It all began on February 14, 2003, with Dominique de Villepin's famous speech to the UN Security Council in New-York, aimed at preventing war in Iraq. It was then that Elodie became deeply convinced that she would be at the service of world peace.
The 5 Inspiring Choices are the fruit of several years of research and experimentation in multicultural groups at the Campus Agence Française de Développement. Elodie Parent has led over a hundred workshops on the 15 commitments (Conscious Leadership Group) that everyone in a team can make to activate its highest potential. The groups, made up of around twenty people each, included 15 different nationalities (Nigerian, Cambodian, Brazilian, etc.). Over the course of the discussions, the 5 choices emerged as a common base that brings us together, embodying a sort of universality, inclusion and non-violence. They are at the service of activating a group's highest potential, and of a form of "ecological" collective intelligence at the service of the challenges of ecological and social transitions.
They help to guide us in taking care of each of our relationships with living beings and our ecosystems, and move towards the creation of "ecological" models of society that enable us to grow in health, art, knowledge, culture, well-being, quality of relationship with ourselves and others, quality of relationship with nature, solidarity and peace.
★ Choice 1.1
I choose to cultivate the quality of my presence in the world in the moment, which allows me to feel calm even in the midst of chaos.
I choose to live on "action-reaction" autopilot mode because I don't have enough time to do everything. I don't have the time to take the time.
★ Choice 1.2
I choose to consider that the quality of my presence to myself, and to others, is more important than "doing" my to-do list at all costs.
I choose to cut myself off from my physical and emotional feelings to be more "efficient".
★ Choice 1.3
I choose to create my life from the now moment, and I'm automatically connected to the infinite possibilities.
I choose to believe that the space for possibilities is limited. As a result, I feel I have little room for manoeuvre to improve my life.
★ Choice 2.1
I choose to explore my inner world to deepen my self-knowledge. This inner journey changes my relationship with myself and the world around me towards greater rightness.
I choose not to listen to what's stirring inside me: my emotions, my desires and my fears. I feel unmotivated and stuck in certain choices I've made.
★ Choice 2.2
I choose to accept myself as I am, perfect with my imperfections. And I choose to accept others as they are.
I choose to devalue or overvalue myself and do the same for others.
★ Choice 2.3
I choose to take care of my 4 sources of energy: physical, emotional, cognitive and spiritual* (meaning of my life).
I choose to neglect one or more of my 4 sources of energy. I thus contribute to maintaining this mechanism in others.
* Spiritual is understood here in the secular sense. Whatever a person's beliefs, it is assumed that they wish to give "meaning" to their life.
★ Choice 3.1
I choose to ask questions that open up the field of possibilities, when I sense blockages within myself, around me or in a discussion. I choose to let myself be surprised by the answers that appear at their own pace.
I choose to prove my point at all costs. I choose not to listen deeply to others (or myself), especially when I'm convinced I'm right.
★ Choice 3.2
I choose to question my ideas and perceptions thanks to a systemic approach to my ecosystem, which enables me to change my outlook with ease.
I choose to contribute to the highest potential of this system of which I am a part.
★ Choice 3.3
I choose to accept that another's point of view may be as true, or even truer, than my own version of events. I realize that my life can be even more just when I listen attentively to others.
I choose to think that what I say or think is the one and only truth and I seek to prove it, to be right.
★ Choice 4.1
I choose to get out of the judgment mechanism to take my fair share of responsibility in each of my relationships and install relational freedom.
I choose to judge others easily and to position myself as a victim in the relationship in question. I feed the dynamics of relational control.
★ Choice 4.2
I choose to accept the idea that, in a more or less conscious way, I contribute to creating each relationship I'm involved in, and that each one is an invitation to perceive what's stirring within me. I choose to make creative adjustments to take care of my relationship with myself and with others.
I choose to consider that the conflicts I have with some of my relationships are their fault, that I had nothing to do with them.
★ Choice 4.3
I choose to be in charge of my physical, emotional and mental safety. I choose to take no more (the savior) and no less (the victim) than 100% of my share of responsibility. I know that I alone am responsible for who I am and what I choose.
I choose to expect others (company, managers, spouses, children, friends, colleagues, etc.) to ensure my physical, emotional and mental safety. Sometimes I take either more or less than 100% of my share of responsibility.
★ Choice 5.3
I choose to amplify the essential: to take care of my health and my physical, mental and emotional well-being, my relationships with others, to cultivate my artistic, cultural and spiritual projects.
I choose to neglect what is essential to my health and well-being.
★ Choice 5.2
I choose to express my inner joy and take care of the living in and around me.
I choose to neglect my inner joy and the life in and around me.
★ Choice 5.1
I choose to embody my deepest nature, to radiate my sovereignty and to free myself from that which has control over me.
I choose not to cultivate my deeper nature. I choose to live under different forms of control...
