True Potential

Listen to What Life Calls You To Do

It seems to me that many of us spend a lot of our time trying to be all things to all people. Does this resonate with you? We have made many commitments, or have several irons in the fire, as they say, and yet are not getting traction in any one area.

I understand this, and support the process of trying on different hats and exploring possibilities when we want to create something new. In fact, that is one of my practices – Shift Out of Normal to Experience New Possibilities. So, I’m good with that. My next two practices, however, are about paying attention and going with the energy. This helps us to focus our attention and our energy on what actually “wants” to be born – to listen to what life calls us to do. This is where I think we sometimes get lost. Instead of focusing, we end up diffusing our energy and not seeing any real movement forward.

In his book, Theory U, Leading from the Future as It Emerges, C. Otto Scharmer presents some practices that not only mirror my own practices, but provide a way to ensure that we are connecting with our true potential – our authentic dimension and all the information, wisdom and power that come with that – and also use that to move with the ball as it goes forward.

This book is content-rich and presented in an academic framework. He interviewed hundreds of people from all around the world, and is doing some work based on his Theory U approach. It took me months to get through it. I wanted to read it because I wanted to learn of others’ approaches to bringing this kind of leadership into the world, for business, academia, or any other industry. I wanted to see what I could apply to my own work, learning from great minds who are open and have adopted this kind of leadership model.

In Chapter 21, Scharmer presents his Principles and Practices of “Presencing” for Leading Profound Innovation and Change. He breaks these down into five processes that move through the U – co-initiating, co-sensing, co-presencing, co-creating and co-evolving. He then presents 24 practices that support these. My process involves three principles and seven practices. No wonder I had a bit of a time getting through these! But, I was so happy to read that while he had much more detail and objective evidence to support his theory, our approaches were very congruent.

Here are Scharmer’s first few practices:

1. Attend: Listen to what life calls you to do. He recommends we take four minutes each evening and review our day as if looking at ourselves from the outside. We pay attention to how we interacted with others and what information we picked up. We do this without judging ourselves or others – we just observe.

2. Connect: Listen to and dialogue with interesting players in the field. Here is where we listen to our inner voice, and to the people we connect with. We persevere even if we receive information that is not in keeping with our original intention, because often there is a time-lag between conception and manifestation. And, we continue to nurture and maintain our original “holding space” until the messenger shows up with an invitation to do something we can’t “not” do.

3. Co-initiate a diverse core group that inspires a common intention. In this practice, we create a checklist that sparks a common intention among the diverse core players, trusting our heart’s intelligence when connecting with people and exploring possibilities.

What these practices do is put you in a position to start to listen to what life calls you to do. Living or leading from this position means letting go of any sense of “control,” and “allowing” the future to pull us forward. It requires us to choose to trust the process.

I can say, from personal and professional experience, that this works. And if we do this, the outcome is much better than had we tried to force things to work based on our own limited understanding. It also helps us stay focused and on track, not scattered, because “the way” becomes so clear that it seems foolish to do anything else. Plus, it’s much more fun, and who doesn’t like that?!

True Potential Tip

Listen to what life calls you to do. Set aside your normal way of doing things, just for an hour, or a day, and try Scharmer’s first three practices, or my seven practices. See what happens.

Life was calling me to get more exercise! Here I am on North Mountain in Phoenix enjoying the weather and the view. Love it!

Servant Leadership and Your True Potential

In preparing for a speech, I spent some time reviewing the principles of servant leadership. Actually, several years ago I took part in Scottsdale Leadership, and servant leadership is their model, so this was not entirely new.

When I reviewed what the Alliance for Servant Leadership, based at Indiana State University, had to say about it, it was very clear that these principles mirrored my own approach to Personal Transformation and Authentic Leadership, which is this:

Personal Transformation involves becoming self-aware so you can make conscious choices that support what you wish to create, rather than react based on fear, erroneous judgments or cynical thinking. The goal of personal transformation work is to erase the limited, inauthentic thoughts and behaviors that keep you stuck and not performing at your best by guiding you to return to your authentic self where your gifts, talents and highest level of creativity and intelligence are located.

Authentic Leadership is the outcome of personal transformation work combined with the knowledge of how to apply this work in leading and working with others toward a common goal. Personal transformation and authentic leadership are complementary and synergistic. You need one to have the other. These two process form the foundation of my work and offerings.

Here are the servant leadership guiding principles:

• Principle #1: Transformation

  Servant-leaders embrace transformation as the process through which people and institutions develop improved and innovative ways to meet their needs. They are particularly sensitive to the challenges of change and attempt to create circumstances where people are free to respond authentically, accepting honest mistakes and celebrating genuine efforts. The servant-leader recognizes that solutions emerge because of the process. Problems are viewed as opportunities to become aware of our limits and rediscover our authentic selves in the search for better directions.

  Principle #2: Personal Growth

  The servant-leader acknowledges that the organization’s capacity to provide for the liberation of human potential is the cornerstone for success. A commitment to holistic growth and development of every person means that the servant-leader ensures that the organization has structures, programs, and activities where everyone can grow. He or she accepts the need to create awareness, even when it disturbs more than it comforts.

  Principle #3: Enabling Environments

  Servant-leaders promote work environments where individuals can be accepted, authentic, honest, listened to, and productive. They understand that the organization’s potential is based on how well it helps people reach their capabilities.

  Principle #4: Service

  The servant-leader serves the institution by holding its future in trust. The servant-leader also seeks to provide direction and vision for the future of community, assuring that it meets the needs of people as well as those of the organization.

  Principle #5: Trusting Relationships

  The foundation of relationships is not based on organizational position but on a concern for others that is characterized by acceptance, trust, civility, reciprocity, respect, and collegiality. The servant-leader is absolutely inclusive of all people. The servant-leader seeks to understand others first before seeking to be understood themselves and models these values in their own actions. 

  Principle #6: Creating Commitment

  Leaders are those who champion meaningful visions and encourage people to commit their best to achieve them. Persuasive power is the preferred mode of influence. Decisions are reached through collaboration and open communication. Effectiveness is developed through enabling others to act. People should be directly involved in the discussions about the needs and directions of the community.

  Principle #7: Community-building

  Effective teamwork is a preferred approach, where individuals work together, complementing each others’ strengths and weaknesses. Servant-leaders are actively involved in the life of the community, modeling personal skills, setting examples, and developing everyone’s comfort level with a participatory approach to community efforts.

  Principle #8: Nurturing the Spirit

• The servant-leader is someone who understands the deep human need to contribute to personally meaningful enterprises. He or she nurtures the individual’s spirit through honest praise and supportive recognition. Criticisms and suggestions are not personal or harsh. The joy of work is celebrated both daily and in special events that acknowledge the value of human commitment to worthwhile work. The community is reminded to reflect on the importance of its struggles and successes.

It is very clear they are grounded in our higher human values -- love, compassion, cooperation and reverence for life. When people are treated in this way -- when we see our purpose as service and base our interactions with others out of personal transformation and authentic leadership -- great things can be accomplished.

True Potential Tip

When you consider your own leadership opportunities, how do your practices and processes compare? Is there anything here that you could use to create a more fulfilling and successful experience for yourself and those you lead?

Love,

Andrea

Your Next Step

Just take your next step. That is all that is required to live your true potential. Sometimes, we get all caught up in all the work needed to create something. Perhaps we become overwhelmed, or afraid, or confused. Perhaps we even shut down and just throw in the towel.

What's happening? There is some belief, some expectation, some idea operating that things should be different than the way they are, don't you think? Maybe, that they should be easy, or comfortable. Or at least, that the path should be clear, not so strewn with obstacles or worries.

Yet, when we just focus on taking the next step, we can let go of all that negativity and allow things to unfold as they are intended. We can see pretty quickly where we need to make changes and how to continue. We can slow down, let go, trust and have patience.

True Potential Tip

What one thing can you do to advance toward your goal? Do it. Then when you have, ask, what is my next step? Do that. And when the doing is done, relax and smile. You have done your job. That is all that is required to live your true potential.

Sometimes this is all that is required to take your next step. :-)

 

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

Is Your DNA a Biological Internet?

I recently received an article from a friend titled, “Russian DNA Discoveries Explain Human ‘Paranormal’ Events,” by authors Grazyna Fosar and Franz Bludorf of Germany. Curious, I read it. I went online to try to verify it. I can’t say for certain that any of what I’m about to share is true, but I am sharing it because it is thought-provoking.  This article contains a lot of information on how our DNA is structured and what certain Russian researchers have learned about it.

 

The article reports that, essentially, most scientists believe only 10 percent of our DNA is used for building proteins, and the other 90 percent is considered “junk DNA.” These researchers, convinced that nature is not dumb, joined linguists and geneticists in a venture to explore that 90 percent of junk DNA and found that not only is our DNA responsible for the construction of our bodies, “but also serves as data storage and communication.” That other 90 percent contains the ability to access group consciousness and hyper-communicate. In other words, we have a built-in ability for telepathy, remote sensing, clairvoyance, and other “paranormal’ experiences, once we learn how to tune in to these frequencies.

 

Without going into the whole article, the gist was that our bodies are programmable by language, words, and thought -- something that spiritual masters have been espousing for millennia. When we “raise” our vibration to higher levels, we have the ability to transform our individual and collective experience. And, we don’t need to cut and splice DNA to make changes. We can reprogram our DNA by words and frequencies.

 

The article points to the natural world in which animals communicate with each other without having to be in the same location. For instance, the queen bee can communicate to her worker bees without being present. If she dies, the worker bees stop their work because they lose that communication. Perhaps, in our earliest development, humans also had this ability, but lost it in our efforts to become independent. There could be a time in the future when we will be able to reclaim our ability to communicate across time and space, however in the future, we will not fall into herd consciousness, but rather use it to create and communicate as individuals that are part of the whole.

 

So, is this part of our true potential? I certainly believe that there is much we do not know. I have had many experiences that could not be rationally explained. If science is on the verge of explaining these things, I see this as a plus. Anything that can encourage us to use our true potential in our highest good is okay with me!

 

True Potential Tip

Be open to the possibility that life contains many mysteries we cannot explain. Scientists spend much of their time guessing, and then going about trying to prove or disprove their hypotheses. If you experience something you can’t explain, accept that as a gift into the unknown and smile. Perhaps you’ve just exercised that 90 percent of your DNA. 

Swimmers preparing to do a 1,000-meter race in Tempe Town Lake, including my son, Lucas, in the forefront, waving. How much of their DNA does this require?

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

Are you really in charge?

One of the things I think is most challenging for Westerners to do is to let go of the idea that we alone are in control of our destinies. It is almost anathema for us to think we aren't in charge of setting our own course and "making things happen." I mean, aren't we raised hearing, "you can do anything you put your mind to!?" Think about it.

Yet, when you look back, do you see how you have been helped along the way? Maybe a person showed up just in time to assist you? Maybe you received a financial boost just in time to pay your bills or make an investment in your business? How about those times when you felt all alone and you got that call, or that email, or someone sent you flowers, and you realized, I'm not alone? Were those just accidents or coincidences, or was something else at work?

Or, how about just going through your day? Do you ever stop to think that perhaps the choices you are making are being guided by a deeper intelligence that most of us don't really know? That maybe the you that you think you are is not really in charge at all?

Okay, you see what I mean? This is almost too much to even consider. This is crazy, right?

I don't think so. If you agree with me that we have a deeper Self -- the authentic Self -- that is not our personality self, then this is possible. When we engage this true Self and recognize that that Self is connected to the thing that is doing the doing -- which is life --  then we might start to get it. Then we can relax. Then we can be happy because all is well.

This is not to suggest that one just lets it all go and thinks, well, I'm not in charge so who cares. Although you could. This is to suggest that there is something deeper going on of which we are all a part and all playing our parts.

I know some of you might think this is hogwash. That's okay. That's the beauty of this forum, and of our country. We get to disagree. But, it is something to think about, yes?

True Potential Tip

Be the witness today. Spend some time "watching" yourself in action. Take notice of the you that is quietly, silently observing the action.

Love,
Andrea

Friends and I at the National Speakers Association this past July. The guy in the middle -- Bill -- was pretty happy!

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

No limits

If we listen to the world, we are often told what we cannot do, yes? There are those who would place limits on us, even to express our greatest dreams. But, I find, the more powerful limits are those we place on ourselves.
    "I'm too old for that."
    "There's no work -- look at the economy!"
    "All the good ones are taken."

There are a million things we say to ourselves, and to others, that place limitations on who we are and what we can experience. Do you ever hear yourself saying these kinds of things? If you're human, I bet you have. I know I have.

Yet, when we understand our true potential, we recognize these things as lies. Now, there are reality checks. There is no way I am going to be a heavy weight boxer. At 5'3" and 115 pounds, that is just not going to happen. Besides, I don't want to do that. Beyond that kind of thing, though, I believe we are the ones who limit ourselves, either out of fear, fatigue, impatience, or simple ignorance.

What do you think?

True Potential Tip
Pay attention to what you tell yourself and others. Are you limiting yourself? Are you hanging out with others who limit you? If so, stop it. Start a new practice of leaving the possibilities open. See how you feel then. 

This child, my great nephew Eathan, knows no limits

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

When do hunches prove to be valuable?

Gary, a friend of mine, often sends me articles he thinks I might be interested in, and often I am. The latest one is on Brain Power by Benedict Carey, and is titled, "In Battle, Hunches Prove to Be Valuable." I don't generally read articles about war, but this one peaked my interest. The gist of the article is that the human brain is the most sensitive detection system of all when it comes to finding improvised explosive devices, or IEDs, and it shows up in the way of "hunches."

The article cites several different studies and quotes a bunch of smart people who conducted those studies. Here is one of those: "Not long ago, people thought of emotions as old stuff, as just feelings -- feelings had little to do with rational decision making, or that got in the way of it," said Dr. Antonio Damasio, director of the Brain and Creativity Institute at the University of Southern California. "Now that position has reversed. We understand emotions as practical action programs that work to solve a problem, often before we're conscious of it. These processes are at work continually, in pilots, leaders of expeditions, parents, all of us."

These hunches have helped military personnel detect and protect against "improvised explosive devices," or IEDs, the greatest threat to life in Iraq and now in Afghanistan.

Hunches can be wrong, especially when fear is involved. According to the article, "neuroscientists say that the most perceptive, observant brain on earth will not pick up subtle clues if it is overwhelmed by stress. In the Army study of IED detection, researchers found that troops who were good at spotting bombs in simulations tended to think of themselves as predators, not prey. (One would be more afraid as prey, that's for sure!) That frame of mind by itself may work to reduce anxiety, experts say."

So, are hunches valuable? Absolutely. To up the chances that they are accurate, we must deal with the fear. There are ways to do this. My favorite is meditation. It helps me get out of my "monkey mind" and into my true self. Then, I can hear that authentic voice -- my hunches --  much more clearly and much more accurately.

True Potential Tip
Meditate. On a level we are not even generally aware of, it works to clear out the fear, the anxiety, and the illusions, and leaves us in a state of peaceful alertness. All the better to connect with those hunches!

Happy Friday!

Love,

Andrea

Nando Parrado, author of "Miracle in the Andes." A true inspiration.

 

Copyright Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

Speaking the language

I recently read an article in "One," MPI's magazine, that shared with event planners how to speak in "The Language of Business" so that C-level executives could understand the strategic importance of events. First, I agree with the gist of the article. However, that is not what I really walked away with. For me, the main thrust of the article is about the value of learning to speak in someone else's language.

We've all heard the saying, "When in Rome . . . " which reminds us to respect the cultures we find ourselves in. I think that extends to learning to speak the language, at least to some extent, whether we are visiting a physical location, or interacting with others who have a very different point of view or educational background.

I've had this experience when I've tried to communicate with people in industries or professions who are not familiar with or necessarily value some of the more esoteric concepts I use in my work.  When I started sharing this information, I had an attitude that went something like this: "I want to use the words I feel comfortable with and that express what I mean, rather than try to 'dilute' them" by using language that doesn't really work for me." Notice the focus on "I" and "me?" I know where that attitude came from -- my own desire to be acknowledged or understood. Guess what? That's understandable, but when your goal is to reach others, you need to learn their language and use it.

So, I took some time to really look at that, and decided to let it go of that attitude. I decided that if I am in a "foreign country," it's my job to make the effort to first understand, then be understood. So, I use their language to the best of my ability, based on my research. Actually, this blog is the result of this decision. I decided that I would read and share what I learn about True Potential from a number of points of view, not just my own.

What has been the result? Well, mixed, to be sure. I reach some. I don't reach others. But, I feel so much more open and have so many more options in how I go about my work. I've learned that underneath the language, there really isn't that much difference, and that, actually, is quite exciting. And, just like when you're in Paris, if you make the attempt to speak some French, things go much better, whether they agree with what you say or not. (I love Paris, by the way.)

It all comes down to respect, really. If we all make the effort to speak each other's languages and understand each other, things will be much better.

True Potential Tip
Next time you are going to be in a "foreign country," take responsibility to understand and be understood by learning to speak the language.

Food for the senses.

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

Listening with a capital L

One of the things I like to do in this blog is bring you information from different sources -- both the practical and the sublime. I read things both esoteric and scientific, and more often than not, allow whatever inspiration I receive to come forth on to the page. Currently, I am reading "Theory U: Leading from the Future as It Emerges," by C. Otto Scharmer. This is a big book. And it's pretty academic, but once I just delve into it and focus on it 100 percent, I find the reading to go fairly smoothly. I particularly like the way he describes the four ways we can listen:
    • The "Yeah, I know that already," type, which he calls downloading. This is when you are in a situation where what you are hearing confirms what you already know.
    • The "Ooh, look at that!" type, which is object-focused or factual listening. Here, you focus on what you don't already know. You attend to the data in front of you, instead of the inner voice of judgment.
    • The "Oh, yes. I know how you feel" type, which is a deeper level of listening called empathetic listening. Here, we can experience a profound shift from the mental-cognitive to our heart and connect deeply with another person.
    • The "I can't express what I experience in words. My whole being has slowed down. I feel more quiet and present and more my real self. I am connected to something larger than myself" type of listening. This is what he calls generative listening, or listening from the emerging future. I call this listening from your true potential -- your authentic self, which is connected to the whole.

Listening from this fourth place requires that we open a space to allow for a different kind of presence to emerge. We are in an altered state of consciousness. That state is the field of all possibility, all creativity.

As you go through your day, pay attention to what type of listening you are participating in. It can be really eye-opening.

I had kept this book in the car for a couple of weeks, picking it up here and there when I had time. Unfortunately, the heat in Phoenix literally melted the glue that was holding the spine together, so now I have a book that is literally falling apart as I make my way through it.

True Potential Tip, and Note to Self:
Unless it's made of steel, very few things survive in a car that is sitting in 115 degree heat, when the inside temperature is probably more like 130 degrees! Oh, and keep listening!

I have so many orange trees in my backyard, and rarely eat oranges! They are beautiful, though.

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC

Your Authentic Voice® System Practice Six: Pay Attention to What Happens Within and Without

“During a period of relaxation after concentrated intellectual activity, the intuitive mind seems to take over and can produce the sudden clarifying insights which give so much joy and delight.” Fritjof Capra, Physicist

Listen, listen, listen

This is really what this practice is all about. Once you have ignited your authentic voice by implementing the previous five practices (you can find articles on these practices on my website, http://www.AndreaBeaulieu.com), my experience is that you are barraged with information. This could come from an ah ha moment, from something you see on TV, or read in the newspaper or online, or from a friend’s comments, for example. You open a channel, and when you do, you just want to be present to “get it.”

Great ideas happen when we least expect them
I’m sure you’ve had the shower experience or the middle-of-the-night experience. All of a sudden you get that “ah ha!” Great ideas happen when we least expect them. The reason is because your authentic voice has been percolating and then, when ready, it shows up with the ideas. When that happens, write them down, or record them as soon as possible, because when they come, they come charged with energy. If you try to remember them later, you won’t remember them with the same energy. I’ve woken up with ideas in the middle of the night, and even left my bed to sit down at the kitchen table and write them down if need be, because I know I won’t remember them with the same clarity and excitement if I wait. These ideas have been just what the doctor ordered more than once.

Don’t shoot the messenger!
Notice if you have any judgment about where the information originated. Perhaps someone you don’t care for mentioned an idea that would be perfect – maybe your ex-husband – but you disregard it because of the messenger! Pay attention to the idea, not the messenger.

The real trick here is to be present and pay attention. So, put up your antennae. Pay attention to what is happening within and without and let your authentic voice lead the way.

True Potential Tip
Make a game out of paying attention. Think of it like a scavenger hunt. Look for clues. Take notice of your thoughts and feelings. Notice anything that seems connected in any way. At the same time, realize that your authentic voice often speaks in symbols, so if you notice something that doesn’t make sense right away, just give it some time. See if that symbol shows up more than once? What might it mean? Be open to your creative self. Listen, listen, listen.

Nature can truly open us to our greatest creativity, if we pay attention. What is right outside your door?

Copyright 2009 Andrea Beaulieu Creates, LLC