Assignment task:
A Day Above the Line
ACTIVITY:
Spend an entire day focusing on the principle of present moment acceptance and responding to every situation in ways that are above the line. Refer to the Levels of Responding
Chart in this chapter.
Amidst all your other activities of the day, keep in mind a constant awareness of the more effective ways of responding to people, situations, and experiences (noticing, discovering, accepting/allowing, and appreciating). Work to avoid responding to situations ineffectively (judging, criticizing, being right, complaining, and resisting). Use some type of cue to remind yourself throughout the day to respond effectively. This may be a rubber band on your wrist, a particular shirt, or some other unique reminder. As you start your day, this cue also helps you prepare to purposefully start the activity.
Include the following:
1. The cue you used to remind yourself to live above the line.
2. Each opportunity you had to choose between effective and ineffective responding.
3. Several examples of above-the-line choices that you deliberately made. Be specific in describing several events that occurred throughout the day where your habit may be to respond ineffectively, yet you chose to apply what you learned to respond above the line.
In bold, name the level describing your response (gratitude, allowance, etc.) to make it clear you understands and deliberately applied levels above the line.
4. Your most common or typical levels of responding.
5. What you noticed about your sense of inner peace, harmony, and happiness.
6. Any additional challenges and insights that you had about yourself while you focused on responding more effectively.