Science and religion have had their conflicts over the years. Several hundred years ago, if you proclaimed something bold that contradicted mainstream understanding, you'd likely find yourself in prison or with a noose around your neck.
Thankfully they are starting to see eye-to-eye. Quantum physics and spirituality are now beginning to agree with each other.
Religion for thousands of years has spoken of a higher intelligence, a higher being that is 'beyond this world'. Spirituality has increasingly expressed that beyond what we see physically we are all connected on some level, and that in that connection resides an untapped source of knowledge and power. The latest in quantum physics tells us that everything is actually just energy, and that two particles on the opposite sides of the world can influence each other instantaneously.
However you want to look at it, you just simply can't argue that when you become still, when you quieten the mind your performance is significantly increased. Many use meditative practices to help themselves achieve peak states of calm, joy, connection and flow. The optimal is being able to achieve this state in the heat of the moment when there is a lot going on around you – to achieve that state of flow!
The mind itself is just a computer to help us coordinate, sequence and analyse our world. But with the heart, through what I would preferably describe as 'feeling intelligence' we can evoke deep feelings of love, compassion, connection, peace, joy and purpose. As we still the mind and consciously engage the heart the human spirit gracefully emerges revealing some of the qualities people believe are just reserved for the 'genius' amongst us.
Have you ever been struggling to solve a problem or come up with an idea and then you find that it hits you randomly when you least expect it – washing the dishes, or in the shower? Have you ever heard of writers or musicians who've described how "it was as if something was flowing through me"? Internal stillness helps us to go beyond the confines of the cognitive mind and evokes our intuition. Sometimes extreme situations are enough to shock us out of the limits of our egoic mind, too. That is why in extreme survival situations you hear of countless stories: such as Shackleton's polar expedition rescue being guided, being supported by a 'third man'.
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Having a compelling vision goes way beyond just having a vision board on the back of your cupboard door that you occasionally glance at. As we have heard from the legendary Gandhi: "Be the change you want to see in the world". A powerful vision is something you actually feel deeply, that you become, and then begin to see your entire world around you in a way that directly relates to that vision. Many people's visions, which they may believe are intense, deeply emotionally evoking and clear, are actually egoic and vague. In my experience of mentoring hundreds of people on this very topic and through my own personal experiences, that just doesn't crack it. You have to get to a place where, when you close your eyes you literally transport yourself to that particular vision which encompasses every aspect of what you want to create into what is, essentially, one film scene in which you are the main protagonist. You must be able to see, touch, taste and smell every detail.
Have you seen the film Cool Runners about the first ever Jamaican bobsleigh team? Do you remember the scene when they are all sitting in the bath tub and simulating running the course? Visualisation is a technique that many Olympic athletes use because the mind doesn't actually know the difference between a real experience or one you visualised. Visualisation tricks the subconscious mind into believing you know what you're doing. Once you have the sub-conscious mind on your side, then you have that 'beyond-mind' intelligence where your intuition comes to aid you as, I've described above.
Keep your eyes peeled for future posts on developing vision or, if you want any suggestions on how to develop your vision, feel free to get in touch.
If you want to become a master at what you do, learn from those who have already been there, and then help others learn it too. To be the best you can be in your own field, to make the greatest impact possible, you just simply can't do it without being a great people person, a great, legitimate moral and inspiring leader to others. Ironically, to really bring to the world what you have to offer, the critical factor isn't your depth of knowledge of that area of expertise but your ability to lead, enable and inspire others.
Richard Branson, the world-class entrepreneur claimed that he didn't know the difference between gross profit and net profit until he was in his 50's, by which time he had already made over a billion pounds. So he didn't have some basic 'business' knowledge, yet had built hundreds of successful businesses. He always proclaims that the most critical factor for his success is his people skills, about really caring for people, helping bring them together and unleashing their passions and skills.
Have you ever really helped someone else make a great breakthrough in their own life? How grateful and appreciate were they afterwards? Most people just can't do enough to help you once you've really helped them. Once you've genuinely and legitimately cared for others, and about them and their lives, only then will they then naturally want to help you without feeling manipulated or coerced with fear. Nothing can be achieved in life that is truly sustainable and significant, and which stand the test of time, the uncertainty of tested relationships, and the difficulties of hardship and economic storms, without strong, loyal, trust-filled, committed relationships.
Do you want to become a master in your field? Then become a master of yourself and become a master at developing people and building relationships. Being mentored and becoming a mentor is the key to making that happen!