The Virtues Project

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The Virtues Project

• Supporting a Strengths Based Approach to Practice
• October 2006

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Workshop Objective

• To develop our understanding of the Virtues
  Project, its strategies and how it can support a
  strengths based approach to practice

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The A.R.T. of Boundaries

• Assertiveness
• Do what is right for you
• Respect
• Be deeply present without
• advising, interrupting, rescuing
• criticising or
  teasing
• Trust
• Be worthy of trust. What we say here stays here

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The Virtues Project

• Founded in 1991
• At the heart of all spiritual traditions are
  virtues, the essence of human spirit and content
  of our character
• Family Virtues Guide 52 universal virtues
• 5 Strategies developed to restore the practice of
  virtues in everyday life
• Utilised in over 85 countries across the world in
  communities, organisations, schools, families

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The Virtues Project

• Conveys positive meaning, enhances understanding
• Provides a positive view of life
• Makes life experiences more meaningful
• Honours our own worth and strengths of others

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Virtues or Values?

• Virtue
• General moral excellence uprightness goodness
  and admiral quality or merit beneficial quality
  of something
• Value
• The desirability or worth of a thing the worth
  importance or usefulness of something to
  somebody the accepted principles or standards
  of an individual or group

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The Five Strategies

• Speak the language of the virtues
• Recognise teachable moments
• Set Clear boundaries
• Honour the spirit
• Offer Spiritual Companioning

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1. Speak the Language

• Language shapes character
• Words have great power to discourage or inspire
• Helps us replace shaming and blaming with
  personal responsibility and respect

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Speak the language cont..

• Virtues Acknowledgements e.g. kindness
• I see your
• That took a lot of
• I honour you for your
• It was
• You were being
• Thank you for being.

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Virtues Pick

• Randomly pick a virtue
• Read the card, and reflect on its meaning to you
  at this time..
• you may want to pose a question to yourself
  before you receive the card
• E.g.. What virtue do I need today? What Virtue
  will help me solve this problem?

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2. Recognise Teachable Moments

• Having a view of life as an opportunity for
  learning, at the heart of meaning at the core
  of why we do things there is always a virtue.

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Recognise Teachable Moments cont

• Our lives are full of teachable moments
• Recognising the gifts in our tests and discerning
  lifes lessons before us each day helps us to
  cultivate character in ourselves and others
• When we have the humility and confidence to learn
  from our mistakes, every stumbling block becomes
  a stepping stone

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Recognise Teachable Moments cont

• Attitude towards life - making the most of how
  things turn out
• Greater awareness of meaning
• An opportunity for growth
• by asking questions
• What happened?
• What can be learned from this?
• What virtues need to be practiced?

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Recognise Teachable Moments cont

• Mastery and Meaning
• Our Courage grows when
• We are afraid and do it anyway
• When a task is challenging and we give our best
  to it
• Our excellence is developed
• When we make a mistake and own up to it and then
  make it right
• Our responsibility, forgiveness and determination
  grow

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Recognise Teachable Moments cont

• Activity
• On paper describe one of your biggest challenges
  at work
• What virtues were or are needed?
• Then - describe one of your shining moments at
  work
• What virtues were practiced or needed?
• Share this with one other person in your group,
  please give the person sharing a virtue
  acknowledgement.

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Recognise Teachable Moments cont

• Stumbling blocks to stepping stones..
• Bringing out the best in ourselves and others
• Builds morale, self esteem grows
• Ouch!......Takes the sting out of making
  mistakes
• Opportunities are provided by our challenges, it
  is the best time to hone our virtues, mistakes
  can be our best teachers

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Balancing Virtues

• At times a strong virtue may need balancing with
  a complimentary virtue
• e.g.
• Enthusiasm/patience
• Assertion/consideration
• Joyfulness/peacefulness

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3. Set Clear Boundaries

• Boundaries are the parameters within which we
  expect ourselves and others to keep, the
  guidelines for choosing our behaviour
• Provide clear expectations
• Can empower or disempower people?

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4. Honour the Spirit

• Recognising and honouring the gifts and diversity
  of others
• Reflection, reverence, dreaming
• Special events, celebrations
• Time for friendship, for listening companioning
  for being together, sharing stories
• Participating in activities that are meaningful -
  touch the spirit
• Beauty, being in nature.spending time with the
  arts

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5. Offer Spiritual Companioning

• By being deeply present
• Recognising and acknowledging anothers feelings
• Asking cup emptying questions
• Opening doors
• Listening to others in this sense validates their
  experience and is essential to their self esteem.
• It is a powerful way to model compassion,
  courtesy and respect

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Offer Spiritual Companioning cont.

• Activity
• Reflect on something that is quite challenging to
  you right now
• Find a partner and take turns to companion
• Use receptive silence, cup emptying questions and
  be fully present,
• Use closure questions and acknowledge speaker for
  a virtue

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The Virtues Project

• Useful Websites
• www.virtuesproject.com
• www.virtuestrust.org.nz
• www.uca.music.com
• Contact Master Facilitator
• Penny Sampson (M) 0417734229 Email
  petepenn_at_bigpond.net.au