Game Change: Create Your LifeWork Through Strategic Conversations: HOPE and Strategic Conversations

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

HOPE and Strategic Conversations

In their book, Ertel and Solomon state -- "There are just three reasons to call a strategic conversation: Building Understanding, Shaping Choices, or Making Decisions."

Guided HOPE Groups following a set of principles are structured to provide an open forum to explore life's issues. HOPE Groups begin with group members reading the HOPE Group Principles. Upon the completion of this reading, group members check in and if there is a new member, then each member introduces themselves to the new member. Their introductions include what brought them to HOPE.

HOPE Groups help build understanding and shape choices. However, decisions are left to each group member.

As I reflect upon my HOPE Group experience, my HOPE Group was a safe haven where I could share aspects of my life and do my inner work leading to attitudinal change and new understandings. The most important question asked, "What do you want to do with the rest of your life?" The rest of your life could be that day, next week, or years away. As I explored this question, the exploration was to create or re-create a life with meaning, value, and purpose.

HOPE's key question led me to the realization that our lives deserve Strategic Conversations. With loved ones, significant others, trusted friends, a HOPE Guide, or a counselor we need to take the time to design strategic conversations that will build self-understanding/increase self-knowledge, shape the choices that are critical to our happiness, and make those decisions that will make a difference.

As this work continues I will present the theoretical proposition of LifeWork Imaging, define the process of career deciding, and frame this work with strategies for success.

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Our Lives Deserve Strategic Conversations

In 1988, I was diagnosed with 4th stage lymphoma. Surgery and chemotherapy healed my body, but my life was saved by my participation in H.O.P.E. (Healing of Persons Exceptional) that were guided by Ken Hamilton, MD. For six months while I was undergoing chemotherapy treatment, my wife, Nona, and I traveled to Portland each week to meet with others in a HOPE Group. Through content presentations, shared stories, and guided visualizations, I was able to re-invent and live a life with greater depth of relationships and a worldview that opened my heart to greater opportunities. As I look back at my last twenty-six years, I realize that HOPE created for me an environment that fostered the groundwork for strategic conversations. During this time period I created a theoretical proposition that I called "LifeWork Imaging." It is through this work, professional work until my retirement, and my later studies of success and career development that I plan to set out for readers a developmental lifework approach to success and decision making that is propelled by strategic conversations.

Upon the completion of the first draft of the LifeWork Imagng document, Ken Hamilton and Michael D. Shannon helped me to add greater depth to the concept. As a result, as a team, we presented a workshop titled, "LifeWork Imaging: A Theoretical Proposition for Putting Multiple Theories into Practice" at the national conferences of the National Career Development Association and the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee.

-- Stephen D. Thompson --

Professional Background

Stephen D. Thompson, a career development specialist, has been recognized by the National Occupational Information Coordinating Committee and the National Career Development Association for his work in the field of career education and computerized career information delivery systems. A graduate of the University of Maine, Stephen served at Maine Career Education Coordinator for the Maine Department of Education and Cultural Services and as the Product Development Specialist and Training Manager for the Maine Occupational Information Coordinating Committee. Stephen graduated from the University of Maine -- with a B.A. in English and a M.Ed. in school administration with an emphasis in career education and organizational change.

With the love and hard work of his wife, Nona, Stephen recovered from his battle with 4th stage lymphoma. This was 1988. As a result of his cancer experience and work with Ken Hamilton, Stephen integrated his career development work with Hamilton's work as founder of H.O.P.E. (Healing of Persons Exceptional) to create the theoretical proposition of LifeWork Imaging which is the subject of this blog.

We have but one life to live. Let it be the best life lived!

Ken Hamilton, MD -- Professional Background

-- Ken passed away in February of 2022. His work impacted so many people who appreciated his presence and contributions. -- H.O.P.E.'s founder, Ken Hamilton, MD, grew up in a healing family environment of medical doctors, social scientists, and Christian Science practitioners. From his earliest years, he knew that health was somehow related to love and its Source, and the relationship fascinated him. during his teen years, he struggled to understand this. At 21 this became his life's goal, and he committed himself to becoming a physician and surgeon.

In the opening lecture of a major course in his second year in the McGill University Faculty of Medicine (Montreal) the professor advised American students that they would not be taught prognosis "because you do not have the right to limit your patients' lives. Rather, he heard, "promise them that you will do everything to help them get on with their lives."

To Hamilton, that instruction contained all of the essential elements of the Hippocratic Oath. He held to that belief through his entire career and into the 1987 formation of H.O.P.E. (Healing of Persons Exceptional), where it became H.O.P.E.'s Prime Directive: "First of all, do no harm. Rather, do some good; benefit people. Help them remember the 'worthy idea' that we all come with and that serving it is the healthiest thing we can ever do." That 'worthy ideal' idea was the brainchild of the great student of success, Earl Nightingale, who maintained that choosing attitudes made for success. Further, Hamilton met with two physicians, Bernie Siegel and Jerry Jampolsky, who stressed the importance and value of choosing healthy attitudes. The result of these meetings was the first H.O.P.E. Group Meeting in February 1987, and the subsequent 6000 H.O.P.E. Group meetings "guided" by Hamilton and others who learned the process from him.

Professional Background

As an educator, Dr. Michael Shannon has worked with Pre-K through doctoral students in public, private and community school learning settings. The common theme to his work in each setting is to determine the learner's level of growth and development and facilitate individual advancement.

Life and career development continues to be his central area of interest and study and was the focus of his doctoral studies at the University of Maine. Once described by Mary McCauley as "the ultimate ENFP," Mike has a breadth of interests, but always seems to be taking time to teach someone.

Professional Background

Nona L. Thompson received her M.Ed. in guidance and counseling from the University of Maine. Upon graduation she worked for the Bangor School Department for three years as their career education consultant coordinating the development of teacher designed career education curriculum, kindergarten through grade twelve. In Readfield she worked as a secondary school guidance counselor. For a number of years she worked as an associate editor for the Maine Sportsman Magazine and as the executive secretary for the Maine Associations for Supervision and Curriculum Development. For 24 years she worked as a middle school guidance counselor for the communities of Farmingdale and Hallowell. During this time period Nona also worked as a Crisis Counselor in Kennebec County.

Nona's experiences, skills and knowledge related to the counseling-guidance process, of middle school and high school students, and of school-based organizations will contribute greatly to the knowledge base of Game Change: Create Your LifeWork through Strategic Conversations.

Professional Background

Laura Thompson Brady, Ph.D. & founder of The Nourished Home, is a transformational life coach who teaches women and their families to put into practice her research on the power of living from your core values. Laura believes that all women are Mamas on a Mission and are here to birth their soul's work into the world. She teaches both mamas and mission-driven entrepreneurs from around the world to cultivate joy, connection, and soul-stirring adventure in their careers and family lives.

Laura is a multi-passionate woman: a transformational coach, singer, writer, motivational speaker, academic, entrepreneur, wife, and mama. She holds a Ph.D. in Human Development & Family Studies from the University of Delaware and certification in Holistic Health Coaching through The Institute For Integrative Nutrition. Laura's on a mission to inspire women to be seen & heard in their work and personal lives so that, together, we can do our part to heal the whole human family. You can learn more about Laura's work at The Nourished Home.

Game Change: Create Your LifeWork Through Strategic Conversations

A Strategic Conversation

Wednesday, May 21, 2014

HOPE and Strategic Conversations

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