About
A Ship of Thoughts is a self-awareness framework to help people observe their conditioning, thoughts, and behaviour. It has been created to assist two or more people to discuss a complex subject using a simple framework. It is inspired by the discussions I have had with my two teenage sons about life and relationships. I have gain most of my knowledge through self-education and practical experience.
I am an IT Systems Engineer by trade. I spend 25 years employed by the British Diplomatic Services supporting and installing secure global telecommunications and IT systems. From the age of 16 years old, I have been trained to represent complex systems using symbols and images i.e. electronic symbols, IT system diagrams etc.
During my time in the Diplomatic Service, I travel to many countries and experienced different beliefs and cultures. I spent many hours on an aeroplane admiring the Earth’s landscape in all its glory. Looking down from my aircraft window, I pondered how humans seamlessly merge into the land mass below, as do insects in a garden lawn. To me, it was apparent that we are all connected yet separated by what we have been conditioned to believe i.e., our culture.
I migrated to Australia in 2005 and, a few years later, I started a team building and personal development company call DoodleJam. Participants would create a group painting on canvas. I would ask a question such as “what motivates you in life?” and they would answer only using symbols (no words). I was amazed at how participants expressed themselves with ease and how powerful and meaningful the resulting group painting – “a picture paints a thousand words.”
In the last 10 years, I have been working in the mental health industry. Having spoken to over 6,000 people about mental health, I started to observe common patterns of thinking and behaviour from people who suffer with stress, depression, and anxiety. I began to see a link between our conditioning and mental health.
A Ship of Thoughts is an expression of my collective experience over the last 40 years. I have used my knowledge of information systems, symbology, personal development, psychology and fatherhood to create this unique framework. As Steve Jobs once said “You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
I hope, when you look back, you will see "A Ship of Thoughts" as a dot on your journey. The course will help you become more observant of yourself and more understanding of others. Self-awareness can increase peace, gratitude, and empathy, enriching a person’s journey on The Sea of Life. It may also lift some of the mystery around human stress, depression and anxiety.
Paul Francis
Author: A Ship of Thoughts