|
You Are A Nucleus
by William Frank Diedrich
An
ego centered leader strives to be the center of attention. His
goal is to get what he can from the people around him. The focus
of the ego is always on getting what it thinks it doesn't have.
A leader who is capable of transcending ego needs, realizes that
she already is a center, a nucleus from which radiates her power.
Influence is her power and it does not come from a mindset of
getting. It comes from a mindset of giving.
As
Jim Collins describes in Good To Great, a great leader practices
both the mirror and the window. When things go wrong, he looks
in the mirror at himself. He takes full responsibility and refuses
to blame. When things go well, he looks out the window at others,
generously giving them the credit. A powerful leader always looks
at relationships and situations from a perspective of: "What
am I giving to this situation?"
Charisma
is the least important trait of a truly great leader. Substance
is more important. Great leaders empower others to be leaders.
They lead with a strong sense of purpose, with vision, values,
and the intention to create success for everyone. They see that
they are connected to everyone else, and that everything they
do and say has a ripple effect. Every word and every action sends
a message, and collectively, the messages become the culture of
the organization.
You
are a nucleus, and the consciousness you bring to your work, your
family, and your friends has an effect. The effect is determined
by the level of appreciation you hold for yourself and others.
The effect is determined by the strength of your intentions. If
it is your intent to help both the group and individuals to reach
their potentials, then that will be your effect. Your energy will
flow toward creating success. If your intent is to correct everyone's
mistakes, then you will encourage more mistakes. What you focus
on will expand.
You
are a nucleus, and you give what is inside you. If you have joy
and a belief in people to succeed, you will give that. If you
carry resentment, fear, or blaming, you will give that. You will
reap what you sow. You will receive what you give. What are you
giving to the people around you today--your joy, your smile, your
positive intent, your compassion, your blessing, your desire to
help, your forgiveness, your vision for their success? Do not
underestimate your power. Power is not something you have to get.
You already have it. You are a nucleus, and who you are creates
a ripple effect, influencing others with your strength.
Spiritual Intelligence:
The Real Secret
William Frank Diedrich
The
word spirit comes from the Latin word spiritus, meaning "breath".
Spirit is the breath of life. The word intelligent is from the
Latin, intelligentia, meaning "choosing between". Spiritual
Intelligence is our ability to choose between spirit and ego.
We consciously practice spiritual intelligence when we intentionally
choose spirit over ego, love over fear, and the highest good for
all over selfish interest.
The
Voice of Spirit is the voice of our Higher Self. My Higher Self
is that which has never left its creator. All Higher Selves are
connected as One. I connect to my Higher Self through my soul.
My soul is my dream self -- that part of me that has wandered
through countless life experiences trying to find its way back
home to the Higher Self. My soul desires to wake up and remember
who it is.
I
develop my spiritual intelligence when I join with my soul and
choose to identify with my Higher Self, my Spirit. In this state
of identification I realize that I am not my body. I am not my
gender or my profession. I am not my ethnicity nor am I my religion.
I am not my life situation, my illnesses, my financial position,
or my status in society. I am not my problems and I am not my
past. Spiritual identification has me detaching from all forms
and experiences and seeing myself as a spiritual being in this
human experience.
Many
people in spiritual circles like to call on angels, Jesus, or
other beings of light. This is good. Many others make use of rituals,
tools, methodologies, and programs to learn and grow. This can
be good, too. As we develop spiritually we come to realize that
we are the light. You and I are the light that we seek. There
is nothing we can seek that we don't already have within us. There
is no person, program, or methodology that can do it for us. Nothing,
of itself, will bring you the light or awaken you. It is your
intention and willingness that that leads you to the power that
lies within you.
This
is the real "secret". There is nothing out there you
need. Love, peace, prosperity, and wholeness are already within
you. When you trust in this completely, you have all that you
need in the physical. When we are hung up on the form--the car,
the house, the bank account, the great body, the great relationship--
we make the form our source. The source, God, is within us, and
is always available. We are not separate from God, and that is
the secret.
We
are born into this world not knowing the secret. If we knew it,
we wouldn't need to be here. Yet, we are here, so there is something
to be learned. Both our tendencies to live from spirit and our
tendencies live from ego are manifested in the physical world
by way of the Law of Attraction.
The
film and the book, The Secret, is an inspiring piece of work about
the Law of Attraction. Certainly you can use the Law of Attraction
to build the life you desire. It should be noted however, that
both Hitler and Stalin successfully used the Law of Attraction.
The movie indicates that wealthy power brokers have always used
the Law of Attraction. This is where spiritual intelligence comes
in. When you create, are you creating from spirit or from ego?
Another
point The Secret makes is: "Anyone can do this." Do
what? Create a $4 million home? Own several luxury cars? Live
a wealthy lifestyle? If this is true, then are we to conclude
that those of us who are not enjoying these riches have something
wrong with our thinking? On this basis we would have to make Donald
Trump one of our primary spiritual teachers, and Bill Gates would
be the world guru.
Each
of us has an individual purpose to be played out in this life.
For some, having great wealth is part of their purpose. For others,
it may not be. Some people will practice changing their thoughts
and emotions and find quick success. Others may practice for twenty
or thirty years and find no change in what they have manifested.
Neither scenario conclusively tells us where someone is in consciousness.
The relationship between cause and effect is not linear. It is
unlikely that you will think a negative thought today and the
next day something bad will happen to you. Consciousness is made
up of your awareness, understanding, and knowledge (or lack of).
The physical manifestations in your life are not predictable to
the ego mind.
For
example, you may have a deep issue with unforgiveness. At the
same time you are healthy, wealthy, and have good relationships.
In spite of your wealth and health, you feel badly. In another
instance, your unforgiveness may play out as indebtedness, poor
health, or hurtful relationships, or all three. In truth, you
don't know what you signed up for when you came to this life.
Cancer may manifest from deep anger, or maybe you signed up for
the cancer experience to learn something else. Our life experiences
are not rewards or punishments. They are opportunities for growth
that we have agreed to on another level of consciousness.
I
have heard people say, "I would rather be unhappy and rich
than unhappy and poor." Unhappy is unhappy. If you are very
unhappy, wealth can provide plenty of distractions that keep you
right where you are. Whereas, if you have a load of debt to contend
with, you may be motivated to do the work. It is possible to be
deeply indebted and ecstatically happy. If you can maintain that
happiness the debt will probably dissolve in time. Whether it
does or not is not the point. The important thing is that you
have found inner wealth, peace and joy within, and that you have
stopped identifying yourself with your manifestations. No one
is luckier than you. The danger of finding wealth in the physical
before you have inner wealth is that you will think the physical
wealth makes you special.
Great
wealth, excellent health, and beautiful relationships are wonderful
to experience, but they are forms. Forms are effects. It is the
cause that you focus on as a spiritually intelligent being. At
some point in the spiritual development process, having nice things
seems important. Further on your path, you just don't care about
stuff anymore.
Being
anti-materialist, promoting the image that you are just not into
stuff, is no different than the rich person who identifies himself
with his wealth. The attention is still on the form. Being "non-materialistic"
doesn't make you special. Whether you have a lot of stuff or not
is irrelevant. What counts is your ability to detach from it and
to recognize that you really don't own anything. You are not your
stuff (or lack of stuff). You are a spiritual being on the road
home to your Higher Self.
The
secret to your inner joy and wealth is your spiritual intelligence,
your ability to choose between spirit and ego. There is a beautiful
three step process based on a book called The Song of Prayer from
A Course in Miracles. In the first step, you give all of your
goals, your problems, and your concerns to God as a gift. Once
you have emptied yourself, you join in song with God. That is,
you identify with your Higher Self and immerse yourself in its
love. In this state you know that you are blessed and loved unconditionally.
The third step is called the Echo. That is, miracles show up to
remedy problems or that help you achieve your goals. The real
miracle is your ability to let go and identify with spirit. This
creates inner wealth, inner health, and inner love.
We
are 100 % responsible for our lives. This means that opportunities
abound for us to respond by shifting our attention to our spiritual
identity. Responsibility is not blame. Responsibility is power
and opportunity. It comes down to this: in this very moment, who
is running your life? Is it spirit or is it ego? Is it love or
is it fear? If you are feeling anything less than peace, your
ego is having its influence. Remind yourself that you are not
your body, not your situation. You are a spiritual being. In this
lies your strength. In this thought you know that low self esteem,
self condemnation, and blaming others are illusions. They are
just stories you have told yourself.
Be
the real you. If you knew that you were a powerful spiritual being,
how would you stand? How would you carry yourself? What would
be the expression on your face? What kinds of thoughts would you
allow into your mind? If you knew that you were unconditionally
loved, how would you act? What words would you use? What would
be your tone of voice? This is one way you practice spiritual
intelligence. You become aware, and then you become who you really
are.
This
awareness, understanding, and knowledge allows you to approach
life with confidence. The essence of the successful use of the
Law of Attraction is confidence. When you approach life with utmost
confidence, your world responds. Confidence based solely on externals,
or even based on knowledge of psychology, is fragile. Confidence
based on spiritual strength is power.
This
is the secret the world has kept from you--that you are God expressing
as you. Each moment that you choose to live from your spirit is
a powerful and expansive moment. Each moment you make this choice
you influence others. You are a light. You are a blessing to the
world.
William
Frank Diedrich is a speaker, executive coach, and the author of
three books: The Road Home: The Journey Beyond The Spiritual Quick
Fix; 30 Days to Prosperity: A Workbook for Well-Being; and Beyond
Blaming. He offers workshops and keynotes on spiritually intelligent
leadership, personal responsibility, and how to evolve your leadership
practices. You may learn more about his services and products
at http://intelligentspirit.com and at http://noblaming.com
Sex, Guilt,
and Spirituality
by William Frank Diedrich
It's
difficult to get through a day without thinking about sex. That's
not a confession, but an observation of the world we live in.
We are surrounded by messages pertaining to sex. I can't help
but think about sex when I go through the grocery line. Seductively
dressed women stare at me from the magazine covers, and headlines
blurt out messages about how to have "good" sex. Humans
have taken something that is quite natural and turned it into
something unnatural, an obsession. Sex is something to be treasured
and enjoyed, a way to express and receive love, and a physiological
and emotional need. Our perspective has become distorted by sex
as obsession, and our obsession can ruin a good thing.
Sex
is fiery. On one hand it offers qualities such as warmth, passion,
and excitement. On the other, its misuse can burn you. For many,
the solution is simple: just follow the rules. Religions of the
world have given us rules, sometimes contradictory, that tell
us to keep sex within the confines of marriage. Most of the people
in the world haven't followed this track. Extremist religious
views on sex (sinful, forbidden, etc.) have helped to incite the
desire for that which is forbidden, sinful, and therefore, exciting.
The meanings we have attached to sex have created much inner conflict
for us. Inner conflict creates pain and guilt.
Unfortunately
guilt, or the promise of, has been utilized to keep people in
line regarding their sexual behavior.
Certainly the fear of being a "bad" person has held
many people back, but there is a cost. There is always a cost
when we use guilt to motivate people. Guilt is destructive and
demeaning to one's self. Guilt makes a person feel small. Those
who feel guilty for sexually related activities find themselves
either unable to enjoy sex fully, or seeking it out in order to
make themselves feel better. Guilt is not an effective response
to what you did or to what you were thinking about doing. If you
have made a mistake, the questions are: "What did I learn
from it? Who am I today?--rather than who was I then?"
This
is where spirituality comes in. There is a nonphysical aspect
of you--or rather, the physical is an aspect of the greater nonphysical
you. What I am saying is that you are not a body--you are a spiritual
being. You have a body and you have urges associated with it,
such as sex. You also have an internal guidance system, which
I believe is your spirit, that is available to you. It is very
wise and it is life affirming. Through meditation, prayer, contemplation,
or simply by listening to your "hunches", you can get
in touch with it. From the late sixties onward, many lived a life
of "If it feels good, do it." What your Inner Self says
is: "If it feels right, do it."
This
requires you to be field independent. That is, you must be focused
on this Inner Voice so well that you are independent of the opinions
around you. There may be numerous influences around you telling
you what you should do, but you focus on the relevant details
and decide from your own Inner Voice. That is field independence.
Parents would certainly like their teenagers to be field independent,
that is, free of peer pressure, especially when it comes to things
like sex and drugs. When parents use guilt and admonition as their
main weapons to keeping children in line, it is more likely children
will become field independent toward only their parents.
When
I am listening to my Inner Voice and focusing on the relevant
details, I can make good decisions.
If I am confronted with a decision regarding sex, I can ask:
• Is this the right thing for me to do?
• Can I accept responsibility for all of the potential consequences?
• How will I feel about myself later?
• Does this affirm my life and the lives of those affected,
or is it destructive?
Some
of you may be thinking that asking a bunch of questions like this
would certainly take the fun and spontaneity out of sex and romance.
Not really. These questions become automatic when you live your
life consciously and you are connected to your spirit. If you
are paying attention, you feel the answer before you even ask.
We
live in a conflicted world that offers us conflicted and false
messages. Religion and family tell us to hold back in the name
of morality. Most of the world tells us we must all be seeking
sex in some form, and that you must have it to be okay. The truth
is, sex, no matter how good it is, doesn't make you happy. Good
sex is more likely the result of already being happy. Happiness
is an inside job that cannot be given to you by the world. When
you are connected to your spirit and living authentically, you
create happiness within. Your inner happiness then causes you
to shape your world, your relationships, and yes, your sex life
(if you decide to have one) so that it beautifully reflects the
peace and the joy that you carry on the inside.
Good
Reading:
Take a deeper look at sex, guilt and spirituality.
Learn to listen to your own Inner Voice. Read Bill's book, The
Road Home: The Journey Beyond The Spiritual Quick Fix. It
is on sale for $ 11.97 USD at http://transformativepress.com/catalog.html
Purchase it now and receive five free gifts, including Bill's
mp3, "The Decision for Joy" and e-books from great authors
such as Tess Marshall. Robin Rice, Paula Langguth Ryan, and Brad
and Jan Lundy.
Dr.
Wayne Dyer wrote
about this book: "I loved this book's courageous honesty
and shimmering passion." The Road Home is a great gift for
a friend or loved one who is seeking something more in life. Books
are signed upon request.
Order
now at http://transformativepress.com/catalog.html
What is
Spiritual Intelligence and
Why
Should You Care?
(from The Spiritually Intelligent Leader)
by William Frank Diedrich
The
English word "spirit" comes from the Latin spiritus,
meaning "breath" . Spirit is both the breather and
the breath, the underlying nonphysical substance of all life.
Intelligence
comes from the Latin, intellegentia. Intellegentia comes from:
inter-"between" plus legere-"choose, pick out,
read" inter-lege-nt-ia. It literally means "choosing
between".
Leader--Old
English from German laedan--to guide’, ‘to conduct’,
‘to take.’
Spiritual
Intelligence means to choose between the ego and the Higher Self
or Spirit at any given moment. That is, we choose to live, to
behave, and to speak from a higher perspective. Scripturally this
means: “Not my will, but thy will”. In a more generic
and modern sense, it is to live from one’s intuition and
from inspiration, to listen to and follow the Inner Voice. It
is the willingness and the will to tap into the One Mind which
many call “God”, “Spirit”, “Oneness”
or other names and to follow that guidance. This may come in the
form of a hunch, an “Aha” moment, a compelling urge
to do or say something constructive, or a feeling.
How
do I know if my Inner Voice is from my spirit or from my ego?
Spirit is a mindset of abundance, love, and well-beingness. The
Inner Voice is compelling, but not threatening or judgmental.
It is gentle but firm. It is sure of Itself. This Inner Voice
seeks the highest good for all concerned, and does not seek to
do harm. In a spiritual perspective, rather than judge the behaviors
of others, we use discernment. We discern if we will spend time
with another person, or not. We discern if someone is a healthy
or an unhealthy presence in our organization. We make decisions
that benefit the highest good for all concerned. We discern if
our help will be utilized or if our help is futile. This discernment
is not based on fear, but on wisdom and understanding.
The
voice of the ego is fear based and comes from a mindset of scarcity.
Scarcity means that either there isn’t enough or I am not
enough, so I had better manipulate, fight, or flee this situation.
The ego is about separating people--the good from the bad, the
saved from the damned, those who know from those who do not. The
ego always sees itself as better than or less than others. This
kind of separation is a way of justifying one’s positions
and behaviors. The ego likes to be special.
We
are always leaders, because our respective ways of being and our
behaviors influence others. We each lead by example every minute
of our lives. The question is: “What example am I setting
at this moment?” If I hold a leadership position, my example
is magnified due to my positional influence. If I am a Senior
Executive, my words, my tone, and my body language have a stronger
effect on an employee because I am in a position of authority.
If I am a parent, every word I use and every action I take is
watched and learned by my children.
Why
should you care? Ask yourself: Are you leading from your ego or
are you leading from your Higher Self (your Spirit)? Is your leadership
based on fear and conflict and getting the upper hand, or is it
based on appreciation, discernment, and being an example? Are
you living from your highest values and vision, or are you battling
with others to get control? Which do you prefer? Which is most
effective?
Spiritual
Intelligence is developed by asking these questions of ourselves.
We are able to “choose between” by stepping outside
ourselves and seeing who we are being in this situation. Am I
being the person I want to be? If I am a Christian, I may ask
“What would Jesus do?” As a Buddhist, I may ask “What
would Buddha do?” If I am not strongly affiliated with a
religion: “What would my Higher Self do?” or “What
would I do if I were at my very best? (strong, confident, loving,
at peace)”
Reflection,
prayer, meditation, contemplation, and maintaining an awareness
of one’s thoughts and emotions are some of the means by
which we practice and develop our spiritual intelligence. Spiritual
Intelligence does not require all the trappings of religion. At
a minimum, it requires that you have a sense that there is something
greater than just your personality.
Have
you ever had a flash of brilliance burst into your mind, a moment
when you knew something, but you didn’t know how you knew?
If you are a person who, at times, intutitively knows what to
say or do, then you are practicing your spiritual intelligence.
It could be as simple as feeling the urge praise someone, or to
listen to someone.
Spiritual
intelligence grows when you both listen to intuitive thoughts
that flow into your mind and you respond. For example, you find
yourself in a conflict. You step outside yourself briefly, and
you do not like the person you are being. In that brief moment
that you stepped outside of your drama, an intutitive thought
says, “Just listen. Understand.” So, you follow that
thought and stop pushing your point of view. You focus on the
other person and their needs. Suddenly you get it. You understand
where they are coming from and you know what you need to do.
Today
you get to choose. Who or what will run your life? Will it be
your fearful and insecure ego that wants to control people and
situations? Or, will it be your Higher Self, that wants what is
highest and best for all concerned? Will it be your ego, focused
mostly on your own needs to the exclusion of others? Or, will
it be your Higher Self, who feels confident, wise, and strong
living and leading from your vision and values, and from your
identity as a spiritual being? The ego is not the enemy. It is
more like a fearful child who wants what it wants. It loses power
over you as you give it less attention and focus instead on living
and leading from the inside out. If you chose poorly just a minute
ago, choose once again right now. The choice, the opportunity,
is always right now.
Spiritual Intelligence
and Leadership
by William Frank Diedrich
Leaders
and mentors of leaders agree that emotional intelligence is a
key factor in success as a leader. In fact, it is a key to success
in any career. To be aware of your emotions, how they affect you,
how they affect others, and to be able to consciously change our
emotions is essential to success in all human relations. Spiritual
Intelligence is really not new, but the term is. Many authors
have attempted to define it. All definitions are helpful, but
few demonstrate a depth of understanding. My intent is to offer
you a brief, but in depth definition that you can apply.
It
should be noted that spiritual intelligence has nothing to do
with religion or doctrine. Certainly religious people may be spiritually
intelligent, but so may nonreligious people. Spiritual intelligence
is the ability to transcend the ego and know what to do and when,
based on intuition and/or inspiration. For some, this means operating
from Divine Guidance. For others, this means living intuitively.
Spiritual intelligence is the awareness of when the ego is running
the show, and to be able to choose differently.
The
first principle of spiritual intelligence is identity--knowing
who you are. You are a spiritual being having a human experience.
You are not a human who occasionally has a spiritual experience.
You are not your body. You have a body. You are not your past.
You have a collection of experiences in your memory. You are not
your mistakes. You are a spiritual being who has often forgotten
who you are. You are not your job or your car or your home. Those
are merely possessions. Possessions come and go. Fortunes rise
and fall. You are not the role you play whether you call it father,
mother, child, grandparent, CEO, secretary, Christian, Muslim,
Jew, American, German, Japanese, etc. These are the roles you
play. None of these are the real you. If the role is taken away,
you still exist. The nonphysical you, your spirit, is who you
are.
Your
security, then, is not found in roles or possessions. Your clarity
about who you are allows you to create whatever roles or possessions
you require to live meaningfully in this world. I worked with
a man who was a multi millionaire. His best friend told me that
if this man lost everything, he would again be a millionaire within
a year. His security was within him--not in his possessions. Your
security is within you. No matter who rejects you, no matter how
many times you "fail", you are still you. Those are
just experiences. You learn from experience.
If
you know who you are, then you know what you are. You are an expression
of the all-encompassing Creative Intelligence. Whether you call
this "God" or by another name, it is the same. Some
religions say you are made in the image of God. Since you are
of this Creative Intelligence, you are as It is. You are good.
Your true nature is to connect with others, to love and be loved.
People who seem incapable of loving and being loved are ruled
by fear. They are living strictly from their egos. Fear is what
causes us to forget who and what we are. The ego is the fearful
personality we have made of ourselves that thinks it is separate
from spirit and from other people.
The
second principle of spiritual intelligence is a clear understanding
of Universal Law. You reap what you sow. You receive what you
give. Your deep seeded, usually unconscious thoughts and beliefs
determine your experience of life. This does not mean you are
to blame for illness, poor finances, or conflicted relationships.
Rarely do we make a conscious decision to be ill, broke, or emotionally
hurt. Yet patterns of thinking create our way of being in the
world. Our way of being leads us to experiences that reflect our
deepest beliefs about ourselves and our place in the world. This
is why some people who have won the lotto find themselves broke
again, in a few years. They did not have the mindset to manage
that much money. This is why people who are healed by faith healers,
often get sick again. They did not have the mindset for wellness.
Given
that Universal Law is a law that cannot be broken, we are 100
% responsible for our health, our finances, our relationships,
and everything else. The moment you think something is someone
else's fault, you are incorrect. How you feel is based on decisions
you have made. To say "I am 100 % responsible" is powerful.
Spiritual Intelligence has us turning inward for answers to challenges,
listening to the inner voice. We develop that inner voice through
meditation and/or prayer. We develop it by intentionally letting
go of our opinions and opening our minds to new and better ideas.
These ideas don't necessarily come from our brains, but from the
One Mind to which we are all connected. This is the source of
great ideas, of creativity and innovation, and of inspiration.
When
we live in fear, fear is what we reap. We draw more situations
to ourselves that stimulate a fearful reaction. When we believe
others are victimizing us, we constantly set ourselves up to be
victimized. We draw people into our lives who will specifically
do that for us. When we bear good will toward others (without
placing our well-being in their hands) we will draw to ourselves
more good will. These are but a few examples of Universal Law.
"Is
the glass half full or half empty; are you a nasty, miserable,
pessimistic, unhappy, and self-centered being...a "looking
after number one" kind of person? Or are you a generous,
unlimited, caring, selfless, positive, unconditionally loving
kind of person? However you choose to perceive yourself, then
so you will be. And so you will act, and so will be your destiny.
Your perception is both your reality and your choice. If you can
learn to make this choice you will be an awakened soul and enlightenment
will come easily."
from The 7 AHA's of Highly Enlightened Souls, by Mike George
The
third principle of spiritual intelligence is nonattachment. Knowing
who and what you are, knowing that by Universal Law, you are responsible,
you become unattached to specific outcomes or to the thoughts
and feelings of others. This does not mean you don't care. You
care, but your well-being doesn't come from other people or situations.
This mindset of nonattachment, this spiritual intelligence, makes
you strong and stable.
In
non attachment you are free of stress. Stress is all about trying
to control what you cannot control. The weather, other people's
opinions, the stock market, other people's actions, are all things
you cannot control. If you have strong expectations about these
things you are attached. When things don't go your way, you feel
pain, hurt, anger, or frustration. You become stressed. The answer
to stress is not in a pill or a drink. It is in your own mind.
All stress is caused within your mind. It is all about your expectations.
Non
attachment requires that you know and appreciate who and what
you are, your purpose, and your direction. When you act from this
place of clarity, love, and confidence, you influence others.
You don't have to "get" them to do anything. When you
act selfishly to get what you want you make enemies and meet resistance.
When you clearly desire a certain outcome, but are completely
willing to do without it, you are in a powerful position.
Spiritual
Intelligence has us listening within to the still small voice
and following its guidance. How do you know if the voice is of
your Spirit, or of your ego? The ego is about scarcity, conflict,
hurry, worry, and fear. The still small voice is of love, confidence,
and achieving the highest good for all concerned.
Spiritual
intelligence is the awareness of choice--that there is Spirit
and there is ego, and nothing in between. There is love and there
is fear--and nothing in between. That there is seeking to achieve
the highest good for all concerned--or "looking out for number
one" selfishness.
Not
only awareness, spiritual intelligence is the courage to make
the choice, moment by moment, to let go of ego centered thinking
and behaving, and to allow the spirit within you to guide you.
Some may say "But you shouldn't look within for guidance;
you should look to God." However you perceive God, as Great
Spiritual Being, as Omnipresent Spirit, or simply as "Higher
Power", your point of contact is within your mind. Look within.
Spiritually
Intelligent leaders are rarely famous, because they do not seek
recognition. They are effective and powerful. They understand
that they are a nucleus, not the center of attention, but a center
of influence. They are a shining light, with no concern for what
they are "getting" from others. Their focus is on what
they are giving. And by Law, they are receiving what they are
giving.
"Your
behavior influences others through a ripple effect. A ripple effect
works because everyone influences everyone else. Powerful people
are powerful influences.... All growth spreads outward from a
fertile and potent nucleus. You are a nucleus."
The Tao of Leadership, by John Heider
When
you find yourself frustrated with others, with life, with yourself--step
back. Remind yourself that you are much more than this. Remind
yourself that you are of Spirit, and that this person you think
is you, is just a small part of the greater you. Quiet your mind
and allow inspiration to flow. Breathe and let go of stress, and
ask to see your world as Spirit would see your world. Allow your
thoughts to be guided by the peaceful, loving, and powerful presence
within you. Envision positive outcomes for all concerned without
becoming attached to what outcomes should be. Refuse to take the
negativity of others personally, and become instead, a shining
light. Live from your deepest values and allow the still small
voice of intuition and inspiration to guide you.
William
Frank Diedrich is a speaker, executive coach, and the author of
three books. He offers online classes in prosperity and leadership.
To
book Bill for your speaking event, call 517-333-0806 (USA number)
or write him at theroadhome@voyager.net.
|