New Year – New Tool
- Susanne Fuerst
- Jan 10
- 2 min read
or try a different way to gain insight into topics you couldn’t quite put your finger on
Words are fantastic, they enable us to describe the world around us, help us to exchange knowledge, learn new things, express our feelings, allow us to communicate.
Words can also be tricky, well it’s not the word that is tricky. It’s us who make things tricky. It is the fact that each one of us is unique that leads in the end to the challenge. Let me explain.
We have many dictionaries that help us understand the meaning of words. They also provide us with examples including special cases where the same word might have different meaning depending on context etc. This provides us with a standardized meaning of words which is important. So far so good.
What is the challenge?
Let’s look further and we will come to the point where we will quickly realise that our own unique perception and interpretations influences the meaning of words. For example, “Beauty” what does beauty mean? According to Cambridge and Oxford Dictionary: “the quality of being pleasing and attractive, especially to look at” or “a combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight”
I found that the focus on the aesthetic, the surface is superficial and missing the real essence of beauty. For me beauty is something that comes from within and shines through the person and that is what makes them beautiful. Not restricted to what pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight. The Tool: Acrostics
One day my mentor Carol McGowan introduced me to acrostics, she had written a book “Piecing Your Words Together: Acrostic Poems for Personal Development”. I used the concept of acrostics to try and express what beauty means to me.
Applications of the tool
This is a simple demonstration of how the concept of acrostics can be a helpful tool in the process of discovering or clarifying what specific words mean to you. In addition, connected expectations, interpretation, feelings, etc. can be explored and also expressed. I have since used the concept of acrostics myself and within my practice very successfully. Success, Confidence, Leadership are some of the common words that have come up. Clients have described the process to create a personal acrostic as cathartic and insightful.
Another way to use this tool is to choose a word for the year or a project and create your own personal or team acrostic to guide you or the team.
I hope this is useful and please feel free to utilise the Contact form – choose General Enquiry – for any feedback.
Book: Piecing Your Words Together: Acrostic Poems for Personal Development Author: Carol G. McGowan ISBN 1480214566 Published 24 Jan 2013
