LEADERSHIP STRATEGY: AWAKEN THE GENUINE SELF
Unbeknownst to most of us, we walk around in an altered state almost all the time, trapped in what can be called our “Adaptive Routine” or “running our Con.”
by LSI contributor Dr. John Scherer
Will the real self please stand up?
We perform our act to get people to believe us; or trust us, or follow us, or respect us, etc. without them or us realizing what our hidden agenda is about. To make it work, we bring to bear all the skills, characteristics and qualities we have developed over the years and put them in the service of our default purpose. For 99% of the world’s population, this is totally automatic and unconscious.
And the subconscious routine works—sort of—so we stick with it, settling for its benefits, even if those benefits don’t offer much in the way of lasting personal fulfillment. We get regular “hits” of what we’re addicted to (e.g. Adoration) and we temporarily stave off what we’re terrified of (e.g. Being Discarded). Unfortunately, fear/addiction drivers (often below our conscious awareness ) never go away. This means we rarely experience lasting moments of fulfillment and satisfaction, and subsequently, we are rarely as effective or happy as we could be . Hiding behind our con is totally self-centered.
Waking Up
Once we awaken from what could justifiably be labeled a trance state, and once we fully realize the presence of a habitual way of behaving (operating in the world), there is a good chance that we will fully appreciate its emptiness and begin searching for a more fulfilling reason for being. Here’s the big question:
“If I’m not here (on the planet) to impress people so that they’ll adore and not discard me…why am I here?”
This inquiry usually leads to a profound internal dialogue and deep conversations with trusted friends, partners ,and colleagues. The irony is that, to accelerate that waking up process, you must put yourself in a deeper state of mind. We have condensed the soul-searching inquiry into a guided imagery called The Greater Purpose Journey. People bypass their patterned way of thinking and find themselves closer to a deeper place inside of which a deeper purpose lives that has dormantley resided for many years, waiting to be set free.
The purpose that emerges during these journeys of discovery are seldom about specific work or the job you should be doing. That’s comes later. The emerging visions usually describe a state of mind or a state of being that is much bigger than what would have ever thought of with “normal” modes of thinking.
The Method
- PAUSE. Stop what you are doing in mid-stride. Pause before picking up the phone or before walking into the meeting.
- BREATHE. Exhale completely. Inhale slowly and deeply until even your shoulders are full of fresh air.
- DROP IN. As you exhale fully and freely, shift your internal focus to your deeper purpose. See it or hear it or feel it (depending on your primary information-processing style).
Athletes, singers and military professionals know how to do the breathing part of this. They have to. It’s a survival skill. You’ve probably seen a basketball player at the foul line, stop and take a deep breath before taking the shot. Add your GPS to the breathing and you’ve got a powerful life-changing tool. One helpful ideais to set your digital watch to beep on the hour as a reminder to Pause, Breathe, Drop In. Or create a screen-saver.
This post sponsored by the Baton Management System