Go With The Force! Death of the Pope.    Easter.       Passover.          Spring.             Renewal.

All are processes of nature, forcing us to spring forward from hardship and uncertainty into a better future. The big challenge for all of us is putting this "New Age" meme into real time.

Let me (re)assure you, trusting process has everything to do with creating y(our) reality...now and in the future.

Stop.
Look.
Listen.
We are entering another process of renewal. Not to worry. We are right on time.

Spiraling forward in our personal and planetary development, (just like adolescence or the midlife renewal process), we must accomplish certain developmental tasks if we are to move through the sequential stages of our life course...our time here on earth.

It is developmentally appropriate for all of us to enter a renewal process which is destined to be of epic proportion.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the Universe is unfolding as it should...
-	Max Erhmann

Our world is undergoing a major clean-up. Pushed past its natural limits our planet, and life as we know it, is destined to breakdown. Self-correcting, the earth always jumps into the next phase of her development. Best hurry or we could very well morph into something we never intended. And certainly don't want. :(

Many of us are going back to the basics: seeking more meaning and quality time. More and more of us are leaving high-paced lives and choosing new lifestyles and directions. That's why we've experienced an accelerated return to spirituality. Each of us, at every age and stage, yearns for significance. We want every moment to count and to make a difference.

Our mantra has matured to, "Doing well doing good." Thank goodness we Baby Boomers and 50+ers are inheriting upwards of 3.5 to 5 trillion dollars as our generation moves to the front line. What an impact we can have! How sweet is that?

The timing couldn't be better. Now at last, the symbol of the Feminine in all of us, our Mother Earth, is calling to us. She is challenging us to self-correct, and quickly.

We've had plenty of warnings. From global AIDS epidemics and surging breast cancer to the breakdown of our beloved institutions. The intensity of the alerts is getting deafening. Aberrant weather patterns and the dying off of whole species are clearly bell-weathers. And now global warming is on its way to becoming irrevocable. This is our wake-up call. This is not a test!

Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.
-	Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

I sometimes feel that I'm in some modern-day epic unfolding before my eyes. Some part of me believes we will all be saved. I guess that's why I still love Star Wars. I can remember one year when my son Brett pulled out his holiday gifts only to exclaim as he catapulted into sheer childlike ecstasy, "STARWARS!" Luke Skywalker and Leah. So I admit it. I do trust the force!

We can't go back to how it used to be, not completely. We are no longer innocents in this regard. But we can either deter or eradicate the potential demise of this planet and life as we know it by our actions today.

Every great epoch and life stage gets birthed into existence by a collision of forces. From the vibrating heart of these dissipating structures and unstable processes comes the promise of our true greatness: a greatness of awareness and action that will change the world. This potential lives in each of us, and we are being called to make that difference.

This is the time for greatness.

...There's a choice we're makin' We're savin' our own lives It's true, we'll make a better day Just you and me. ...When you're down and out We're headed for the future works And the future's ours...
-	Daryl Hall & John Oates We are the World USA for Africa 1985

The earth, like ourselves, is a self-correcting system. We can learn to continuously improve all our processes that contribute to our very quality of life at home, in the workplace and in our planetary community. We need to pay attention to the processes that make up what Buckminster Fuller would lovingly refer to as our "Space Ship Earth."

If we track our processes, constantly adapting to new triggers and disruptive events, we can Trust the Process to bring us into a better future. Just keep showing up. Do all you can as an individual and as a leader to leave your footprints in the sands of time.

What follows in this April issue is one aspect of Trusting the Process, but there is much, much more. To cover this principle adequately, yet make it digestible, I've split the feature into two parts, The Wisdom in How it Works - Part 1 & Part 2. In the May Gazette, I will continue with Part 2 of this principle. We will explore the renewal process, applications to your business or work, and its relationship to planetary evolution.

Check out Widening the Circle: Our Readers' Comments & Questions. Thanks for your input. Your provocative questions and comments will make this ezine the greatest!

Are you ready for greatness? Join me and other Vanguard Leaders^SM to create great outcomes in my spring offerings starting this month. Gain tools and new perspectives to lead at the cutting edge and discover your personal road to greatness.

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How can I collaborate with my consciousness to evolve more rapidly?

Where do I trust process in my life? Where do I need to be more respectful and honoring of process: work, home, emotional life?

"My struggle is how to stay focused and allow the process to work. It's so easy for me to be able to go in so many directions. I feel myself drawn to my old ways of reacting, managing my life by objectives. But I know that's fundamentally suicide to my Psyche." -Jane, 37-years old

"Everyone is telling me it's a slam dunk. A must next step. It's between me and a real numbers cruncher. I don't know if I have a choice. But this new position is rife with dangers. I'd be reporting right to the top. But he's a known terrorizer and chops people up like ice in a daiquiri. But if I don't take it, I don't know what's coming next."-Jim, 51-years old

Jane, age 37, is just learning that if we push too hard, then we'll surely miss out on life as it happens. When we are uni-focused on the end result not the process, it's easy to get consumed - destined to get lost in the chaos. Then it's even easier to just not be fully present. Surely not being fed.

Clearly our feeding tube needs to be removed. No more sucking up obsession and hurry sickness. Ending up against brick walls because we didn't see where we were heading.

Jim, aged 51, got "saved". He didn't take the high visibility job. After he pulled himself out of the running, he was relieved. That tell us something doesn't it? :)

I encouraged him to trust that the right and perfect match would come, if he just kept showing up and stayed true to what matters most to him. I told him to Trust the Process.

What came through days after he "let go", is a far better scenario with all the attributes Jim truly desired. Now he's the top guy and he can do it his way!

Everything I've learned from my work and studied from the Masters confirms the "rightness" of Trusting the Process.

Let me assure you that I am not suggesting that all you have to do is resign to a life of sitting under a tree while contemplating your navel and voila!, the good life will be yours! But rather I am proposing that understanding process and embracing change leads to peace and abundance. :)

Click for complete feature: Trusting the Process: The Wisdom in How it Works - Part 1

1. You just completed your business plan and are looking for investors. You distribute copies of your plan to a top-notch network of venture capitalists. Now that you have finished this phase of development, you:
   1. display symptoms of "hurry-sickness." Anxious and impatient, you call contacts right away.
   2. trust that you have done all you need to for now and switch your focus to another aspect of building your business.
   3. can't stop obsessing about your business plan as you worry over the details.
   4. take some time off to go to the museum, take a walk or get a massage. You know that it is now essential you be fully replenished for the next phase of the project.

2. You are living in a state of extended mediocrity. Your job pays really well but offers little satisfaction. You are in a lukewarm relationship that's going nowhere. You decide:
   1. to join a monastery.
   2. let go of the safety net, grab the trapeze and jump into flight. You apply for new jobs trusting the process.
   3. that you have to "settle" for what you have. After all, it is better than nothing.
   4. to aim for an "early retirement" and marry your lover. Things might improve with a commitment.

One day after class, he asked me if he could turn in a late essay, and I said, "No. I do not accept late papers."

As he stormed out, I thought -- at first -- "What a nuisance. What is he trying to get away with?" However, I then stopped myself in my tracks, reflecting on the principle of Always Add Value, and I asked myself, "Am I adding value in this situation?" The answer was clearly, "No."

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