Today the market dropped 778 points, the largest drop in history. It dropped because Congress said "no" to the current form of the bailout plan. As I have posted before, what we are facing right now is the sum total of the imbalances we all have contributed to for some time now. Except the bills are starting to show up in the mail--like this crisis.
The imbalance--this crisis--serves a purpose. The working out of the imbalance serves a purpose. No matter what happens, that purpose will be served. If it all collapses, it will be (hopefully), a return to what is real--both materially and spiritually. If it doesn't collapse, and we are to stand any hope of it not coming back around again in a worse form, we will each individually have to change to stop contributing to the imbalance.
The net is that this is an individual issue: each individual has incredible power. And, whichever way this goes, there is no avoiding shouldering that responsibility... whether that responsibility is shouldering the consequences of collapse, or whether it is shouldering the response-ability required to resolve the imbalance so this doesn't come back around again.
And the net is, that whatever happens, we will be forced to evolve. And it will force a return to what is real.
As I write this book about leadership, and the nine levels of focus a leader must master, I am also writing about the three attributes that are essential. These three attributes are foundational to being able to work with the required nine levels of focus. The first attribute is Personal Responsibility. The second is Self Management. And the third is Innerdirectedness.
What is interesting to see is that leaders struggle with developing these attributes, individuals do, and, therefore, what can Wall Street and Washington reflect for us other than what we are? Ponder on that. There is all this rhetoric about "Main Street" and "Wall Street". Wall Street is bad, and Main Street is pissed off. Right? And then "Washington" policies have caused this, and Washington failed to get it done today. And we are so busy pointing our finger at Wall Street and Washington, we don't even pause for one instant to see if perhaps these institutions is simply reflecting for us what we as individuals have become. Painful to look at, no?
But the sad thing is this. You see, in refusing to look into that painful mirror, we also turn away from our power and the solution. For if the mirror is reflecting what we have become--each as individuals--what would happen if each of us leaders lead the way to a new way? What if each of us found in ourselves what Wall Street and Washington were reflecting? And what if, behavior by behavior, we ferreted out those negative behaviors and replaced them with positive ones?
What if we each developed Personal Responsibility, Self Management and Innerdirectedness to the next level by changing our actions? How could the world--including Wall Street and Washington--not be changed?
One of my favorite scriptures from the Bible is where Christ says (paraphrased), 'all this that I have done, you can do and more.' The problem is, we haven't solved the riddle he spoke. The riddle lies in transformation of the Self. He modeled that.
Now we need to model it--transformation of the Self. You and I. That's leadership.
No institution can save us from the imbalances we have created as individuals.
We have all we need--as individuals--to participate in the fixing of this mess.
And blame ain't going to get it done.
Blame is the antithesis of Personal Responsibility. And the attribute of Personal Responsibility is the ring-pass-not which determines how much Self Management and Innerdirectedness we are capable of.
Tomorrow, I am very excited to share with you some ideas I just got from an article on restoring a sense of balance, perhaps even a quietness of life, which aids in the development of all three attributes--and most especially Innerdirectedness. I think you will enjoy what I have to share about that tomorrow.
Farewell from San Antonio, where I will be working with a client on their three year strategic plan tomorrow and the next day...
