You develop literally hundreds of plans and make many more decisions every day.
Whether it is a conversation, a personal situation, a work project or something as simple as switching the channel on our TV’s, we execute many, many plans and decisions on a daily basis to achieve expected results.
Do you know a person, family member, friend, acquaintance or colleague that rarely hears what you say during a conversation because they are planning their reply or next move? I am speaking about the people that regularly focus on influencing situations by controlling the pace, content and outcomes of interactions to see their plans come to fruition.
There is a person that I work with who rarely hears the content of a conversation. And, although they may be “listening” to the conversation, they are not “hearing” what is being said, because they are continuously formulating what they are going to say next. So, they rarely “hear” or “understand” what is being expressed because they are absorbed in their own thoughts and are just waiting for their turn to speak. They are going to tell you their opinion about whatever subject you are discussing because it is not only more important, but they are trying to direct the outcome of the conversation.
In fact, as hard as it is to believe, we have all done this at one time or another in our own interactions. Although the techniques might be different, the reasoning for controlling any situation is the same – to achieve certain, predefined outcomes. I would like to suggest that a 2-degree shift in our understanding of how we create experience and the outcomes that follow would offer our lives greater reward.
Recently, I reconnected with a friend that I had lost contact with for over 40 years. He runs a foundation and I had an idea for him. I felt inclined to reach out. I left a message on Facebook for him, and he called me back. It was nice to connect with someone from the past who is on the same path of exploring and expanding consciousness. That aside, after our conversation, he gifted me an “Intention Stick”- here is a quick description:
The Tree of Life Intention Stick
The Intention Stick is, in its practical application, a spiritual tool, and a constant and physical reminder to help us connect with our positive intentions to stay present, for positive attention to stay found, and therefore for positive connection and experience to shine light. From which we arrive with clarity and confidence. And therefore, we attend to our meaningful connections and extraordinary experiences.
As a way of paying it forward, I purchased 2 Intention Sticks. He asked me if I knew who they were going to, and I told him ‘I did not”. I felt that the two people who were supposed to receive them would present themselves at the right moment – and they did. Not long after receiving the Intention Sticks, I was having a conversation with the friend that I had reconnected with and we realized that one of my sons’ closest friends at college lived in the same city as him in Arizona. And, they knew each other. This was an “AHA” moment! Of course, it would happen this way. Its that exact moment when you “detach from the outcome of events” that you allow the magic to happen. For many reasons that I need not go into, my son’s friend was the intended recipient before I had ever made the decision to purchase the Intention Stick. I just had to allow the event to unfold by not creating an outcome for it. And, what is not surprising, is that the same held true for the second person that I gifted. That is how the “detachment” law works.
I have found that the same approach holds true in almost every facet my life. At work, we follow a certain meeting regimen that is very structured and is really designed to create certain outcomes by controlling the pace, content and outcomes. I am not the biggest fan of the methodology. Recently, we deviated from the controlled pace, tempo and content regimen and began free flowing on a few different subjects. And, wouldn’t you know it, another “AHA” moment. We innovated a solution to a problem that we had been facing for a very long time that just seemed to have no resolution. By relinquishing control over the pace, content and outcomes of the meeting, we tapped into the “conjoined intelligence” (the intelligence of a group operating exclusively from the present moment is greater than the intelligence of one) of the group and formulated a solution that could never have been done by just one member alone. The idea behind the strength of this intelligence, lies in where it functions in time/space.
In order to tap into this intelligence, whether “conjoined” or not, is to operate solely from the present moment, since: The real magic happens in the present moment. Any type of control over conversations, situations or events automatically transport us from the present to the future because of the control we are trying to exert in order to achieve specific results or outcomes.
I can say without a doubt, that some of the most exquisite ideas, innovations and dialogues and triumphant athletic, musical and acting performances have occurred while the individual or group is in the zone. This level of performance only occurs when the individual or participants are fully anchored in the present moment. There is a simple test to determine where you are in time and space. If you face a situation and are having feelings of guilt or remorse, you know that you have shifted to the past. Likewise, if you are having feelings of anxiety or nervousness, you know you have shifted out of the present moment to the future. Or, if you have the need to control the pace, content or results of an event you know that you have shifted and you are positioned out of the present moment.
Now…go create some real magic!