When we decided to take this photo on holiday, we asked a professional photographer to take a picture of all of our family at this spot, on our fancy camera, instead of his. His answer was “No”. He wasn’t able to fulfill this simple request. He was not going to get paid…so he had no intention of making it easier for us to have a memorabilia in this place.
His honesty, upset me. His inability to “care”, offended me. I was shocked by his attitude and will probably remember this incident for a long time. I saw that he only thought of himself. And of course, most of our ego’s are self-centered, and that is how he behaved
I did not once commend him for being so authentic in his response. I, like most of the world around me, simply wanted him to be polite and willing. I had my agenda, and that was not being fulfilled.
It takes courage to be honest
In recent weeks, I have been looking at inauthenticity and how much courage it actually takes to be truly honest…and of course how offensive people can find it, when what they hear does not meet their personal agenda. Had he simply agreed to take our photo, he would have shared a lie. Instead he chose not to be manipulated by our “starry eyed request”
We often justify that the purity of an honest conversation, is a risk too great. We struggle to have conversations just for the sake of sharing our truths……but all manipulation, even to keep people happy is a lie.
Manipulation is a lie
In contrast, when an enlightened mystic speaks, the conversation is outward for the individual who is listening. No personal agenda drives the quality of the conversation shared. It has a purity of its own. This purity is felt as total love, an empowerment for us to experience and explore a deeper realty that resides within us. This is why the company of a mystic is so uniquely profound and precious….very few human beings ever seem to reach these heights, but we have so much to learn from their wisdom.
Purity exists only when there is no personal agenda
Today I met with a Chief Executive, whose role requires a very solid “I have this all figured out” attitude. She chose to be honest with me, as she sensed that I was there in true service to her. She sensed I cared. She sensed my maternal presence which made her feel safe. But most importantly I came bearing a magical tool that the mystic Mada Eliza Dalian has created.
The consequences of this encounter were extremely profound. Not only did my client gain new insights for her personal and business life, the risk she took to be honest, also opened up doors for her Board of Directors and staff to be given life changing opportunities! Imagine……..otherwise those doors could have remained closed.
I am “wow-ed” by the trust that unfolded in a few simple hours…a deeper trust than often follows many many years of inauthentic business dealings. I cherished the chance she gave me to facilitate the planting of tiny seedlings of conscious leadership in her organization. It will be a true privilege to bear witness to what unfolds in due course.
Conscious Leadership is the way of the future
Wherever this is all heading no one knows. All I do know is that the treasures in honesty are a lot deeper than we can imagine. Trust has to be the cornerstone of any team dynamics. Unravelling our state to see our own manipulative tendencies, to see our own unconscious bias, to see our own fears and desires to people please, pays huge dividends to get past our blindspots. By embracing this shadow side, and transforming it, layer by layer, we come closer to embracing the light within us too. And with this, a new form of confidence is born….the sort that cannot be lost.
Embracing our blindspots, leads the way to renewed strengths
It is only when we become courageous to “walk our talk” in our interactions, that we gain small insights to what it means to be human. Insights to how to build trust. Insights to caring that is there just for the sake of it. Insights to the strength that lies deep within our vulnerabilities. Insights to the glue that holds us all together. Insights to how we react, how we get triggered, how we feel incomplete and how we can once again embrace our wholeness.
If I had had the Dalian Method when I was younger, my organization could have been managed very very differently. I am so happy that the new leaders in the 21st century have access to such profound methods to assist them on their way. Honesty takes courage and in my opinion, I feel it is now too risky to be insincere and potentially miss out by staying stuck in yesteryear ways.
