Try Miracle-Minded Management
As I sit silently in my office, meditating, I feel perfect peace. Yes, I hear pounding rain on the windows, and I see frothing foam and spray from gigantic waves colliding with one another. But here in my home there is stillness. There is peace. Yes, hurricane Dorian is passing by but along with his extraordinary power there is grace. The combination is epic. Power and grace. Truly majestic.
So, here is a question to contemplate. When you are faced with something frightening and uncertain, how do you respond? Do you tighten up and run? Do you become anxious and stressed? Do you panic? Do you fear the worst? Or, do you relax and remain calm?
Back when I was playing football, my quarterback coach referred to this as poise. He said that it was essential that I remain calm and confident in the face of uncertainty. Yes, we had a game plan and we had a strategy and we had a variety of plays we could run. But the reality of the game is that no one knows for sure what is going to happen when the ball is snapped. The same is true when we wake up in the morning. No one knows for sure what is going to happen, especially when there is a hurricane aiming at you.
Highly effective leaders, like great quarterbacks, lead with inspiration, poise and grace. This is the essence of Miracle-Minded Management. It is a love-based model, not a fear-based (ego) model. The Miracle-Minded Manager™ sees the world very differently than through the lens of the ego, and as a result lives life in a very joyful, light, positive manner – much like a child does when he or she first arrives. Seeing herself as a spiritual being, eternal and free, the Miracle-Minded Manager™ approaches the day with love and peace and faith – even during a hurricane. She complains about nothing, knowing that negativity and grief draw similar company. This is the law of attraction – like energy invites like energy. She fears nothing, knowing that fear feeds the hurricane with more fury. Peace calms it down.
This is now my third hurricane in five years. In each case, I stay to help. I have elderly neighbors who have nowhere to go, and they tell me I bring them hope and laughter and emotional comfort. So, rather than flee with panic and fear, I walk down to the beach and I have a conversation with Matthew, Irma, Dorian… or whoever comes next. I am doing the opposite of what tribal cultures call the rain dance. Indigenous tribes would bring rain by collectively dancing as if it were raining. In other words, by feeling the rain (before it comes) their collective energy (heart coherence) calls for rain. And the universe (collective consciousness) responds. For more information on this and the science behind it, check out HeartMath Institute.
Gandhi once said, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” Want more peace, even during a hurricane? Feel the peace. Be the peace. Think differently. A Course in Miracles defines a miracle as a shift in perception, a correction of the mind. There is another way to look at a hurricane. There is another way to look at that neighbor who annoys you. There is another way to look at everything.
We know we are in the presence of a Miracle-Minded Manager™ when we feel light and optimistic and hopeful – no matter the circumstance. This enlightened one lights up everything around him. This awakened one brings new perspective and hope to everyone she meets. A shift has happened and the Miracle-Minded Manager™ now embodies genuine, authentic, pure love and inner peace.
So, how do you face the world? When you wake up in the morning, how do you feel? Are you excited about the events to come? Do you look forward to the uncertainties of the day with poise and confidence? Are you eager to get started? Or, do you dread it? What is your emotional guidance system telling you about your perception and subconscious programming? Are you in alignment with Source Energy – with Tao, with Chi, with Prana, with the life force flowing through all of us? Or, are you in a state of resistance? Are you running with fear or dancing with life?
Here is a quick way to tell. When we are in alignment with Source Energy, we feel great. We feel at peace. We feel at ease. We feel eager and enthusiastic about whatever we are holding in mind – school, work, a job interview, a relationship, a date, an exam, a violent storm. If this is not how you feel, you are in a mode of resistance. You are skeptical, anxious, nervous, doubtful and stressed. You are obstructing flow. You are getting in your own way.
So, consider making this shift. There are essentially two mutually exclusive thought-systems that human beings adopt throughout life. One is fear-based, also known as the ego or human nature. Most people are attached to this way of thinking, not even aware there is an alternative. The other thought system is spiritual, love-based, fearless and free. It offers a completely different way to experience life while on this planet. I refer to this as miracle-minded management.
So, how does a Miracle-Minded Manager™ approach a hurricane? The same way she approaches everything else. With heart. With passion. With openness. With curiosity. With creativity. With Faith. With a sense of awe. With a sincere interest in helping people. In this thought system, there is nothing to worry about. There is simply a field of energy that connects all of us as one. There is perfect harmony and balance, yin and yang, holding everything together. There is collaboration, cooperation and compassion. There is peace on earth – the stillness beyond the roar of the hurricane winds and the crashing waves. Always present. Always available to us.