Week 1: Leadership & Life Assessment

“Many people try to find a spiritual path where they do not have to face themselves but where they can still liberate themselves--liberate themselves from themselves, in fact. In truth, this is impossible. We cannot do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our real shit, our most undesirable parts. We have to see that. That is the foundation of warriorship and the basis of conquering fear. We have to face our fear; we have to look at it, study it, work with it, and practice meditation with it.” 

― Chogyam Trungpa, Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery

Upon Taking Offense 

By Soul Survivor 

Blessed is the man 

who does not take offense 

I'm speaking in the present tense 

There is no sitting on the fence 

This poem will now take me hence... 

An offense will make us stumble 

Forget the bluster and the bumble 

Our defense will surely crumble 

In all things, we must be humble 

When we see another's error 

Are we really all the fairer? 

Look Within it will be clearer 

Are we looking in a mirror? 

When we see reflection's bust 

Do we see lines? Perhaps some crust? 

Being honest is a must! 

What have we done 

that WE can't trust? 

True of the bird as well the bee 

We are all one cloth, you see! 

Self-assessment makes you free! 

This is true humility

Perspective

"Self Energy is first and foremost experienced in the body. The experience of Self-energy is often described in terms of body sensations such as warm, tingly, expansive, spacious, flowing, openhearted, light, grounded, centered, spacious, calm, and relaxed. The qualities that depict a person in a state of Self-energy are often described by words that begin with the letter 8 C's & 5 P's: creative, connected, calm, curious, compassionate, courageous, confident, clear, and patient, presence, persistence, perspective, playfulness, and patience. When each of these qualities is rooted in the body and expressed somatically, it clearly indicates the presence of Embodied Self energy." 

- Mcconnell, Susan; Schwartz, Richard, Ph.D.

The first step in developing embodied leadership is awakening to discover our ability to intentionally conjure and connect to the qualities of the embodied Self.

We explore this in the first intro to embodied leadership, lesson 1: Coming Into The Body of The Unshakable Leadership method, "Who am I?". As uninitiated and immature leaders, we often "think," fully identify, and are entirely "blended" with the protective parts of ourselves that have allowed us to survive to early adulthood. The discovery of this is a fundamental aspect of who we think we are, which helps a person begin the process of individuation, growth, and transformation. 

This is why the beginning of this program and recurring seasonal process of transformational change always starts with returning to, drop-into, and conjuring the qualities of the embodied Self.

It's essential to recognize that many people in today's society never ultimately make this transition. This is often experienced as a remembering because the Self is present within all of us. Yet, it has been covered over by a layer of stress, trauma, and anxious, protective parts that feel they must remain vigilant to protect us and to maintain the roles, responsibilities, and relationships of our default lives. Let us not forget that trauma, attachment wounding, emotional residue, and protective parts are all rooted in the body. 

As a leader, if we want to grow into our whole selves and perform our best, on top of everything listed above, we have to deal with the hegemonic culture of leadership that tells people, directly and indirectly, that to be a leader, we must be tough, hard, and disconnected? This cultural pressure put on leaders is derived from The Man Box, and it must be worked with for leaders to grow. This is the second artifact of The Unshakable Leadership method. 

Every new season is a new chance to begin. No matter if we are starting our embodied leadership journey or if we have a deeply rooted practice that has developed over years of intentionally learning how to drop out of our heads and into our bodies, each season of life (summer, spring, fall, and winter) invites a new opportunity to reconnect, let go, surrender and to call on the qualities of the embodied Self. It is vital to note this seasonal returning process because our entire consumer culture and business culture is constantly reactivating the natural adaptive response of our protective parts. The work culture we live in tells us to be robot disconnected machines. 

Embodied leadership training is a practice; if we don't practice, our growth and development will stop. The wonderful thing to notice is that the more you practice embodied Self Leadership, the more purposeful, powerful, and present you will become, leading to more vitality and the ability to overcome daily life and work challenges, tests, and triggers.

One opening note to honor the journey and the work you are stepping forward to do: As a person, a human being, a fiance, a son, a brother, a friend, a facilitator of healing, a breathwork facilitator, a leadership trainer, an executive's coach, and a co-creator and designer of this program it's important to me to let you know how awe inspired (appreciation and fear) I am to witness the work being done by leaders in this program. 

We have intentionally designed this program to create a brave space where any and all emotions can be present and where the leaders in this space are all arriving to practice these tools and skills to become their best whole selves. We are doing this work for the good of ourselves and everyone and everything. I honor you, and I honor your practice. May you get what you came here for, and may your practice continue for the good of everyone and everything. Thank you for joining me on this journey. 

This week, we are intentionally awakening the qualities of our embodied Self and doing a "Leadership Assessment” to notice: How much access do I have to my embodied Self? Reflecting on whether it is present or not present in various parts of our life. And finally targeting three zones of growth and development for this season of our life. 

***If you have a challenging time with any of these activities, especially the active practice of conjuring your embodied-Self energy, don't worry! We often find we access the Self by unblending from protective parts. This might not have meaning to you now but don't worry. Bring your experience to the group, and trust me - there is a reason this is a seasonal cycle that we go through twice together. I promise you'll discover something about yourself by moving through the process together and alone.

Learning Objective: 

1. Discover and reconnect to the qualities of your embodied Self energy. 

2. Perform an Embodied Leadership Assessment 

3. Define three focus areas in your life to intentionally apply your energy and attention to grow. 

Embodied Practice: 

Perform a 3x3 Check-In multiple times this week and conjure your embodied Self-energy. 

Do an Embodied Leadership Assessment. Come to the group to practice with other leaders. 

Log into Circle to access additional embodied practice examples for this week.

Journal Questions: 

1. Describe your current relationship with the qualities of Self and your protective parts. Are they blended? 

2. Where do you notice protective parts of yourself running the show? 

3. Where are you most satisfied in your life? 

4. Where are you least satisfied in your life? 

5. Where are you coasting, choosing to allow things to be as they are, or avoiding discomfort?

Share your experience and “Letter To Self” work statement in the community chat.