Leadership & The Way of Peace

Today I’m feeling called to recommend a book.  Not sure why; just looking at and wondering what would become possible if everyone — leaders in particular, whether business leaders, organization leaders, politicians or corporate executives read this book and applied it’s principles.  you see, personally, I believe that leaders have an obligation — a responsibility — to model a peaceful way of being.  Looking around at the world at large, I’m always amazed at the power of peace (sounds like a contradiction, however, it’s not!).  That being said, the way of peace is often misunderstood, particularly in the leadership context.  There can be a sense that choosing the peaceful approach is somehow weak and ineffective.  What I know for sure is that a peaceful approach actually requires strength — strength of character, strength of conviction, physical, emotional and mental strength — and whenever used diligently, peace is more than effective.

The Arbinger Institute’s book, The Anatomy of Peace, speaks to the power of peace, the implications of peace, and the path to peace.  A short, simple (as in simple-to-read) and powerful work, this book is a must read for leaders in all walks of life.  The Anatomy of Peace applies in all contexts — even speaking to the power of peace when you feel you must enter into conflict of sorts.  Yes, the two can co-exist and the Anatomy of Peace does a brilliant job of pointing to how the paradoxical peaceful approach to conflict is more effective than an approach rooted in a spirit of conflict.  Bottom-line:  it’s all about energy and this book illustrates brilliantly how peace is the way.

If you’re looking for a book to read (and even if you’re not!) I strongly encourage you to get your hands on a copy of this pivotal work.  The Anatomy of Peace will change the way you relate to others and the way you see the world.   And everyone will be better for it.

P.S. — if you haven’t yet done so, please send in a suggestion for the title of this blog — you could win a $10 Amazon gift card!  Context closes at 4 pm EST on the 24th of November — look forward to hearing your ideas!

The Point of Power is Right Now

You know, this is something I’ve been aware of for a while now…and yet, it still catches me off guard from time-to-time.  It’s as though I’ve spent so many years either analyzing the past or trying to manipulate the future, that the business of staying right here in the present moment can be more than a little challenging.  Let’s face it; for me it can be down-right paralyzing!

I believe I first read this phrase, “the point of power is right now”, in one of Louise Hay’s books.  But I’ve since been confronted by variations on this theme wherever I turn.  A number of recent “daily affirmations” have pointed to this universal truth; several authors which I’m currently reading have expounded upon this.  And I guess what I’m coming to realize is that there really is no way around it — no matter what I want, no matter what I long for, no matter what I’m trying to change in my life, I’ve got to do it from present-moment energy.  Looking backward keeps me stuck, and fast-forward motion has me spin my wheels.

One of the questions that arises for me out of all of this, however, is how to blend the past and future so that I can truly leverage the power of the present.  I mean, I know that I can learn from past experience.  And I know that to some degree  I have to know what I’m heading towards in the future.  So how do I do these two things, without losing my toehold on the present moment?  These are the questions I’m dancing with now.  And even as I write them, I have an energetic sense that the answer lies in the here and now.  Go figure.

I guess the bottom-line is this:  peace, contentment, happiness, joy — all of this stuff is to be found in this moment.  So, ultimately, if those are the things I’m wanting, then right here right now is where I’ve got to hang out.  I’m gonna give it a try.

Are You Sure That’s What You Want?

I recently acquired a meditation/manifestation CD from a friend.  Truthfully, I’m loving it.  I find that having a person’s voice guide me through a meditation works well for me.  Being the novice meditator that I am, I’m less likely to get distracted when I can follow something specific.

Anyway, right at the outset of the CD, listeners are invited to contemplate what it is they’re wanting in their life.  “What would your ideal situation be?” is the question I am asked, and I know the answer beyond a shadow of a doubt.  The next question is this…wait for it…”If you could have your ideal right now, would you take it?”  At first this question stumped me.  Why the heck are you asking me that?  Of course, I’d take it!  And then I realized that this is really the ultimate question!  Because if your answer is anything other than a resounding, unequivocal “yes”, then it doesn’t matter what the heck you’re trying to bring into your life, it just won’t show up!

So many people I know say that they’re after something specific: wealth, joy, happiness, companionship, peace, balance.  In fact, I’m willing to wager that there’s something you’re striving for right now, some dream that you’d tell me about if I asked.   And yet I have my suspicions that in your heart-of-hearts, although you say they want “x”, if it were given to you right here and now, you actually wouldn’t take it.  Why not?  Well,  I can only guess.  And my guess is that underneath the desire, behind the curtain of longing, there’s an awareness that having this “x” show up would mean that life would be different from what’s familiar.

I can just hear the collective, “Well, duh!”  And I’ve got to say, I’m not trying to be faecitious here.  Instead, I’m pointing to the fact that at a subconscious level, we all love the familiar.  Even when the familiar isn’t exactly enjoyable, it’s predictable and erego comfortable.  To have it change, even for the better, means having to adjust how you  are in the world.  It means having to find a new orientation.  And for some people, that’s just too much work.

So ask yourself, whatever it is you’re aiming for right now, are you willing to adjust your orientation to the world around you in order to have it?  Are you willing to change in whatever way is necessary?  Are you willing to let some people go, be with new people, perhaps change your location?  Because when you’re asked whether or not you’d take your dream on a platter right now, what you’re really being asked is “are you willing to shift your life in accordance with that dream?”  If your answer is yes, great!  And if your answer is anything else, it’s time to stop and get really clear on what you are willing to do.  Bottom-line: until you are willing to say a resounding, crystal-clear yes to your dream, it won’t show up.  I guarantee it.

Book Recommendation

Feels time for another book recommendation on my part.  Erego, that is what today’s focus will be.  As luck would have it, I’m reading (actually re-reading) a fabulous book called The Anatomy of Peace by The Arbinger Institute.  I know: the name of the author leads one to think of a stuffy educational organization, and therefore the book must by a boring sort of text, hard to get through and highly theoretical.  Well, I don’t know what the Arbinger Institute is like, but I do know that the book itself is anything but text-book like.  Instead it’s fascinating, paradigm-shifting, and in my humble opinion a MUST read.  Like MUST!

The basic premise of the book is that, as human beings, we can engage in any task, in any interaction with our hearts either at war or at peace.  The way in which we be toward the world around us informs our view of the world and therefore our experience of it, as well as they way in which we choose to interact with it.  According to this book, fundamentally, a heart at peace allows for lasting solutions to problems, and respectful interactions with the world at large.  I gotta tell you, when I read this book — even as I read it now for the 2nd time — I’m blown away by the implications and suggestions it makes.  Such simple choices can facilitate such dramatic shifts.  It’s an idea that merits consideration in my opinion.

So I invite you to check this book out.  I assert that it’ll be well worth your time.  Indeed, I’m so moved by it that I’m considering purchasing a bulk quantity and using it as a required reading for my coaching clients.  I can see how it would serve everyone well.  Happy reading!