Did I exercise giving
And forgiveness with all my might?
Did I honor my freedom
And did I live in the light?
Did I cherish my moments?
Did I take a good enough bite?
What did I do with my life?...
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Lenny Kravitz "What Did I Do With My Life?" |
Watching the Super Tuesday Primaries this week, I was awed by the ingenious ways Obama and Ron Paul worked in and outside of the system. Each of them in their groove.
Those who lead great lives have learned to bypass the system. That is, they are not afraid to go outside of whatever system they are in to effect change for the good of all. They have one foot in, and one foot out, living inside and outside of the box.
Look again at politics, and you will see that Al Gore made 'Going Green' a household expression after he left the White House. Barak Obama is also working the system while working outside of it. For example, he has built a fast growing following outside of the Party machine and attracts the young and independents like never before.
When you look back at your life, will you be able to say that you lived in your groove, knowing when to rake the risk to step outside the system?
Jessica, an already successful professional advisor, is seeing the results that come from bypassing the system. When she first started coaching with me, she was trying too hard to fit into the corporate culture where she worked. Tired of being disappointed and let down she'd retreat below the radar… becoming sheepish and invisible. At home she became moody and burnt out, she dreaded Mondays back on the road.
But in a short time, we got her on track by looking at what mattered to her and the ways in which her corporation did not support her most profound values-such as high integrity when doing sales and "having a point of view".
In a few months, she decided to walk her talk and be completely honest with clients, and risk breaking the bureaucratic top-down mold by facilitating her point of view… not compromising any of her convictions to produce breakthrough thinking and extraordinary results.
Guess what? Her 6-figure income nearly doubled in one year. And there's much more to come. She still enjoys playing the game, but she has fought for changes in the rules. And she is now seen as a decisive leader and an "architect for change". Best of all, she loves living in her groove.
Sustainability is all about bypassing the status quo, getting conscious and going beyond the rules, morphing the ordinary into the extraordinary. This is today's new call to action.
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