Living within the pyramid is putting yourself in the ready position, the ready position for life. Ready to be the best you can be in every aspect of your life. Giving yourself an opportunity to “tap into your chi” or your highest potential. The ready position for life means your physical, mental and spiritual sides are all working together in unison, thus living within the pyramid. This does not happen by chance but requires daily practice and commitment. Over time you enter a state I like to call entrainment. This enables you to tap into your hidden potential or “chi” on a more frequent basis.
Spiritual, is the base or foundation of the pyramid and in many ways I consider it the most important of the 3 elements. The spiritual component is your value system it is your beliefs, your code of conduct, your guide to how you will live your life. We develop this system through our parents, religious teachings and exposure to many other people, places and things. Critical to the spiritual element is not what you say but what you do. In a word, it is integrity. If you attend church or synagogue with every intention of doing the right thing as taught on Saturday or Sunday but then lie to your colleagues, are ruthless in business and are absent to your kids school play or baseball game when you say family is most important are you truly spiritual?
You cannot be spiritual by showing up for services on Sunday alone, you are judged by how you live your life each and every day. The spiritual element is often described by key words such as passion, love, persistence, the heart of a champion, and faith. Indeed faith is a critical aspect of spirituality a belief that there is something out there greater than us. Although it’s not necessary to put aside 10 -15 minutes daily to practice spirituality you are tested every single day. How you react to the myriad of challenges you face each day in your profession, your social circles and your family life truly tests your value system. If you hold firm to your values and beliefs your spiritual side is strengthened, if you cave in to the pressures of your peers, your own thirst for money or power the spiritual side is weakened. An individual who is true to his value system truly has an indomitable spirit where anything is possible.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
FEAR
What fears have you swept under the rug? Are you afraid of opening up and sharing your true feelings with a loved one for fear of rejection? Have you postponed pursuing a goal simply because you thought you weren’t good enough and had a fear of failure? What’s the worst thing that can happen? Yes that’s right!
You may not be successful in reaching your goal. That is a very real possibility but consider the positive changes you’ll have gone through in the attempt. Often times we become so absorbed in the end result or goal that we lose sight of the journey. By simply taking the first step forward to achieve the goal you’ve taken positive steps and forward momentum. You probably learned a few things, developed self-discipline and perhaps met and nurtured friendships along the way. These are all positive steps in the journey of life. If you were unsuccessful in reaching your goal, you can evaluate what went wrong and LEARN from the experience. Setbacks and failures are a necessary step to improvement. They are part of the process and should not be viewed as failure. Evaluate what you can do different next time and reconfirm your commitment to your goal by developing a new plan or strategy.
One of the most successful companies on our planet is Wal-Mart, here’s what CEO David Glass had to say about Sam Walton “the one thing that stood out about Sam Walton was his ability to admit yesterday’s mistakes and leave them behind, getting on with today’s work. He was a flexible optimist. He trusted others and he simply wasn’t afraid to fail.” Every successful executive and athlete I’ve ever worked with failed in fact they failed many times, they just never quit. They were able to analyze what went wrong and weren’t afraid to come to grips with their weaknesses.
John Gardner writes, “Human beings have always employed an enormous amount of clever devices for running away from themselves. We can keep ourselves so busy, fill our lives with so many diversions, stuff our heads with so much knowledge, involve ourselves with so many people and cover so much ground that we never have time to probe the fearful and wonderful world within, by mid-life most of us are accomplished fugitives from ourselves.” Does this sound familiar? Are you convincing yourself that you’re just too busy and have no time to pursue your passions? This begs the question, how comfortable are you in your own skin? To overcome fear you need to start by looking within. Do a careful assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses. As you move forward, emphasize your strengths but don’t be afraid to admit your weaknesses. As your confidence begins to grow and your successes increase you’ll begin to develop the courage to face those weaknesses and overcome your fears. Seek out a mentor, a coach, or a loved one to help you overcome those self-imposed fears.
I love what Joseph Campbell had to say on the subject “You may have success in life, but then ask yourself what kind of life was it? What good was it if you’ve never done the thing you wanted to do all your life or went where your heart and soul wanted to go?
You may not be successful in reaching your goal. That is a very real possibility but consider the positive changes you’ll have gone through in the attempt. Often times we become so absorbed in the end result or goal that we lose sight of the journey. By simply taking the first step forward to achieve the goal you’ve taken positive steps and forward momentum. You probably learned a few things, developed self-discipline and perhaps met and nurtured friendships along the way. These are all positive steps in the journey of life. If you were unsuccessful in reaching your goal, you can evaluate what went wrong and LEARN from the experience. Setbacks and failures are a necessary step to improvement. They are part of the process and should not be viewed as failure. Evaluate what you can do different next time and reconfirm your commitment to your goal by developing a new plan or strategy.
One of the most successful companies on our planet is Wal-Mart, here’s what CEO David Glass had to say about Sam Walton “the one thing that stood out about Sam Walton was his ability to admit yesterday’s mistakes and leave them behind, getting on with today’s work. He was a flexible optimist. He trusted others and he simply wasn’t afraid to fail.” Every successful executive and athlete I’ve ever worked with failed in fact they failed many times, they just never quit. They were able to analyze what went wrong and weren’t afraid to come to grips with their weaknesses.
John Gardner writes, “Human beings have always employed an enormous amount of clever devices for running away from themselves. We can keep ourselves so busy, fill our lives with so many diversions, stuff our heads with so much knowledge, involve ourselves with so many people and cover so much ground that we never have time to probe the fearful and wonderful world within, by mid-life most of us are accomplished fugitives from ourselves.” Does this sound familiar? Are you convincing yourself that you’re just too busy and have no time to pursue your passions? This begs the question, how comfortable are you in your own skin? To overcome fear you need to start by looking within. Do a careful assessment of your own strengths and weaknesses. As you move forward, emphasize your strengths but don’t be afraid to admit your weaknesses. As your confidence begins to grow and your successes increase you’ll begin to develop the courage to face those weaknesses and overcome your fears. Seek out a mentor, a coach, or a loved one to help you overcome those self-imposed fears.
I love what Joseph Campbell had to say on the subject “You may have success in life, but then ask yourself what kind of life was it? What good was it if you’ve never done the thing you wanted to do all your life or went where your heart and soul wanted to go?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
