Welcome to the Self-Mastery Snapshot. Here you will discover weekly pearls of wisdom and inspiration from books I read and people I follow – ideas and tools to improve your career, relationships, and life. Limitless freedom of the heart, mind and soul is where it's at. Let's journey and create it together... SEPT 9, 2020
WORD: INTENTION This week I've been reflecting upon intention – who I am, my sense of purpose, the meaning and energy I bring to each day, and lessons that help me connect, engage, and ultimately, to show up authentically in life. One of my most important learnings of the past decade is the value of honouring each of life’s moments – obstacles, opportunity, pain, and bliss – and that the reality of these moments often serves more than the destinations we strive for. This year has been reckoning for us all. It reminds me of a scene from the Alien movie where the crew are put into stasis for interstellar travel, only to wake up to their worst nightmares a reality, and no ability to escape. As we do our best to navigate ‘right now’ with a sense of our lives being indefinitely ‘on hold’, setting intention around what you want and being disciplined around bringing that to fruition, no matter how small or incremental the steps, can reduce anxiety and help you find joy in even the most challenging situations. In my conversations of late there seem to be two opposing worldviews – one of pessimism and living in ‘survival mode’, in other words being on ‘high alert’ and waiting for bad shit to happen; the other is a more optimistic 'glass half full' outlook where life isn’t ruled by circumstance, but rather, people strive to make meaning from struggle and find the gift in their experience. There is a myriad of reasons for our world views and childhood is often where they are shaped. In a recent virtual conference that I attended, my friend and mentor, Matt Church, facilitated a ‘mind stretching’ activity that invited us to consider our parents worldview, and specifically, how ours is the same and different to theirs. It was a powerful lesson in awareness and exploring the edges of what is known and unknown in order to ascertain what is really true. My story is that I grew up in a family where day-to-day was a struggle and one of constant financial hardship for my parents. Unbeknownst to me until much later in life, their worldview had a profound influence on my relationship with money and success. When I look back upon my childhood experience with the wisdom of hindsight, I can see that hope was constantly deferred and going for dreams seemed futile – an irrational fear born of my parent’s struggle. It’s not all that surprising that for the better part of my life I was ruled by anxiety and insecurity, or that I unconsciously sabotaged my success in pursuit of fear-based opportunity (instead of being honest about who I am, what I want, and getting clear on intention). Eventually, I mustered the courage to take responsibility and be seen, which is where the real healing and transformation began. Ask yourself – how has your parent’s worldview influenced your own? How is it the same and different? BOOK: ‘Awareness – The Perils and Opportunities of Reality’ by Anthony De Mello. It’s a book that mixes spirituality, parables, breathing exercises and psychological insight to guide readers to ‘wake up’ and be more present. PHRASE: “Unfortunately, life does not become amazing by accident. You have to decide to make it amazing.” – Dean Grazioli LESS OF: Procrastinating MORE OF: ‘Life by Design’. Set an intention and be disciplined (do the work) REFLECTION – No matter what physical or emotional state you’re in, you can choose how you want to live your life. The future is unwritten, so be brave, and write a new story that honours your wildest dreams. It requires a tonne of courage to ask yourself what you want, how you want to feel and how you really want to live. I invite you to get crystal clear on your intention, what you truly care about, and what motivates you – and let those things be the compass for your life. I would love to hear how you're doing in these crazy times. I read and respond to every email. Until next time...
Stephen