The January 2009 Ask Christopher Avery is ready for you to listen. Read the questions below to decide if it’s worth your time. Ask me your questions now for next month’s show at AskChristopherAvery.com

Here is a “kudos” received soon after the show:

I submitted a question for your Tuesday broadcast yesterday. This was the one about knowing something logically yet not actually incorporating into your actions – self-sabotaging.

I just wanted to let you know I did hear your broadcast and really appreciated your response. Your answer was terrific!  Yes, I took notes! And am starting my Responsibility Practice TODAY!

Thank you for your great ideas, perspectives and most of all for being willing to go over this information again and again until we “get it”. We do have the best of intentions, but being human, we tend to rationalize and find we have drifted so far away, or just plain “forgot” our intent.  You are exactly right – this needs to be a daily practice with it “in your face” and I really like the accountability of the score-keeping game.

I have down-loaded the poster as you suggested on the call and am putting copies in several places to remind me. I have your book as well.

Thank you so very much for sharing yourself and your perspective. And please keep those great tips coming.

I would also like to comment on your post of Jan 6, which I just read yesterday, about taking a stand on integrity. That you would not accept an assignment to “change them” if the executive wasn’t willing to “change self” first.  The next sound you hear will be that of a standing ovation from this end!
<sound of thunderous applause>

May integrity be the next viral marketing! May it spread through our leadership at an unprecedented rate and may it give corporate leaders the backbone to make the hard decisions they have avoided for so long -OR- to move on to something else and let people of integrity fill their shoes. Please understand that I don’t mean that as blame! Just as facing facts!

You sir, are definitely one of those people of integrity with a very valid moral compass and stand as a shining example.  Thank you!

~ Alissa Beeler, Tennessee

Thank you Alissa. I appreciate feedback, and especially feedback that tells me to stay the course.

Here are the questions I addressed in this segment:

Q: I know logically many of these things. My struggle is to actually reprogram my mind to these new ideas and ways of thinking and not self-sabotage my efforts. Can you offer some advice to help me get these new ideas to replace/reprogram the old ones?

Q: What is you’re book about?

Q: Is there a difference is your processes when dealing with children rather than adults? If yes, to take it further is there a difference in younger children vs. say teenagers in the thrall of hormone swings? Trying to achieve work life balance includes dealing with these issues at home.

Q: How old would you suggest a child / teen be in order to begin to learn about personal – shared responsibility and 100% ownership, and how would you suggest beginning to help them learn (i.e., teach) about it?

Q: As a parent, I want to let my children (young adults, in my case) decide for themselves, take responsibility, see the consequences of their choices – respecting their freedom and dignity as persons – but yet I keep asking myself, “How can I tell them this so they will understand the value or the good sense of it, so they will make the right choice”, or “I need to remind them of this, in case they forgot”, or “Have I already told them this? If not, I need to….” — because I feel it is my responsibility as a parent to teach them and to pass on any wisdom gained. And so it feels like a never-ending battle. What would be a better approach?