“The mundane is not a substitute for the sublime. It is just a secret passageway to it.” David Allen
“One always has time enough, if one will apply it well.” Goethe
“Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.” Brendan Francis
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The mundane is a gateway to the sublime. We have enough time. Fears are paper-thin. In this last post in this series, these last three quotations sum up my journey.
I remember when I first started working with my mentor, The Warrior, I was obsessed with “finding out my purpose.” To the point he jokingly nicknamed me “the porpoise.” I was so busy pursuing the fantastic life of a warrior that I wasn’t taking care of the mundane.
For example, I wasn’t watching my money. I had all kinds of reasons. Second, I was not taking care in my relationships. Third, I had no real plan for my business. In warrior-speak, taking care of the mundane is called “impeccably peeling the potatoes.” I wasn’t.
Now, as I take each step to clean up the mundane aspects of my life, I am finding the warrior. Developing the discipline to effectively deal with the mundane truly is a gateway to the sublime. Reading David Allen’s book Ready for Anything (see "What I Am Reading" to the right) now is just underscoring that insight.
What about Goethe’s quotation above on time? I see that so much about time is about emotion. As I develop control of my emotions, time takes on a different quality. With each step I have taken in working with my emotion, I have taken another step in my relationship with time. I do have time enough, and I won’t create more time by hurrying. Such a hard lesson.
And what of Brendan Francis’ quotation on courage above? Probably the single greatest lesson I have learned is that my greatest fears are paper thin, and yet they repel me like a brick wall.
The essence of leadership is much like warriorship. One of the essences of warriorship is living one’s entire life as a not-doing. What does that mean? Not-doing is consistently taking action that is not consistent with your prior actions. That continually throws the warrior up against him or herself. And, over time, a sword is drawn, an intent harnessed, that rends those paper-thin fears. And the warrior begins to move from strength to strength. The warrior picks up what is called speed.
So what does it all boil down to, this experience of mine? I will put it two ways:
My life experience and my results are constrained by my perception in ways I could have not possibly understood: I know now how to work with my perception, and set myself free. I cannot tell you the heart, the adventure, the meaning and therefore the sense of purpose that has brought into my life and my work.
Know my self (perception): Do my best (action).
If I do both simultaneously I develop more and more self warmth and self acceptance. Then, I can give my warmth and acceptance freely.
Call it unconditional love, if you will. It is the most powerful force in the universe, and every true leader, every true warrior, knows that and uses it to uplift all of life around them.
Phew. It has been a long seven posts, I know. Now, I will take this blog in a new direction. I hope you enjoy it.
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This is the last post of a series that was a follow-up to the October 7th post Leadership, Perception and Emotional Intelligence and concludes a process of looking at the connection between perception and the ability to break through the next level of leadership. During this exploration, I shared a part of my own story through quotations...
