Amanda Perkey MSOD 612 Post Session Reflection

The days at Parajo with my wonderful cohort members, faculty and

learning advisors feels like years ago when in fact its only been a few
short weeks. The connections and relationships built upon trust and
genuine intent stay with me each day as I long to connect at level with
others and continue to attempt to see myself in that glorious basking
glow of the intensive in my everyday life. This is truly unlike any
experience I have ever had in my life. I had never given myself the
opportunity to explore my mindset, my self-awareness in effort to help
others at a level so profound it can affect change. The ten days at
Parajo allowed me to understand and develop a mindset for myself and
for those in my life and to live each day knowing I have something
within myself to help other people. I didnt know what to think when
my Los Angeles alumni member told me candidly this will change your
life forever. Intensive 1 is a glimpse into that change and I couldnt be
more thrilled for this journey. I am now in a mode of desire. Desire to
increase my knowledge, desire to surround myself with like-minded
people, desire to be challenged, desire to help, guide, ask, listen and a
desire to truly act without ego. I drove in with Bryan from San Jose, I
interviewed Linda on night one, Hans and I connected based on pure
extroversion, Kristina, Sahar and Alice I knew would be people I wanted
to hear more from and share more with. I fully believe my insight group
was meant to share that experience together with Ann and Steve. I
believe everything that happened at Parajo happened for a reason just
like with life. Since Parajo, I connect frequently on Yammer, text and
the phone checking in with each member individually or in a group as a
point of accountability to sustain what I learned and to continue the
process of my Wise Self, being the best version of myself , supporting
my new friends and creating a habit within my mind and brain that this
is a lifestyle its not a point in time. For me, this group will always hold

a special place in my heart and mind and daily, weekly, monthly

reminders will keep me balanced on the foundation that this is a way of
life that continues to build, grow and change. My connections with
them as small as a text or as long as an hour chat give me something
to look forward to each day.
I must share an interesting story about my experience at Parajo that in
hindsight demonstrates much about what I learned. After a few days
into our session a lot of the cohort members were talking about their
MBTI categories and where that fit them into the rest of the cohort or
insight group. Being an outsider from this field my initial reaction was
to feel left out, (Little Sister Inner Committee Member which I came to
realize later), almost like I didnt belong in this program because I
didnt have a four-letter symbol to describe ME. After journaling, talking
with my SPINE and speaking openly to my insight group I quickly found
a solution. First, I took the MBTI from one of the cohort members who
administers it and found my four letters (ENFJ). The deeper lesson here
is all of the knowledge I gathered from this one, small experience. The
inner committees who showed up, who do I want to show up the next
time that feeling occurs, working with groups dynamics at a smaller
level to help ask questions and guide me out of that mindset, problem
solving, checking my ladder of inference on the data and the
conclusion I immediately jumped to and making an action (I shouldnt
be in the program) and coming to the awareness level I didnt need
those four letters to tell me WHO I AM. All of this happened in a rather
short amount of time and all of these lessons are applied insights I took
home to apply to my world. Seeing who I am and how I present myself
one-on-one, in small group and in large groups has definitely changed
and evolved. As an extrovert, I typically speak up about my opinion but
not be the one to ask questions. I am training myself to make a choice
between the stimulus and response time, to listen first then ask or

simply observe (the trio exercise taught me the power of observation

as did our large group and small group exercises like the MAZE/Grid
game) and pay careful attention to set my mindset before meetings,
conversations or anything that would need my full Wise Self - even if
its a simple three breaths. My goal through all of this is to add value
to each community or group experience similar to the experience at
Alba Farms. Having the intent and mindset goes a long way even if its
a small amount of help for a much bigger purpose. This aligns with my
unique contribution to the upcoming online and face-to-face sessions.
Id like to be able to add positive value through inquiry and work more
effectively on group projects through Yammer and in person by letting
each voice have space to share, trusting my intuition and continue to
bring sunshine and myself to the experience. My biggest challenge will
be to make sure which committee member(s) shows up, getting into
my Wise Self at all times especially in times of confrontation, tension or
stress and asking questions instead of giving advice or telling what to
do.
Intensive 1 provided a strong foundation of research, experience,
insight and practice to help guide my emerging point of view into its
present state. Self awareness and the meaning of the self as
instrument is a key pillar to my point of view as it shapes every
experience in life beginning with me and my ability to help, lead and
guide others. To present ourselves in a clear, clean, whole manner for
a client, a community, an organization and the world is powerful,
challenging and ultimately how we create meaning, passion and spark
to change the world. With the mindset clear and focused, my point of
view emphasizes sustainability of self and others and the double-edged
importance and detriment of technology on the mind, brain and self.
Technology has provided growth in this world that is unprecedented,
changing the way we communicate globally and enhancing efficiency

in business and in life. However, taking myself out of the rat race while
at Parajo allowed me to slow down and see the impact technology has
on me, my day-to-day functioning and my ability to clearly
communicate and form meaningful relationship. Id like to explore this
further in my studies related to organizational effectiveness and
development and individual sustainability. Additionally, I will focus on
the importance of inquiry and the art behind it with practice, test the
concept of choice between stimulus and response, utilize the ladder of
inference to help myself and others come to data based conclusions
and actions, practice and share gems specifically journaling,
meditating and walks and talks. A quote I love that rings wholly true
for this experience and path as an OD practitioner To know others is
smart. To know yourself is wise.

Initial Set of Personal Development Goals: Whole Person

Spiritual Habit: Dismissal, Ill get to it when I have time
Spiritual Goal: Career clarity for myself, in my current role helping
one direct report per week in a capacity that helps them grow
personally and/or professionally
Physical Habit: Fear of being alone. I know exactly what I need to do
but I dont want to do it alone
Physical Goal: Continue running (I just completed my first marathon
on Oct. 20 with Team in Training) and start up my yoga practice again
(It was something my mom and I did together in Arizona Since I moved
to LA I havent been practicing). Choose organic foods whenever
possible keeping the ALBA spirit alive.
Intellect Habit: I dont challenge myself enough in this area or I wait
too long to do so. Me taking charge, applying for MSOD was a HUGE
step toward consistency in this area.
Intellect Goal: Read more books, articles, research, etc., to spark
discussion with friends, family and colleagues. Share knowledge with
others to have deeper, more meaningful conversations. Specifically
with my dad, he is so knowledgeable in politics, finance,and
economics. Id like to relate to others on a different level.

Intuition Habit: Know when to use it and why. The more experiences I
have and the more choices I make the better my intuition becomes.
Intuition Goal: Acknowledge when I use it and decipher how I made
the choice in that situation.
Emotion Habit: React, panic, stress, dont talk it out clearly
Emotion Goal: Separate reality from dream, think before I act/react,
work on anger/frustration