text:
Elionor d'Urgell, Elionor d'Aragó-Urgell o Elionor d'Aragó i Montferrat (Balaguer?, 1378 - Ermita de Sant Joan, Montblanc, Conca de Barberà, 28 de maig de 1430), infanta d'Urgell, que es retirà a fer vida eremítica. A la vila de Montblanc se la coneix popularment com Nialó, contracció de N'Elionor.

Orígens familiars
Fou la quarta filla del comte Pere II d'Urgell i la seva esposa, Margarida de Montferrat. Fou germana del comte d'Urgell Jaume el Dissortat, pretendent al tron d'Aragó durant el Compromís de Casp.

Biografia

Vida de palau
N'Elionor vivia al Castell Formós de Balaguer, palau dels Comtes d'Urgell amb la seva família. Poc després de la mort del seu pare (1408), el Rei Martí l'Humà va fer gestions per casar-la amb el príncep Eduard d'Avís, futur Eduard I de Portugal, però l'acord no va arribar.

La revolta del seu germà
Mort el rei Martí sense designar successor, uns compromissaris reunits a la població aragonesa de Casp van escollir com a nou rei de la Corona d'Aragó l'infant Ferran de Castella.
Aleshores, Jaume, germà d'Elionor i que havia estat un dels candidats al tron, va revoltar-se contra el nou rei, però fou vençut al Setge de Balaguer i empresonat. La família d'Urgell va ser acusada de traïció i se li van confiscar tots els béns. Jutjades a Saragossa, les dones de la família comtal d'Urgell foren recloses a la fortificació de Morella i, posteriorment, traslladades al Monestir de Sixena.
Elionor tenia gran amistat amb Maria de Castella, muller de l'infant Alfons, i quan aquest va esdevenir rei (1416), el seu règim fou menys rigorós.

Nialó, eremita
Després d'uns anys a Sixena, a finals de 1424 decideix retirar-se a fer vida contemplativa amb unes beguines, però aquestes no volen acompanyar-la i Elionor finalment decideix traslladar-se a les Muntanyes de Prades, a l'ermita de Sant Joan de la Muntanya a Montblanc amb dues serventes velles i dues donzelles. No se sap ben bé si ella va fundar l'ermita o la va reconstruir sota l'advocació de Sant Joan.

La princesa d'Urgell feia estades de solitud i pregària a una cova propera que acabaria prenent el seu nom, anomenada actualment Cova de Nialó (nom sorgit de la contracció popular i oral del pas dels segles a Montblanc: Cova de na Elionor ~ Cova de n'Elionó ~ Cova de n'Elió ~ Cova de Nelió ~ Cova de Nieló ~ Cova de Nialó).

Allà es va fer deixebla de fra Pere Marginet, anacoreta i monjo de Poblet, que després d'abandonar el monestir va dur una vida de disbauxa dos anys fins que, penedit (1413), s'havia instal·lat a una cova propera a la Pena.

Mort i llegat d'Elionor
Elionor morí el 28 de maig de 1430 víctima de la pesta i fou enterrada a Poblet, en la capella dels Evangelistes, vinculada a la casa d'Urgell. Durant molts anys, van restar exposats damunt la seva tomba els instruments per a la penitència que ella havia emprat, els quals van desaparèixer, amb la tomba i les restes, durant la desamortització del monestir.

Actualment, a l'Ermita de Sant Joan de Montblanc hi ha una sala amb un text explicatiu de la princesa d'Urgell. També es pot visitar la cova on feu vida eremítica i on hi ha instal·lada una placa en record seu i una petita imatge coneguda com la Mare de Déu de Nialó.

A la Vila Ducal de Montblanc hi ha un barri que duu el seu nom; el Barri de Nialó. També hi té un carrer dedicat, a tocar de la muralla de Montblanc.

Referències

Montblanquins
Eremites catalans
Casal d'Aragó-Urgell
Beguines i begards
Morts a la Conca de Barberà
Religiosos de la Conca de Barberà


Who doesn't love getting their hair done, their makeup applied with fake lashes and getting their nails shaped and colored… THAT IS NOT EVEN THE BEST PART. How about experiencing those glamorous perks with friends and champagne? Now we are talking! Pamper the Planner FAM Castle Hotel in Orlando Event was a marvelous event that deserves all the raving.
Upon arrival at the Castle Hotel, Christina and Amanda greeted each and every planner with their personal itinerary and name tag! I started my day with makeup by the wonderful Dorka with About Face Design Team. It was such a surprise seeing her since she was also my makeup artist for my wedding not too long ago. So without hesitation, we may have squealed a little in excitement! Without a doubt, she did a wonderful job on my makeup, I had texted her that night saying how I wished she could do my makeup every morning!
Next on my itinerary was hair by Haley with AFDT (About Face Design Team). I have long mermaid hair it can take a while to tame and do exactly what you want to it. Haley turned my mermaid hair into a Gatsby-era inspired masterpiece! The far part, big waves, everything laying on one side. I loved it. Did I mention that each planner only had about 30 minutes in each chair! The AFDT DID IT!
Last on my itinerary was nails! I received a quick, but perfect manicure with a blush colored gel polish! I love the idea of having Bridespa coming to your getting ready location while some girls are getting their hair and makeup done, other can be getting a manicure! Especially when it can be flawlessly done in 30 minutes! It guarantees that if you prefer all of your bridesmaids having the same color nails, that there is no mixup.
When I was complete with my three services (ever planner was able to choose three out of many other options) I went into my room to find the sweetest basket with mini jar cakes from Sprinkles, a lovely smelling candle, fun swag, and a welcome card! It was a nice surprise to find on the bed.
Changing into cocktail hour, we were sipping on the fun flavored signature cocktail! We were greeted by the front door of the more quaint sized ballroom by a ballerina! Such an elegant and memorable touch. She performed twice during our three-course dinner! During cocktail hour we were able to have fun with Magnafoto photobooth which had an option for a boomerang strip of photos! Dinner was both flavorful and delicious! Christina from Castle Hotel told me she left it up to the chef on the menu for the evening and he did not disappoint!
The next morning in the ballroom we were getting pampered in they transformed it into a quaint and vibrate colored brunch. There were flower crowns to make, and mimosas to drink! We ended our morning with a tour around the property eyeing some beautiful spots for both weddings and styled shoots! Pamper The Planner was a wonderful event, not only for us to have a day to relax, but feel like a bride (again). It is great to be able to suggest more options for the day of the wedding to make the morning even more special!


text:
Talent Protocol acquires web3 platform Agora Labs
Gm talent community!
We have amazing news to share with you: we have just acquired Agora Labs, a social token and NFT infrastructure platform for creators to build and scale their communities, founded by 4 talented teenage founders in 2021.
Great! But why?
Our mission is to support the builders of tomorrow.
We want to empower talented professionals who have an entrepreneurial mindset and are exploring web3. We want them to leverage on a community that sets them up for success and that's exactly what we did through this acquisition.
Agora Labs was founded by 4 talented builders, who were under the age of 20 by the time they created it a little over a year ago. In a short period of time, this talented team created tools and infrastructure that serve several of the needs of tokenized creators, something we found truly remarkable and relevant for our own community. Additionally, their mission and team fit perfectly with what we are building in Talent Protocol. So, long story short: when we saw the opportunity to join efforts, we grabbed it.
What does this acquisition mean for Talent Protocol and Agora Labs ?
We are working on integrating Agora's stack and community into the Talent Protocol ecosystem. This means that we will integrate all relevant assets and onboard all Agora's users into Talent's community.
But we dare to say that one of the best parts of the acquisition is that we are also welcoming Matthew Espinoza and Freeman Jiang, Agora Labs' CEO and CTO respectively, to our team. We just couldn't let the opportunity to onboard high-potential talent go. Welcome, Matt and Freeman!
By the way, the members of Agora Labs' founding team have created their profiles on Talent Protocol. Go ahead and support these extremely talented teenagers who are now on to new ventures 💫⬇
Matt ($MATT)
A 20 year-old and co-founder of Agora Labs. One of the youngest people to be apart of ZFellows. Previously worked at Republic Ventures, Facebook/Meta and 2 YC-Backed Companies
Freeman ($FREE)
Software engineer and co-founder of Agora Labs. Focused on becoming a 10x engineer and making stuff people want. Currently exploring his interests on the backend.
Jerry ($JERRY)
Co-founder & COO at Agora Labs. A project manager, designer and developer. Worked previously at a public capital markets company and love working on things that can change the world.
Charles ($CHRLS)
Co-founder, hacker and growth manager. On the way to become a millionaire by the age of 20 through dev work, asset management, content, and any other possible funnels.
The importance of this acquisition is threefold.
This process enabled us to deliver on our mission of supporting the builders of tomorrow and that fills us with confidence, knowing that we are on the right path.
We are also very happy to count with the expertise and fresh perspective of Matt and Freeman, who will play an important role as we prepare to launch Season 03 of Talent Protocol.
Lastly, due to the current market conditions, this acquisition comes as a sign of trust and confidence in the potential of the web3 space and in what it has to offer. We know that web3 is the key for high-potential builders to fulfill their true professional potential and reach the success they deserve.
AMA with Matthew Espinoza
Join us for a Twitter Spaces session with Matthew Espinoza where he will share his journey as a young founder and builder in the web3 space, focusing on the road that led to this acquisition. He will also answer all your burning questions, of course. Save the date: October 5th, at 9PM (UTC+1). ➡ https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1vAGRAoyXPvKl
Let's do this!💫

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Other than a food coma and a family gathering, one more thing you can count on with a big Thanksgiving dinner is a lot of leftover turkey. And while stuffing it between bread seems like the simplest way to go, why limit yourself to plain old sandwiches when there are so many other easy and healthy ways to enjoy all those extras? Check out these 23 insanely tasty recipes for using up your leftover turkey—they'll make you wish that every day could be the day after Thanksgiving.
You can throw pretty much anything into a hash and get away with it. But this combo of leftover turkey and potatoes with Creole seasonings and chili powder, topped with cheese, is especially delicious.
Turn up the volume on regular scrambled eggs by adding not only turkey, but also a smattering of corn, green beans, and sweet potatoes. The produce adds lots of flavor and results in a complete one-dish meal in just 10 minutes.
Make a simple egg frittata extra filling by stirring in a cup of cubed turkey. With some mozzarella in the mix too, it's a super high-protein way to start the morning after that carb-tastic Thanksgiving dinner.
Some of us will be too hungover from all the wine we drank, so we'll be craving something a little more substantial come Black Friday. Enter: breakfast pizza. Use your leftover turkey as a topping for some added protein in addition to the eggs. We might leave out the hash browns to make this dish a little lighter... or not.
With seasonings similar to those you'd use in a stuffing, this casserole is perfect for serving after Thanksgiving or TBH anytime during the holiday season. With a full cup of kale in-between the eggs and cheese, it's also a great way to sneak some veggies into your family.
Tired of Thanksgiving flavors but don't want to throw away the turkey? Use the leftovers in another post-holiday tradition—a Chinese-American one, in which families cook the meat with rice and soy sauce to make a savory, porridge-style breakfast that brings comfort on a cold morning.
Traditional Monte Cristo sandwiches are stuffed with ham and cheese, egg-battered, and deep-fried. This one uses turkey for the meat instead and dips the bread slices in egg whites only before pan-grilling them. The substitutes make for a sandwich that's much lower in cholesterol but scores just as high on taste.
Turn Thanksgiving turkey into Vietnamese street food by stuffing it in a baguette lightly slathered with mayo, packed with veggies, and drizzled with Sriracha. Lots of fresh cilantro makes this banh mi taste even more authentic.
This unusual quesadilla makes good use of leftover turkey and cranberry sauce, stuffing both—plus cheese, of course—between two whole-wheat wraps (gotta love the extra fiber!). A sprinkle of fresh sage adds even more fall flair to this flavor party.
Some French bread, a few slices of tomato, and some fresh mozzarella help turn turkey leftovers into an easy panini. Don't worry if you don't have homemade pesto; your favorite store-bought version will work just as well.
A wrap is the lunchtime equivalent of a breakfast hash—roll everything but the kitchen sink into a tortilla, and it's bound to taste pretty good! In this one, turkey and veggies are mixed into a mashed avocado and tangy Greek yogurt "dressing" for a wrap that's light, refreshing, and the perfect antidote to a heavy dinner.
This healthier Cobb salad replaces a bunch of its traditional ingredients with several Thanksgiving leftovers you're bound to have on hand: turkey instead of chicken, butternut squash and Brussels sprouts instead of hard-boiled eggs and tomatoes, and cornbread croutons. You get the idea (don't worry, there's still bacon in here!). Doused with a cranberry sauce-based dressing, your festive dish is now complete.
Leftover turkey checks off the protein requirement in this simple, produce-packed salad. Warm, roasted veggies make it perfect for the colder weather, and with an easy olive oil and balsamic dressing, the whole thing makes for a super low-maintenance lunch or dinner.
Your leftover turkey is the star of this well-rounded recipe. It's joined by lots of vegetables, a heap of orzo, and some shredded cheese for a wholesome minestrone-like soup. And it's just what the doctor ordered after a big holiday dinner.
If you've got leftover turkey, a deli-style turkey salad will probably be on the menu at some point. When it does, go for this healthier recipe, where Greek yogurt and low-fat mayo cut down on the fat, and chopped fruit and walnuts add a fun bit of crunch and fiber.
Having cooked turkey already on hand makes this spin on a Mexican classic come together in just 30 minutes (and most of that time is just leaving the pot on the stove to simmer). While the different type of poultry gives this dish a distinctively different flavor, it still tastes fantastic topped with your favorite tortilla soup fixin's.
Turkey and lentils provide a double whammy of protein, while cubed potatoes fill in the carb quotient—ideal for a light meal that still keeps you satisfied for hours. Leave out the Parmesan for an easy way to keep the recipe dairy-free.
Instead of thick pastry crust, you'll use flaky layers of phyllo dough to top this dairy-free pot pie—but with cubes of turkey, the classic pea-and-carrot combo, and chunks of potato, it's as hearty and comforting as the original.
Pasta isn't exactly a fixture on the Thanksgiving table, so have it the next day instead! With no butter or milk, and lean turkey meat instead of beef or veal, this spaghetti Bolognese is comfort food at its finest—and lightest. Want to go even lighter? Use zoodles instead of pasta.
Using Arborio rice and a splash of wine for a risotto-like result, plus including saffron and smoked paprika for a paella-type effect, this Spanish rice is a delicious mishmash of flavors. Plus, with chopped veggies and leftover turkey, it's fresher, healthier, and tastier than the boxed stuff.
If it's actual risotto you're after, look no further than this recipe. Using plenty of leftover turkey meat and stock to turn Arborio rice into a creamy (but cream-free) risotto, the dish keeps the holiday spirit going just a bit longer.
Post-Turkey Day pasta dinners don't have to stick to your ribs. This tetrazzini uses low-fat dairy, whole-wheat spaghetti, and lots of shredded leftover turkey for a filling, high-fiber but low-cholesterol dish that may just become a new day-after-Thanksgiving tradition.
This recipe gives you the chance to finish up leftover turkey, make use of that bag of broccoli that's been lying in your freezer, and experiment with wild rice, all at once. With a bit of cottage cheese binding everything together, just about half an hour in the oven should do the trick.


MANILA, Philippines - Some 10 Filipinos in South Korea have qualified as regional finalists in the DZMM World Caravan Global Pinoy Singing Idol contest.
According to Fe Kim, a Filipino married to a Korean and president of the Filipino Korean Spouses Association, 21 Filipinos in Korea joined the elimination round last month held at the conference hall of the Philippine Embassy in Itaewon, Seoul.
They were judged based on voice quality and musicality, star quality, stage presence, timing and overall impact.
Those who qualified for the regional finals are: Mary Viena Tolentino-Park, 28; Annabelle Lopez, 37; Maya Balase Gregory, 36; Peter Lloyd Cabillo, 32; Jancy Gapud, 31; Rechelle McConell, 28; Jayan Carlo Salgatar, 28;Genieveve Monterola, 25; Erick Christian Robles, 28; and Susan Pajudpod, 28.
Tolentino-Park made history in Korea when she won as grand champion in the 2011 KBS 1TV National Singing Contest finals held last December.
"The ten finalists are coming from different walks in life. Out of ten finalists, there are three persons working as an entertainers, one person working as an EPS worker, two persons are studying Master's degree, two contestants are Korean housewives and two contestants are married to American," said Kim.
The finals of the Korea leg of the Pinoy Singing Idol will be held on July 8 at the KyungHee University Auditorium in Seoul.
Kim said two winners will be chosen in Korea.
"The two winners will be going to Manila to compete the national finals and meet other finalists from different parts of the globe. As second party co-producer/coordinator we will provide two of them the round trip tickets to represent South Korea," she said.
The Global Pinoy Singing Idol is open to amateur Filipino singers abroad between the ages 18-45. Each contestant is allowed to sing one song in Filipino or English.
Kim said the Global Pinoy Singing Idol contest is organized by DZMM with the Filipino Korean Spouses Association as co-producer with the support of the Philippine Embassy in Seoul and the Philippine Department of Tourism in Korea.


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Wiktor Konopko ps. Grom (ur. 20 września 1913 w Szczuczynie, poległ 8/9 września 1944 pod Grzędami) – rotmistrz Wojska Polskiego.

Życiorys
Ojciec jego poległ biorąc udział w wojnie z bolszewikami 1920 r. W związku z tym jego syn otrzymał prawo do bezpłatnej nauki w Korpusie Kadetów w Rawiczu. Wiktor Konopko skorzystał z tej możliwości i w 1929 roku skończył Korpus Kadetów Nr 3 w Rawiczu, wybierając zawodową służbę wojskową.

Od 1933 roku pełnił służbę w 9 pułku strzelców konnych w Grajewie, w którym ukończył pułkową szkołę podoficerską. We wrześniu 1937 roku rozpoczął naukę w Szkole Podchorążych dla Podoficerów w Bydgoszczy.

Wziął udział w kampanii wrześniowej 1939 r. przechodząc cały szlak bojowy 9 pułku strzelców konnych aż do Kocka. Po bitwie pod Kockiem został awansowany do stopnia podporucznika.

Uniknął niewoli niemieckiej i powrócił w rodzinne strony, gdzie rozpoczął działalność konspiracyjną. Wiosną 1943 r. został skierowany przez "Mścisława" na stanowisko II zastępcy komendanta obwodu. W marcu 1944 r. objął stanowisko komendanta Obwodu AK Grajewo wchodzącego w skład Inspektoratu Łomżyńskiego Armii Krajowej.

W ramach Akcji Burza przeprowadził koncentrację 9 pułku strzelców konnych AK na terenach byłej miejscowości Grzędy (spacyfikowanej w 1943 r.) położonej w obrębie rezerwatu Czerwone Bagno i poprowadził pułk do ostatniej bitwy z Niemcami 8/9 września 1944 r., w której poległ.

Przypisy

Bibliografia

Komendanci Obwodów AK
Ludzie urodzeni w Szczuczynie (województwo podlaskie)
Ludzie związani z Goniądzem
Ludzie związani z Grajewem
Rotmistrzowie II Rzeczypospolitej
Uczestnicy akcji "Burza"
Uczestnicy bitwy pod Kockiem (1939)
Urodzeni w 1913
Zmarli w 1944
Oficerowie 9 Pułku Strzelców Konnych (II RP)

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Come see this well-maintained multi-family located in Belmont New Hampshire. Currently the three-bedroom unit is owner-occupied and the two-bedroom unit is being rented for $1,200. Each units has its own basement and multiple floors. Enjoy the spacious back yard and the quiet community just minutes from lake Winnisquam. The 3 bedroom unit was renovated in 2014 with new carpet and paint throughout. The two-bedroom unit was repainted in 2016. The roof was replaced in 2014 with architectural shingles and the rafters were reinforced. The house exterior was repainted in 2017. The Furnace was replaced on the three-bedroom unit in 2014. Buy this house and rent both sides for profit or live as owner-occupied and rent the other unit. This house is capable of qualifying for an FHA loan. So many options with a property like this! Seller is a licensed real estate agent.


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The Wisdom of Reflection
By LTEN Focus On Training MagazineNovember 30, 2022Focus On Training
Taking the time to pause and reflect can keep stress under control
WORKING & LIVING WELL – Deborah Bonzell
Amidst the bustle and noise of daily work-life, carving out time and space for contemplation — both on your own and with others — may be the smartest thing you do all day.
Recently, I facilitated a virtual learning session for an intact team at a growing biotech company. According to the team's leader, they were a caring and highly skilled group who took great pride in their company's innovative genetic testing technology. They were also, in his words, "regularly working ourselves to a state of exhaustion."
Team members agreed. From full days of back-to-back meetings to a ceaseless flow of emails, texts and Slack messages (which regularly continued late into the night), there was a general feeling of overwhelm combined with "fear of missing out." It was clear to all of us: This team was on the path to burning out.
As our focus shifted to solutions, we broke into small groups for a two-part discussion. First, each person spent a few minutes thinking about what aspect of their work-life most exhausted them personally, and then took turns sharing their insights out loud. This experience of naming unhealthy stressors was, on its own, revelatory.
Next, they considered one thing that, over the next month, they could stop or start doing on their own during working hours to increase their enjoyment. It's important to emphasize here that the challenge was to change a workbased habit, as opposed to doing something to increase enjoyment during so-called leisure time.
While several folks committed to blocking time for a short exercise session or taking a proper lunch break with a family member or friend, the majority spoke about the need for something else. In their words:
"Let myself be unproductive"
"Focus on the now"
"Block time to disconnect"
"Don't force urgency"
"Take mini-breaks to just think."
When the breakout discussions moved on to the second question — what small well-being experiments can you try together? — a similar theme emerged:
"Put a pin in it"
"Revisit our strategy"
"Conduct a retro-review to ask: What did we say we were going to do, and did we actually do it?"
In short, this team came up with solutions to satisfy their individual and collective need for reflection.
Our Addiction to Action
On some level, I'm guessing this team's story resonates with your own experience as a working professional. Why? Because although our ability to reflect is a fundamental human trait, many of us have been "overdoing" — both at work and at home — for a while now. Consider these statistics from the past five years:
As of 2018, the average American was spending more than 51% of their time answering irrelevant emails (23%), attending unproductive meetings (16%) and commuting (13%), according to research published on Inc.com.
A similar survey of senior managers shared in Harvard Business Review indicated that 64% of respondents felt that attending meetings got in the way of deep thinking.
Time spent "thinking and reflecting" has largely been replaced by time spent on screens — the daily average spiked from 13 to 15 hours/day during the pandemic according to the most recent American Time-Use Study.
These numbers shed light on an ironic truth: We are alive during a period of history that has been dubbed The Information Age — in which more than 1 billion people worldwide are classified as "knowledge workers" — and yet many of us don't seem to be spending much time "thinking about our thinking."
This omission is costing us dearly, in terms of our health, happiness and productivity. But as a seasoned life sciences trainer, you also know this: We humans can fundamentally change our habits when we're sufficiently motivated.
Building a Bridge to Learning
When we reflect, by definition, we "give careful thought to our beliefs, behavior and past experiences." Reflection is rooted in the process of inquiry and involves looking at a situation from different perspectives. This form of contemplation allows us to construct a mental bridge between having an experience and learning from it. That's quite an important outcome for trainers and educators like us.
Establishing a regular reflection practice can take many forms. For some, waking up early to think, pray, meditate or write in a journal works well. For others, taking a solitary evening walk or doing a mental review of the day just before bed is effective.
But consider this: You are a knowledge worker. This means that your job is to synthesize ideas and information. In other words: You get paid to think. Therefore, prioritizing reflection time during your workday is not an act of laziness or rebellion — it's what you're supposed to be doing.
Here's a simple four-step reflection practice that I follow myself, and that my team and I share with participants in our well-being workouts:
First, take three slow, smooth, deep breaths to relax your body and mind. You may also find it useful to visualize a clear sky or vast body of water to invite a quality of openness.
Next, choose a question as the focus of your contemplation. We use a set of reflection prompts that can be remembered by the acronym PAUSE:
• Purpose: What matters most to me?
• Attitudes: What experiences have most shaped me?
• Understanding: What do I know and not know about a person or issue?
• Strengths: What activities give me energy or are effortless?
• Emotions: What words best describe how I feel right now?
Now, allow your thoughts to arise like floating clouds or ocean waves. As they come, observe them silently, say them out loud or write them down. Give yourself permission to sit with the question and resist the natural urge to quickly land on the 'right answer.' Remember: This is a mental practice, not a game show!
Finally, consider how you might apply your insights going forward. What would you tell another person about what you've gained from 'thinking about your thinking?'
Like all healthy habits, there's no one-size-fits-all formula for a daily reflection practice; you'll need to adapt it to fit your schedule, deliverables and mood. The key is to practice reflection both consciously and consistently to reap the benefits.
The Science of Reflection
Let's start with a fun fact: Did you know that apes, whales and dolphins use self-reflection to learn and change their behavior? We can draw inspiration from these wise sentient beings.
For us humans, the list of benefits that can be felt from even a few minutes of regular reflection is long and includes:
Improved self-awareness and selfregulation — two key components of emotional intelligence.
Enhanced perspective and the ability to respond, not react — both of which have been shown to enhance decision-making.
Improved confidence — which can lead to greater levels of motivation and goal achievement.
In the realm of workplace studies, researchers from Harvard Business School demonstrated that call center employees who spent time at the end of each workday reflecting about lessons learned performed 23% better after just 10 days than those who did not reflect.
Another Harvard study of working adults found a similar result — employees who were prompted to use their passive commute time to think about and plan for their day were happier, more productive and less burned out than people who didn't.
Finally, some neuroscience. Through fMRI scans, we have learned that the act of self-reflection activates the Default Mode Network, an area of our brain that is involved in nearly all significant cognitive and emotional activities, including:
Creativity, intelligence and language ability.
Moral and emotional judgment.
Empathy and overall mental wellbeing.
At the risk of sounding glib, this seems like a pretty darn good ROI for a few minutes of proverbial navelgazing, doesn't it?
Like other healthy rituals that support employee well-being, adopting a daily reflection practice is a choice that requires both intention and attention. Our fastpaced, distraction-filled and tech-enabled modern lifestyle has created barriers to regular contemplation that I believe can — and must — be overcome if we are to continue to learn and evolve as individuals, organizations and a global society.
My sincere hope is that the few minutes you've just invested in reading this article will inspire you to spend a few more in contemplation mode, either on your own or in the company of others. Because as the great philosopher Socrates once said, "An unexamined life is not worth living."
Deborah Bonzell is a former life sciences trainer and the founder of The Well Workout. Email Deb at deb@thewellworkout.com.
About LTEN Focus On Training Magazine
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