these are
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laying down the bricks and mortar that make up our future bodies. It may be fun experimenting with drugs, but in the end our mind, body and spirit will likely suffer. Also remember that we are not just ourselves, but all the possessions that we acquire the extended us. As we buy things, we must keep saying to ourselves do I really need this or that? Its always nice to have luxuries, but we dont want our goods to possess us. Therell come a time when we dont have enough space and have to get rid of things, and that can be very difficult. There are lots of practical things we can do to look after our observing faculty. Two exercises are worth trying. The first is mindfulness meditation, where we deliberately try to become aware of what is going on around us, but without paying too much attention to any one thing. Its also a good way to relax, which Ill mention later. The second is fasting, where we deliberately decide to give up things we like for a period. In this way we appreciate things (like chocolate) better and learn to control our wants. Its good for our body, too. As for developing our senses, there are many ways. Instead of just taking photos, editing, and posting them on the internet, we should spend time really taking in scenes and holding them in our memories. Fully listening to music (not just having it in the background) is great for appreciating the way sounds go together. The same goes for cooking and making meals, and learning about and enjoying new flavours. Our NOTE! power must be balanced with our power to MOVE! - which is about output. If we keep on taking in, and not giving things out, well get bunged up. Its no good being a passive, observant watcher all the time. We have to get up and DO stuff actively move things along! Our power to SORT! is the logical next step after NOTE!, since we need to sort out all the differences and details. So in summary, this power is about our senses, and what we take into ourselves and acquire as we live our lives. Since its the way we experience the world around us, its important to look after and develop it. Whenever we find were not being observant, and missed out on something we must wear the power of NOTE!

SORT! The power to SORT! is a smaller article of life-clothing which we are always wearing. Its about the way we distinguish and monitor differences in the world around us how we sort them out. Our senses provide us with an incredible spectrum of colours, sounds, smells, flavours, textures, patterns, shapes, and sizes (like clothes!). If we think about it, our whole universe is made up of gazillions of parts out to the farthermost stars, and inwards to the minuscule particles that make up all of us protons, electrons, up and down quarks and maybe even smaller. All through life we are having to distinguish things. As babies we put things in our mouths, and spit out whats nasty. We learn to tell a smile from a scowl. During our education we learn to sort out sounds, words, letters, gestures, tone of voice, faces, cars, aeroplanes, trees, or proteins. And now we have billions of books documenting all the different naming of parts that we have been identifying ever since civilisation and writing began. Lets take an example of how important it is to know the difference between the sorts of things around us driving a car. If you havent got your licence yet, you will probably take a test and that will involve giving the government all sorts of details in effect parts or bits of information about yourself. Once we start to drive, we learn about all the different parts of the car - the accelerator pedal, brake, steering, gears, and light switches. We learn the basic components of the engine, brake system, wheels, and the tools for repairing a flat tyre (hopefully). Or say I want to become an artist. I will find out about the different ways I can create a picture. There will be many types of paper on which to put my mark. Will it be with charcoal, pencil, pen, or paint brush? And what type of paint? Watercolour, acrylic, or oil? Which makes? And once I get going, I must think about all the thousands of colours I can distinguish, and how to recreate them from their primary colours. I may also become interested in other artists and their styles. The sorting goes on! If we like counting our pennies, going through our accounts, seeing how much weve spent on clothes, entertainment, food etc. and working out how to make a bit more out of our savings, then well be using our SORT! power here as well. Budgeting income, whether its a grant or wages, is something that is key if we are going to have enough money for the things we really need. If we dont like wearing this power, then we need to find someone who does to help us sort out our finances! I love classifying things. When I was learning forestry, I enjoyed dendrology (the study of different trees), and got a prize in it. I was able to identify
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different types very well, using (as all taxonomists do) the different parts of the tree: the shape of the leaf, type of fruits, form of crown or texture of bark. Whenever I started a new topic in forestry, I would always want to know how it was structured and organised into its various elements. The same goes for languages. I learn by seeing the different words, and how they are constructed using grammar. If we name any subject, well find we can only get to grips with it if we are prepared to sort out its different parts first. If we really like wearing this power of classification, we may well enjoy plane spotting (I do), or stamp collecting (my wife does) or bird watching (we both do). All these sorts of pastimes are great exercises for learning to distinguish differences between things. Of course, the most important subject we should sort out is ourselves and our fellow human beings. As we get to know people, we need to understand the ways in which they are different from us, or the same. Doing this with friends (and enemies) is very important, but it is not easy and can lead to difficulties. We need to know what is important to differentiate, and what is not. We tend to identify differences in race, abilities, customs, and beliefs so as to make us think we are better than others and we are not! This type of discrimination is in the news all the time, and causes all sorts of problems, worse than swearing. The SORT! force is complementary to the JOIN! one. Once weve identified all the different parts of life, we cant leave it like that - weve got to piece them all together into a whole. Its like a jigsaw. Its only when we have completed it that we see the big picture. We can pull apart another human being, but we need to put everything we know about them back together to see the real person. And dont forget - to be able to SORT! we need first to NOTE!, and after sorting, well have to MUSE! All these powers go together like jigsaw pieces, too. So lets summarise this power. To sort is to differentiate, distinguish, classify, and name all the different things of which the world is made up both large and small. The better we can do this, the better we are able to understand stuff and people around us. But we must start with ourselves, and then realise that other people are just as wonderfully complicated! Its good to be different! Lets wear different clothes, but always the right SORT!

MUSE! Funny word, MUSE! Amusing, we could say. But it was the only four-letter one I could find that really represented our very important power of thinking. To muse, so my dictionary tells me, is to consider something thoughtfully. So this big power is about using our brain to work through problems or situations and to come up with answers or conclusions. Its turning data into information. Like all our ten powers, we use this one all the time, even if we dont realise it. But as we grew up, we didnt always use it properly, did we? How many times were we told to THINK!? As we grow, our brain develops at a phenomenal rate, until it is the most complex organ in the universe. Then, almost immediately, it starts to run down. Like our senses, which are extensions of our brain, we need to take great care of it. So that means wearing a crash helmet when needed on a bicycle, motorbike, horse, when climbing, or working on a construction site. It may be a bother, but well be doing a lot more than swearing if we crack our skull or maybe nothing at all, ever. Drugs. Another thing thats always in the news, and very relevant to this power. I mention two of the commonest drugs alcohol and tobacco under NOTE! Many drugs (and Im not talking of medicines) alter the way we think and view the world. Thats their purpose. I once tried cannabis (after drinking a beer) and felt I was in another spiralling universe. Never again! I think it is best never to get started. However attractive the experiences may seem, if our wonderful brain is going to be messed up, its just not worth it. You may know that we have two types of brain to take care of. They are the right and left sides, which tend to be associated with different ways of thinking. Each hemisphere can be subdivided, making four approaches to thought. Our left brain seems to be best at logical, factual, analytical, or instinctive ways of thinking, whereas the right is best at imaginative, creative, emotional or intuitive ways of thinking. We may prefer one or the other, but we really need them both. A word about intuition is useful here. There are three ways with which we know about the world. The first is through our senses. The second is through whats built in to us our left brained instinct. And the final one is intuition when we immediately know something without thinking about it. We should use all three, but the more materialist we are in our view of the world, the more we tend to lose our right brained intuitive powers. There is a lot of talk about personality and many tests that we can take. All are linked to the ten powers I am describing here. Many theories suggest there are four main types of personality or temperament. Others suggest eight, or even
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sixteen. I dont have space to go into them, except to say that all types are equally good, and help to emphasise that most people dont think and behave like we do. Thats what makes up the rich tapestry of life. If we recognise this in our friends and colleagues, itll be so much easier to get along with them and stop swearing at each other when we argue about whos right or wrong! This MUSE! power is interesting because little is known about the brain and how we really think. Some scientists think that our mind, memory, consciousness and power of reasoning are nothing more than a computer-like way brain nerve cells are interconnected its all just electrical physical fizz. But other people (and Im one of them) think that our mind, memory or consciousness is something that is not just material it is also spiritual and somehow extends beyond us into the universe. If we agree with this view, then we have to give serious thought to what religions say about such matters and also ideas of the paranormal. A word of caution. Thinking about a problem and working out an answer can be fun. But when we get overloaded with problems, have too much work, become ill, or lose friends, life can get very stressful (and swearing occurs!). We must be alert to the symptoms (for example, being anxious, sad, weepy, getting angry, off your oats) and try to stop the causes. Its important to get enough rest and relaxation and to sleep well. Its here that meditation can come in useful. Ive mentioned it elsewhere. Taking holidays and having a change of routine can help a lot to combat stress. Our power to think or MUSE! is paired with our power to TELL! how we express ourselves. Its important to think before speaking (how often have we been told to do that?). And its also important to express our thoughts and feelings, and not bottle them up (and end up swearing!). Our power to SORT! naturally comes before MUSE! Theres no point in thinking about a problem if we havent sorted out all the facts, figures or evidence beforehand. On the other hand, talking through something can help us to think about it. To summarise, therefore - our power to MUSE! is about thinking with our brain, both intuitively and rationally, to address problems. Its a power thats at work while we are using all our other ones. If we dont m/use our head properly, as Queen Victoria said, we (and others) will not be amused.

OBEY! If ever there was a word to make us swear, its probably this one! No-one likes to be told to OBEY! But this power of ours is not just about obeying orders. Its also about obeying our conscience or our reason. It includes our powers of analysis which we use to take a decision or make a choice (say, which way to travel or what phone to buy). Judging is part of this power, when we decide what is a good or a bad thing to do. And it includes forming habits, based on past decisions. So - judging, choosing, deciding, habit forming these are all things that our power to OBEY! helps us with. We live in a world where lots of decisions are already made for us. For instance, there are physical laws that determine how far we can jump, how long we can stay underwater without breathing, how fast we can go round a corner without skidding. Try to break them, and well soon learn the consequences. Its the job of science to work out these types of natural laws, and as much as we dislike them, there is nothing we can do about them. Of course, there are ways around. You and I cant fly, but we can travel by a plane that does. Then there are man-made laws, too which we can choose to obey or not. But if we ignore, there will be a punishment. Such laws may seem a pain, but most of the time they are there to stop us hurting ourselves, or other people. Sometimes its not obvious how they work like a 30mph limit on a straight and clear road. But there may be other reasons we dont think of like keeping traffic noise down. No system of human laws is perfect, but they are usually there to help, and even if they dont, at least they can help reduce the number of choices we have to make. When its entirely up to us what we do, well still need to use this power to help us obey our conscience, or judge the reasons for or against doing something, so that we can make a good choice. Throughout life we are doing this all the time. For example: when to get up in the morning; what to have for breakfast; when to study; where to go out for a meal; what sort of computer to buy; when to go on holiday; whether to marry, etc. Decisions, decisions! But note that even with these so-called free decisions, there are always principles or guidelines to help us. If we like making decisions, and they are the right ones then well probably be good in management jobs and leading other people. If we dont, then well be best in jobs where other people can make major decisions for us. If we marry and have a family, therell be lots of decisions about where to live, what house to rent or buy, how many children to have, and where to send them to school. These sorts of decisions should be made together with our spouse.

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Remember, she or he will probably think about the problem differently from us which is good. Another job, good for people who like principles and laws, is that of a researcher. If we like trying to find out what makes the world tick (and we like the SORT! power too), then well probably enjoy taking time to do experiments, analyse the data, come to conclusions and write up the results and maybe propose a new theory or law. But one thing to be careful of here is that if we like this power we tend to see everything as black and white, and can be dogmatic, critical, and even hypocritical. By the way it might help to soften the blow of the word OBEY! to know that it comes from the Latin word to listen. So, to obey can mean to listen carefully. And knowing this can help us learn how to obey, judge, or decide better. The first thing is to listen carefully to all the evidence about what will happen if, say: we dont understand a physical law; or want to break a manmade law; or have to make a choice that is entirely up to us. Even then it can be difficult to know what to do, and we may just have to take a chance, or rely on our intuition but more of that elsewhere! Or we may allow our own autopilot the habits we form to determine what we do. This is a great option provided our habits are good ones. But we can get into bad habits, so its a good idea to keep a check on them and make a change when needed. Like other powers, we cant use this one in isolation of others. Before we reach a stage when we can make a decision, we have to use your powers of observation (NOTE!), discerning (SORT!) and thinking through things (MUSE!). And when we have decided, well have to use our power of acting (MOVE!). Its no good taking a decision or making a judgement, if we dont do something about it! Remember, too, that our power to OBEY! makes a complementary pair with our power of creating (PLAY!). Obeying or choosing sets limits or boundaries to what we do, and we must balance this by taking time to play, to be free, and not be constrained. So to sum up OBEY! we use this power to make choices or take decisions, based on natural laws, societys laws, or our own laws about what seems the best course of action. Again, like all the powers, we are using this one all the time, either knowingly, or unknowingly.

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MOVE! MOVE! is a big power that is perhaps easiest to appreciate. Its about doing practical things using our hands, feet or whole body. For many of us, its the power we seem to use most at work or play say, driving a car, or doing plumbing, cooking a meal, or playing a game of football. Thats not to say we arent using our other powers, of course. We will be watching, thinking, deciding, or saying things at the same time, but what we are most noticeably doing is moving. How many times, as we grew up, have we languished in bed, or blocked a doorway, and been told to MOVE! it? Movement prompts me to become philosophical for a paragraph. Consider this: we wouldnt exist if it werent for movement or so it seems. The Big Bang, if true, was a major mover, wasnt it? Afterwards, everything expanded at explosive speed, forming quivering quantum particles, agitated atoms, folding molecules, condensing gas clouds, twinkling stars, whirling galaxies whizzing away from each other, consolidating planets, and organising organisms. Even if you or I are fast asleep and dead to the world, on a smaller scale we are still a seething mass of movement. Now there is a question to ponder here: what started off this movement in the first place? OK, enough of philosophy - what sort of physical pastimes do we like to do? Is it making things models or DIY? Or is it playing a game say tennis, cricket or football? Or is it in music, where we learn to move keys on a piano, or a violin bow across strings? Maybe physical movement is a major part of our work building a house or stacking shelves in a supermarket, or defending the rest of us in the army. Whatever we do physically, we know the common adage that says Practice makes perfect. If we want to excel at something, however mundane, using any power, we must keep on practicing and getting into good habits if we want to excel at it. Since Im playing on the idea of swearing, this power is a good place to mention the S*** word. Our power to move also includes our bowel movements, as doctors delicately refer to our poo habits. And thats what this swear-word is all about, of course. But why do we swear? It seems that when things arent going well, we like to swear as it vents our frustration and shocks other people. Which is better than getting physical and having a fight, isnt it? Lets think about accidents. More often than not, they are a result of someones or somethings movement that is too fast, unexpected, or uncontrolled. I once had an accident with my wife, in a Landrover, where we rolled over and over and got quite bashed. You never know when you might come across a mishap, and so its good idea to be prepared, and have some knowledge of first aid. You might save a life if you know how to help someone who has stopped breathing, had a heart attack, or fallen off their motorbike.
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Like our senses, we need to look after our whole body to keep moving. That means we need to keep fit by taking enough physical exercise, and making sure we eat well. At school, I had to play rugby, which I didnt like because it was too rough! I then got exercise by rowing. My work in forestry meant a lot of hill walking, but later there were more and more desk jobs so I had to be careful not to put on weight. Now that Im retired Ive discovered Nordic walking which is great! We need to get the right sort of exercise at the right time to keep our body fit. It benefits all our powers. While were on exercise, its important to remember those people who have some form of disability, in one way or another. Its most obvious if its physical, but we need to keep in mind that many people have to put up with less obvious ones like being colour blind, deaf, or having ADHD. Perhaps we cannot use all our powers properly because we were born like that, or had some illness. We need to bear this in mind, trying to understand others problems, and be ready to help out. Another thing to remember about this power is how we change as we grow older. When we are young, we are all full of energy, daring and bouncing about, but as we grow older we become slower and more cautious until, if we happen to live long enough, we become very slow and may end up having to have help in moving around. Like all our powers, they do tend to become weaker. And that will happen to all of us you and me included! The MOVE! power is often the last of the powers that we use. It balances our power to NOTE! because that one is about what goes in to us (our intake), whereas MOVE! is about what comes out of us (our output). When going to the loo or breathing out, its literally that. But mostly its about using our bodies to make us, or something we are using, move. Three other powers are closely linked to it: OBEY! (controlling movement) JOIN! (helping people move forward) and FIND! (moving people together in relationships). To summarise: our power to MOVE! is what we use to do physical things with our arms, hands, feet or our whole body. Its our practical output. Some work or play requires a lot of movement, others need less. Its important to keep our body in good order by getting enough exercise.

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JOIN! Our power to JOIN! is another one that links bigger powers. Its concerned with bringing lots of things together and making them into a whole. Mathematicians would say its like integration. We use this power when we help or direct people (or ourselves) to achieve plans and goals, and to find a purpose in life. Its not just about putting things together but also about finding out the meaning of things. Its turning knowledge into wisdom. When we use this power properly, we discover that this world is much more than the sum of its parts. Lets take some examples to illustrate this idea. A jigsaw is more than just the many pieces that fit together its the picture thats made. Music is much more than just the notes that are played. The whole composition has a life and meaning of its own. If youve made model aircraft, youll know that the grey bits of plastic, paint and transfers come together to create something that takes you off on imaginary flights doing all sorts of daring exploits. And a painting is much more than the pigments on the paper its a work of art. When it comes to people, our power to join up all we know about a person (or ourselves) can help to provide the much bigger picture of their (or our) personality and purpose in life. There are lots of skills people can learn to help do this. Here are some examples: a mentor is someone who is an experienced and trusted adviser; a facilitator is someone who helps us plan things; a mediator helps people who are having a quarrel to agree; a coacher helps improve skills; and a motivator encourages us to do better. All use their power of joining up the dots that are a person, and creating a bigger picture for them. A bit more about the idea of encouragement is appropriate here. Its something we all like to have to be told that we are progressing and doing well. If we dont receive it, we can get despondent and depressed, and think we arent getting anywhere. So its important to remember this and give other people encouragement. It may simply be just giving a passer by a smile, or taking time with a friend who is learning a new game, and showing how they have been improving. When were in a team, we need to encourage each other. By the way, effective teams are those made up of people who like to use different powers. Its not good if we are all going about things in the same way. For instance, we need an ideas person (thats the PLAY! power) as well as a decision person (the OBEY! power) and so on. When we have a good varied team assembled, ideally representing each power, we then need a good leader or facilitator who can bring them all together. This wont just happen, as everyone will be different from everyone else, each thinking they are the most important. And that ends up with people starting to quarrel, getting in huffs, or trying to take over. Im sure you can think of examples from school or work.
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Planning and organising our lives is important if we are to get anywhere, and the JOIN! power is vital for this. It means bringing together as many different bits of knowledge as we can, and then integrating them all together to achieve want we want - say: homework, holiday, wedding, program of studies, career pathway, or extension to the house. A word about joining in is relevant here. Im a forester and many of us like the solitary life among the trees, sometimes treating them as our friends! I was a bit like that to start with, as Ive said, but then I got more interested in people, realising that we cant manage forests if we dont consider the people who make use of the trees. A popular buzz word has grown up in forestry. It is participation giving the idea of participatory forestry. In other words, it means that to be successful we must involve the people who live in the forest, and who will benefit from it. The same goes for life in general. We must allow people to join in and participate in our lives as much as possible and remember that how we use our powers always affects others around us. If we like the power of JOIN! then well like any job where we can work with people and help them, and let them help us. If we like leading, then this will be an important power, but we must remember that there many different types of leader. There are those that pull us along from in front, those that push us along from behind, and those that stand by us and walk with us in the right direction. All types of leader are needed, but the most important is to lead by example. We must be what we want others to be. Our JOIN! power is closely linked to MOVE! since we are helping to direct people to do something to move along. Its also a near neighbour of TELL! as we must do a lot of talking (and listening) if we are to be good at directing others. The complementary power to JOIN! is the SORT! power. That is the one that helps us find out about all the different aspects of a person, problem or picture so that we can properly understand whats going on, and integrate things back into a whole. So, to summarise, our power to JOIN! is about such things as directing, motivating, and teaching, where we help ourselves or others to integrate our knowledge into wise courses of action.

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TELL! TELL! is an easily understandable big power, I think. But it can be difficult to use well. Its to do with the way we communicate our thoughts and ideas with other people, so that they understand what we are getting at. Its creating knowledge from information. We can do this in many ways. We can just talk but it may be better to write something down. Sometimes, well communicate best if we express ourselves through gestures, or diagrams, or art, dance or music. And its not just about talking to others - weve also got to know how to converse with ourselves, so to speak. Its best to try and understand our own minds, before we open them up to our friends. Whoever we are telling about our thoughts, we need to have a language to do it. Ive always been interested in the origins of words, and learnt Spanish quite well, French not so well, and some Nepali. Being able to speak a language that conveys not just basic emotions but also abstract ideas is something that sets us apart from other animals. So its good to learn about our own language, the words we use and their meanings, so we can use them properly. Interestingly, the eight parts of speech in English seem to correspond with our eight outer powers, and are needed to describe them. Heres how: NOTE! needs nouns; PLAY! adjectives; MOVE! verbs; OBEY! adverbs; MUSE! conjunctions; TELL! interjections; SORT! determiners/pronouns; and JOIN! needs prepositions. See if you can work out why. Besides the actual words we use, an important way of getting messages across to other people is the way we say words. Youll know what I mean if I say that there are different ways we can say Ive got to do my homework. It could be in an annoyed way, or an enthusiastic way (doubtful), or simply a factual way. Its all in the tone of the voice. When are you going to put away your clothes? may have been said by our mothers in a very impatient way (usually), as well as a matter-of-fact, enquiring and unbothered way (unlikely). We need to remember how much of what we feel comes over in our voices. I think our power to SEEK! corresponds with our tone of voice. And then there are the gestures we make. Animals communicate a lot this way bearing their teeth, charging at each other, rubbing against us, or raising their hackles. Human languages started off as gestures and then signs and symbols. Think of the way we gesture when we talk. We use our hands, waving them about, touching our face, smiling, or shrugging shoulders. How we look can send a powerful message to other people. Its no good saying everythings all right, if we look bothered or dejected. I think that our FIND! power corresponds to body language. So when we use our TELL! and other powers, we must make sure that our words, tone of voice and our body language all tell the same message!
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Lets think about having a conversation with someone. We do it all the time, but often not very well. Its because we need to use all our powers not just this one. Besides telling people what we think about a subject, we have to really listen to the other person and then use our brain to really understand what they mean (and not what we think they mean). We must not only listen to the words and tone of voice, but we need to look at their body language. We must also know when to move on in the conversation, and maybe change the subject. It needs practice. Because I like to think a lot by myself, Im not always that good at communicating by talking I prefer to take time and write down ideas. Whatever ways we like to communicate (and there are many speech, prose, poetry, art, drama, music) well find it really helps to learn how to do it well. Ive had to learn how to give lectures, because I can sound boring. I havent had training in public speaking, but this is very useful if we want to get our ideas across to strangers and motivate people. Its essential if we want to become a politician! And if we do, we must remember to be sincere and mean what we say. Nobody likes a hypocrite. Social networking on the internet is something that didnt exist when I started work. Now that we have computers, the web, and mobiles we can chat endlessly by phoning, texting, posting on Facebook or Twitter. The possibilities are endless. It can all be great fun, and very useful. But we mustnt forget that there is no substitute for face-to-face communication. Its only in that way that we can really connect, giving and receiving the whole message that we want to tell people and they want to tell us. Our power to TELL! is closely linked to three other powers. PLAY! is about the creative aspect of expressing ourselves. JOIN! is about helping direct others (usually by talking). And SEEK! meditating or praying is often a wise thing to do before we utter any words! And the complementary power is MUSE! We need to think before we speak, and think while we are speaking. In summary, then, this item of power wear helps us to tell others and ourselves about our thoughts and ideas, using a wide range of expression. We have many languages to help us do this, which we must use properly if we are not to have misunderstandings, misinformation or mistakes.

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PLAY! The power to PLAY! is the one we use most when were being creative. Creativity covers many things we do, such as: inventing, being art and crafty, playing music, dancing, being humorous, creating new life (that means sex), and generally enjoying ourselves. An important part of this power is being free to express ourselves, to be spontaneous, and explore beyond the limits or boundaries that normally control our lives. Sounds fun, doesnt it? I guess you could summarise it as the power to have fun, and to be funny. Ive always liked this power, and ever since a boy, enjoyed being creative, inventing and making new things. Sometimes they worked out, but some have been a bit silly and not very serious. The opposite (and complementary) power is OBEY!, often needed to make sure our ideas are realistic. If we like this power, we need to make sure we do enough research before jumping into some hair-brain scheme. Its a criticism one could make about me writing this booklet. Its based on quite a bit of research that Ive done, but its not the deep sort that many serious academics would prefer. I know, because I have a few friends who are like that. A part of using this power is recreation in other words, what we do to recreate ourselves. In this busy and stressful world, its very important to get enough rest and relaxation, and its got to be of the right type. If we have some hobby or pastime that stresses us out, then it wont help us to recharge our batteries. Ive learnt this with sailing I love it and Ive designed and made five sailing boats but I can get very bothered when the wind gets up and the sails and ropes get all in a muddle. Thats rather a silly thing for a sailor. And my children will agree its been one of the few times when I can really swear! By the way how silly is this Ive made a boat out of milk bottles! If you have already read the section on TELL! youll know that power is about expressing ourselves. Well, the same goes for this power to PLAY! But this is more about expressing ourselves creatively, for example, when we learn to play a musical instrument, or play a part in a drama, play around with paints, or just play the fool. All the arty things like singing, composing, performing, acting, painting need us to be creative. And if we dont think we are creative, we must think again. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves creatively. We just have to discover and develop them. But dont forget we have to control our creative urge with a good dose of OBEY! Procreation sex is a very basic and wonderful expression of PLAY! without it, none of us would be here. But as Im sure youre aware, this aspect can cause all sorts of problems. Recall any recent news headlines, and well note that lots are to do with sex, and theyre usually not good news (except when we hear of famous births). Just having sex is what the F*** word is all
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about its one of our commonest forms of swearing. The way its used emphasises how sex can lead to all sorts of very uncreative results. However, making love, if properly understood, is a very different and a literally lovely thing. It should mean that the act of sex is part of a much wider form of creating loving relationships. So we need to take time to think and talk about this funny business seriously! Its as well to note here that swearing is not only about saying something rude to shock and let off steam say, when youre angry but its also about making a solemn statement, promise or oath that you will do something or agree that something is true. So, besides being the subject of the PLAY! and especially TELL! powers, swearing is also linked to the OBEY! and MOVE! ones. Sometimes the two uses go together. Funny that, innit? Games: just about all the video, board and other games that we have use our PLAY! and other powers. How many games do we play? I can think of many board games: Articulate!, Monopoly, Scrabble, Cranium, Cluedo, Pictionary. And then there are computer games like: Angry Birds, Sims, Flight Simulator, World of Warcraft, Grand Theft Auto, Pirates of the Caribbean etc.. Now heres a thought many of these computer games seem to cater for our competitive and combative nature and have a lot of destructiveness rather than creativeness built into them. Is that good or bad, I ask? The power to PLAY! closely links two other powers. As Ive said, TELL! is to do with the general ways we express ourselves. When we are being really creative and intuitive, then we can jump from our power to NOTE! (using our senses) directly into PLAY!. Think how you get inspiration, insight and imaginative ideas directly from observing the world around you without having to think about it. They just come into your mind. Ive also mentioned that our power to OBEY! is important to make sure that our creativity and freedom dont get out of control. In summary, this exciting power to PLAY! is about being creative and expressing ourselves using all sorts of artistic and physical means. Even the most serious of us can be creative and funny in our own special ways. Its a power that can get a bit wild and out of control, so needs to be treated with care and common sense.

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SEEK! The power to SEEK! is perhaps least appreciated by many people, but is potentially the most powerful. I find its not very easy to explain, but here goes Our power to SEEK! is about reflecting inwardly about things. It can be like the power to MUSE! but here we are thinking very deeply about something. There are times when we use this power to stop thinking and let whatever we understand as divine (or God) speak to us, or just be with us. Another way of describing it is inner dialogue, where we converse with ourselves, or with God. In the latter case, its prayer. So this power can have a large spiritual dimension to it, and meditation is an important practice. The idea of meditation can be understood in various ways. Some people think it helps us become closer to what we understand as the divine. Others look on it as a way to relax and get rid of stress. I think it does both. Some people think it should work by emptying our mind of everything, which is something thats very hard for us to do for two reasons: firstly, its very difficult to stop thinking about anything; and secondly, it seems a waste of time, just doing nothing. Others of us who are religious, think we should be always praying by saying something. Again, its a bit of both. So-called mindfulness meditation is now becoming popular, and is even being included in school curricula. To practice it, you sit comfortably, preferably in a quiet place, and let yourself become aware of all the different inputs. But you simply acknowledge each, and then move on to the next input that you notice. Sometimes, a special word (mantra) is used to help. The basic idea is to calm your mind by stopping the continual mind worms of squirming thoughts which prevent us from relaxing. Since we are talking about spiritual and divine things in relation to this power, a word is in order about religion. Its an idea that make some people swear, literally! Properly understood, religions are simply systems of belief in and worship of some power beyond ourselves. Wherever you look at civilisations, you will find evidence of religions. In this sense I am religious, since I believe in a higher non-human power. I personally hold to Christian beliefs, but think that all religions have elements of truth in them when it comes to understanding spiritual things, and all can help us. Of course, the big problem with religions is that we lesser mortals think that our gods, and our particular way of understanding them, are the true ones, and need defending. Thats the reason why we have had so many religious wars, battles, terrorism, arguments, and conflicting denominations. But dont think that this problem just happens with religions it also occurs in politics, sport, arts, science whatever our particular god happens to be. That is

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something you should reflect upon, using your SEEK! power, whether you think there is a God or not! Prayer is another aspect of our power to SEEK! that can be difficult to grasp, especially if we think of it as asking God to do something. How does he or she answer all our prayers when our requests can so obviously conflict? The idea of our minds extending beyond us can help here. It could be that our thoughts affect how other people think and behave. So our good wishes or prayers for help can motivate other people to do things for others by influencing a wider mind. Of course the reverse could be true, and bad, nasty thoughts could work against us. So even if you dont believe in prayer as such, imagine the ways our seemingly private thoughts could work for or against other people. There are two questions about being fully human that still baffle scientists, and form part of this power, I think. One is memory. How do we memorise stuff and then recall and remember things? Is a piece of memory just a bit of fizz in our brain circuits that disappears when we die? And another is consciousness. How come we can think about ourselves thinking about ourselves? What goes on in our sub-consciousness? Why do we have dreams, sometimes weird and wonderful, about things weve never experienced? Where does this all come from? All I can say is that the idea of our mind extending beyond us, perhaps as a field, independent of time and space, makes it easier to understand what may be happening and can help us to grasp the idea of life beyond death common to most religions. As you will see from the diagram on the front cover, our SEEK! power joins MUSE! and TELL! But we tend to short circuit and ignore it, which often results in us putting our foot in it, saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Im sure you have experienced that. SEEK! also balances our FIND! power that intersects it. Thats because, as youll read elsewhere, SEEK! is about looking inward to yourself, whereas FIND! is looking outwards to other people. And both can be about seeking and finding God. In summary, this rather woolly POWER is about pondering things in depth, working them out in conversation with ourselves and/or the divine in us. It helps us to become free of stress and to be more aware of everything around us, both physical and spiritual. Its a forgotten item of power clothing that needs wearing - it can be amazingly warming and comforting.

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FIND! The power to FIND! is different from the others, in that it links MOVE! back to NOTE! completing a sort of power cycle, if we imagine using our powers in a logical sequence. But its also the power we use when we relate to another person, and come under the influence of their powers. So it can be described as our power to form relationships not only with ourselves, but most importantly with other people. We dont live as individuals, but within a network of relationships that give us life. How do we develop a relationship with other people? We actually have to use all our powers, using two parallel paths, finishing up with FIND! First, its a sort of left brain, analytical approach: we may use our senses (NOTE!), check the details (SORT!), start analysing (MUSE!), then form a judgement (OBEY!) and then act on it (MOVE!). But we also need a right brain, intuitive approach at the same time: to reflect deeply (SEEK!), have fun together (PLAY!), share experiences (TELL!), and JOIN! up all the dots to make that person who they are (more than the sum of the parts). Then we do it all again via the FIND! power, until we really do find that person. Forming a deep relationship is something that takes time and effort. We often talk of finding our true love, dont we? There are all sorts of relationships that we form between us. There are those between people weve never met, strangers on the street, neighbours at home, colleagues at work, friends (and enemies) at school, with our parents, siblings, cousins, partner, spouse and children. These relationships are formed by the fact that we know each other because of proximity through our nationality, neighbourhood, school, workplace, or home. And then there is the glue that bonds us together - our common background, interests, abilities, work, play, personalities, family ties. And this may be expressed by a simple awareness, acceptance, a liking, or love in its many forms (more of that at the end). All these relationships are important, but the key ones (for our survival) are those formed within a family, starting with the couple who decide to form a life-long relationship generally in the form of marriage. All of us start life because we have two parents, a mother and a father (there are no clones yet!). As we know, family relationships can be far from ideal and, more often than not, its because we dont use our powers properly and in balance. Just to give an example: one of the commonest problems in families is lack of communication. Everyone talking and no one listening. All TELL! and no NOTE! And probably a lot of swearing In this respect, our power to FIND! represents an important idea that of feedback. As we use our powers with other people, we must be constantly noting how they react. The same goes for ourselves how do we react?
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Feedback is something we do, often subconsciously, in all aspects of our life. Our body systems are doing it automatically all the time. When we drive a car, we are reacting to the way it moves when we turn the steering wheel. We react to the tail-gaiter or traffic jams sometimes in ways we wish we hadnt. Are we on auto-pilot or self-controlled? This power is also about leading and following, depending on which side of the balance of powers you are. Good leaders will always be noting how their followers are reacting to their leadership (if not, there will be trouble), and all followers should be evaluating their leader and deciding if they are going where they want to be led. And if not, hopefully there are democratic elections, and the leader isnt re-elected. This is another aspect of the use (or misuse) of our powers thats constantly in the news. So we need to learn how the balance of powers works outside us, and inside! A word more about neighbours. Youll have heard that what makes us persons depends on our genetic make-up (nature) modified by our upbringing (nurture). How much influence each has on us is arguable its the nature vs. nurture debate. But I think there are, in fact, three factors: nature / nurture / neighbour, using the same alliteration. And neighbour is the extent to which we allow the divine-in-us to modify who we are. If this is the case, then happily there is hope for even the most disadvantaged and badly behaved of us. As weve seen, this power links NOTE! and MOVE! and is closely tied in with SEEK! Its key to forming relationships. We NOTE! how another person or ourselves is acting (MOVE!), and we react accordingly. Its similar to a dance, if you like, of constant feedback. On Facebook, the Like button and replies we make play this role. If we dont get any reaction, we become bothered and may even unfriend people. Its closeness to SEEK! is no coincidence. We must use the SEEK! power to think deeply about this action and reaction. You can say that we must seek if we are to find, otherwise well get lost or be told to get lost! I once was lost, but now Im found, goes the Amazing Grace song. So we must make sure that we use both powers together. In summary, FIND! is all about making and keeping relationships, in all their diverse forms. Its the power that takes us out of ourselves and makes connections with other people. And the highest form of relationship is that based on love. More of that in the last section.

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In the end: LOVE! There is one article of power clothing that we must always wear over the top of the others a sort of gown, such as academics wear, if you like. And that is the +1 power of LOVE! It makes all the other 10 powers work together for our own good and that of others. So what is LOVE? Thats a good question, and not an easy one to answer. You can say that its the power that helps us identify anything we like, need, or want throughout life - and then helps us to receive or get it. Examples are: your mothers milk, playing football, having a hot shower, chilling out with a friend, having a drink, or going out on a date. Its all quite complicated and difficult to explain, especially when you talk about falling in love with someone! I need to mention more spiritual things here, since I believe we have at least two parts to us. As well as a body, we have a mind or soul, and spirit. I wont try to explain what these mean, but simply point out that all religions (if you understand them properly) say that we have a spiritual side to us, and that love (compassion or caring) is a very important part of it. I cant speak for them all but, since Im a Christian, and you may not be, Ill remind you of some important beliefs that help to understand love better. First of all, besides the variety of human likes and loves that we all have, there is divine love. Whereas our human ones depend on us getting what we need or want, this sort of love happens when the giver doesnt wanting anything in return. If you think about what that means, its a difficult thing to do. We always want something in return, however little, for the love we give, dont we? And we should expect the reverse when someone gives us something we want. But when a Christian says that God is Love were mainly talking about this unconditional divine love. In the Bible there are all sorts of things written about it. An important part is to do with Gods so-called commandments (ten of them, like our powers but different). They can be summed up as follows: that we should love God, and love other people (our neighbours) as much as we love ourselves. That last bit comes from an ancient golden rule that says we should do to other people what we would like them do to us. Of course, this will only work if we really love ourselves! One passage in the Bible describes what true love is like, and is often read out at weddings. It says that someone with love is patient, kind, isnt envious, isnt boastful, and isnt proud. He or she doesnt diss others, isnt selfish, doesnt lose their cool, and doesnt hold a grudge. Someone who shows divine love doesnt like bad things and always likes the truth. The passage goes on. Youll probably agree that, if such love is difficult to explain, its even more difficult to show. And thats true.
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But to keep on with Christian ideas we do have help. God can help us, we believe, because he or she is a loving relationship. We perceive God as a Trinity: an eternal divine mind, a human historical person (Jesus the Christ), and his spirit now living within us. And it is the spirit living within us that can help us show divine love. We just have to ask for help. So when I next feel like swearing and saying OMG or some other religious expletive, I can turn it into a prayer and ask for help! Somehow, Ill get it. In that way, we can use all our powers to love ourselves and others just like God does even the really difficult bits about loving ones enemies, showing mercy and forgiving others that Jesus taught. By the way, you may know that the Bible has a passage written by one of Jesus followers, Paul, where he talks of wearing spiritual armour. In an imaginative way, he describes different pieces of clothing being the ways in which we use our powers to help us stop doing bad things to others, or having them done to us. So this idea of power clothes has already been thought of! While on the topic of bad things, what about sin and evil? How do you understand those? Heres my take on them. First of all, note that EVIL is LIVE written the wrong way round. And SIN is without in Spanish. That rather nicely sums up how I view them. Anything that makes life more difficult, unfair, and less loving for someone else can be called a sin or an evil. Which means you can have sins committed by individuals, by groups of people, even the whole state. And if you agree that we have an extended mind, then even our thoughts dont remain personal and they effect everybody. So sin and evil can start in all our powers, especially MUSE! Thats really not amusing. So check your thoughts! Right, I think some of you are saying All this loving God is too airy fairy and anyway I dont believe in God. So how does this help me? Well, you cant disagree with the way the Bible describes love, can you? So what I suggest is that we start trying to understand love by putting the powers into practice on ourselves first. We may not have all the powers wed like, but we can use what weve got, to look after and care for ourselves. We can learn to be content in our own clothes. Once we understand ourselves, well begin to understand others, and be able to use our powers to help other people use theirs for everyones benefit. Then well find that life stops wearing us down, and everything it covers us with will become more wearable!

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STUDY GUIDE You can use this booklet as a study guide by yourself or in a small group. To help you prepare, you can find out more using the resources described on the next page. If you study as a small group, I suggest you read it in 12 sessions, taking 11 to discover the powers, and the final one to summarise and round up. It will take you about 6 minutes to read each two page description. This can be done either by one of you reading it out aloud to the others, or each reading to yourself. Then take turns to tell each other about the following (no interruptions!) What you think of this power in its various forms. In what ways you do or dont like to use it. Then, as a group, you could discuss the following. How you are similar or different in your approaches to using this power. Who in history was good at using the power, and why. Who, among your friends or colleagues, can use it well and what you can learn from them. What sorts of problems can arise if you dont use the power properly. What you could do in the future to develop the power in its forms that you find you are weakest. On the last session, discuss the following. The way the 10 powers relate to each other How they overlap and duplicate each other. How they form complementary and contrasting pairs. The importance of balancing the powers How you can use the model in the future to live a better life.

Thats just a suggestion! There are a lot more things you could discuss. Its up to you. The most important thing is that you learn to use your powers fully, and in support of each other.

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FINDING OUT MORE I hope that after studying this booklet youll be galvanised into finding out more about our powers, and eager to see how to apply that knowledge to your everyday life. Its not realistic for me to start making a list of recommended websites, reading material or training courses that can help you, because there are so many of them, and everyones needs is different. But what I can do is direct you to resources Ive prepared that give you background to the 10+1 powers (which I have called faculties in the past), and where you will find more detail on specific aspects. The best place to start would be by dipping into my book called Octaikon the name I have given to the cover diagram. You can buy a paper copy from Lulu publishing at the following address: http://www.lulu.com/shop/marcus-robbins/octaikon/paperback/product21152525.html At the end of that book, there are references that I have read or referred to while coming up with Octaikon idea. If you would like to look at the Octaikon book online, then you can find it on Scribd at the following address: http://www.scribd.com/doc/108891166. There are also other related publications that I have posted on the Scribd site which you might find interesting. Alternatively, go to the website that I have setup, which will give you links to these and many other resources I have been experimenting with, in particular a series of 5 minute long Octaikon videos on YouTube. The Octaikon website is at the following address: www.octaikon.co.uk An example of one of the YouTube videos about getting to know people is here: http://youtu.be/4hokg7byCOQ Currently, we are putting together material for an app which will give you a daily quotation from someone well known, a reference to a relevant study, and a suggested activity to develop and balance our powers, helping us to reconnect with the world. Well post details on the web when ready! Please connect! I would love any feedback (FIND!), and suggestions for improvement (JOIN!), so here are my contacts: marcus.robbins@virgin.net 119 Harefields, Oxford, OX2 8NR, Tel: 01865 552842

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LIFE!
A four-letter-word guide We connect with the world, using 10+1 powers. NOTE! We observe via our senses and acquire physical inputs SORT! We monitor and differentiate the many parts of things MUSE! We interpret data using our brain to think and analyse OBEY! We judge, choose or decide, using rules and principles MOVE! We apply and do things using our hands, legs and body JOIN! We direct ourselves towards goals by integrating stuff TELL! We express ourselves, using languages to communicate PLAY! We create ideas, inventions, arts, crafts, and even life SEEK! We reflect inwardly about ourselves and spiritual matters FIND! We relate outwardly to others forming relationships An eleventh power is: LOVE! We ensure, with spiritual help, that all our powers benefit others as well as ourselves. The graphic shows how the ten powers relate as adjacent and opposite pairs. Its based on studies of brain layout, temperaments, team roles, problem solving, ways of learning, and many other scientific, philosophical and religious ideas.

If we are to live happy and fulfilled lives, we must: understand, protect and develop our ten powers use them in proper sequence and in balance, then bind them together with LOVE. Its key

Lets RECONNECT!

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