A great time to be spiritual

Crisis and chaos: that is the present configuration of our world.

Ah, you don’t believe… But it is true. There is at least one crisis in your country right now. Maybe it is ecological or political, ethical or social; it may be incipient, mature or old… No, it is not normal, at least in the past – let’s say, 16^th century – it was quite uncommon and if you look at history records you will see years and years passing by without any mention of a big problem, for a long time and at many places.

Ok, but what is a crisis? A simple definition is an unexpected change that creates a bad sensation in most of the affected people. By unexpected I mean a change people were not ready to face. Probably older times were more predictable and easy to deal.

It is also certain there is chaos at least at a country in your continent. It may be in the form of confusion or a social situation that goes beyond the capacity of that place. Maybe it is a country with so much corruption, which structure is fallen apart.

How to deal with crisis and chaos? Yes, there are many techniques, but as these situations become more and more common why not taking in consideration a very different possibility?

Spirituality may be the solution a few people dare to suggest. It won’t solve crisis or chaos, but it will contribute with a different approach towards life. At one hand, it will minimize their effect on the person. On the other hand, it will help to keep a clear mind and a very sharp intellect, so that a solution is found.

So, whenever you realize you should deal with that crisis and you should be careful about chaos, go and sit in meditation… that is the best and perhaps the only way to tap into one’s own spirituality.

When you do that, you will feel circumstances don’t affect as much as they used to, and you start to affect situations, becoming a real change agent.

The power of love

It seems a whole generation was expecting the power of love to prevail over… well, over all the other types of powers: law, society, morality, etc.

Arriving at the 21^st century, this sounds old, outdated and weak. And yet, it seems we need love more than ever.

Question is: what is the power of love at times of Internet? Is it only free sex, being permitted to do whatever one wants and smile all the time?

The power of love is that energy that enables you to take one step more. It is that strength you find when you think all is over.

That is what creates bonds between people, nations, races and species. It is a universal vitality that prevails and permeates all layers of our society.

And it is there, just inside you! Use it and enjoy the wonderful effect of making other people hopeful again, energetic again and alive. Again.

Coordinating others

There is a big range of possibilities when you talk about a person in a position of being a chief: chief, boss, manager, supervisor, overseer, etc.

But a few publications and articles talk about the fine art of being a coordinator. You see, I have been that for much of my life.

Its concept does not fit into the boss’ idea, neither as a manager, and yet, bosses and managers have a lot to learn from being a coordinator.

It implicates many aspects that may be useful while managing others:

• A coordinator does not own the task and yet he or she is fully committed. That gives them an advantage as they can work with passion, but without attachment to procedures and results.
• The main people in the team are the rest of the team. The coordinator is like the empty space in a bicycle wheel – very important, but that is not why you buy a wheel...
• Coordinators will stimulate creativity, innovation and disruption, and they will use those moments to accelerate any process.
• Rules and regulations will be talked and will be uphold, but people will always come first. If a person breaks them, a coordinator will talk and together they will find a solution.
• Coordinators are measure for more than a task success: her or his people’s satisfaction will be equally important.
• The relation between a coordinator and the stakeholders is one of respect and humility.

Solving very complex situations

Analysis and synthesis. Creativity and organization. Reflection and contemplation. Action and more action…

There are so many ways to solve situations that emerge, however as time go by, these are becoming more and more complex, and the used and overused old formula does not work at all times.

These new circumstances require a new approach. One possibility is to explore a spiritual perspective and here are some ways:

• Experiencing a stage of detached observer. Connecting to the self helps into watching whatever is happening with detachment, as if it is someone else doing. The easiest way is just to be aware of the present environment a person is for one minute, focusing on the present.
• Meditation, contemplation or reflection. Focusing the mind into something that is beyond the physical helps get in touch with spirituality and, eventually, to find solutions for very complex situations. There are many ways to use any of these tactics, but you may want to check the Brahma Kumaris' way, which is my own method of meditating.
• Yoga and deep focus. No need to forget about all that is around, but by doing yoga or simply focusing deeply into something else, different than the circumstances, it helps the self to find a deep solution, reaching into the roots and seeds.
• Prayer from the heart. When prayer comes from within, the mind gets clear and it is possible to take hard decisions. It is important to not recite old prayers learnt by heart or, if it is so, feel them.

Keep thinking…

By thinking we understand the world outside and we are able to take decisions based on our perception.

However, as our life develops, thoughts repeat and old experiences restrict our capacity of embracing the unknown. There may be a point when routine has taken over…

Routine is good, it works as a pipe that enables the water to reach the whole house; it channels our energy and makes life easier. Without a routine, a person would be like a hose connected to water, but with nobody holding on… lots of water, but no clear focus.

To prevent that, it is important to dare, to challenge assumptions and to experiment. It does not mean to refuse reality or go against things for the sake of it, just reshape reality.

The alarm goes off anytime we feel we are taking the same decisions as before without a proper reflection, anytime we feel routine seeping into our minds and our lives look less bright than the day before.

To help with that, let’s ask powerful questions that shake our beliefs, meditate or contemplate. Let’s allow the mind access to a new fresh source of possibilities every time.

How to be creative in a non-creative environment?

There are places where creativity is discouraged. It may be because of giving priority to routine instead of initiative or just because the team is still learning and the person in charge is trying his best to accomplish a task, with no time to explain or to help people to understand what they are really doing.

In the short term, there is not much damage… but in the long term, that may affect a person’s capacity of thinking out of the box and even the task may be affected.

However, there are ways to keep creativity alive even in the worst places:

• From a leader’s point of view, the leader may help others to think in different ways to find solutions to whatever they have in hand. Many years ago, I arrive at an airport just to learn the flight was much delayed; their system has failed and they were doing our registration by hand, including luggage. What impressed me was the leader’s attitude: she was following up the process and every time someone has found a new way of doing something, she used to call everybody’s attention to that. She was promoting creativity in a critical situation and with a team of young people.
• A simple way to encourage creativity is to share with others in an informal environment, or even to have a training that is not related to their main subject. I had a workshop with a group of public officers working at a company that was closing. Situation could be grim as everybody there knew they would be fired at the end of their process; in other words, their prize for success was to be fired… It was very valuable for them, for their peace of mind and their morale to talk about things not related to their work.
• When there is rigidity in the place, make effort that mind is free. I was at the Air Force for three years, spending the equivalent to high school there. However, I’ve made effort to keep my mind free – I was well informed, doing poetry and even practicing meditation in my last year.

In other words, there is no excuse to not be creative...

If you want some help with your creativity, let's talk... contact me by commenting and leave your email address. 

Bringing Emotional Intelligence into life

When the concept of Emotional Intelligence was exposed in a book, many years ago, it was such a novelty that it seemed everybody was speaking about it. But one thing I’ve noticed: very few were working on that.

Many years later, emotions are on the top – just look at the present headlines and you can see emotions. Look at your workplace and check the emotions present there. What about your family?

So, can we work on that emotional intelligence now?

According to Daniel Goleman, it means basicly 4 things:

• To know your own emotions.
• To know how to deal with them.
• To know others’ emotions.
• To know how to deal with them.

It seems easy enough and yet, its impact may change lives. Why? Emotions are a shortcut at times of reaction or decisions, bypassing the need of reasoning and reflecting, and going into the action in hand. By knowing your own or others’ emotions, an individual is able to understand that and help reflection and reasoning to meet the emotions.

For instance, if someone just wants to marry another person he just met one week ago, it will be difficult to talk the person out of it, but using creative techniques like storytelling or even a little role play it is possible to awake the reasoning behind the decision and help the person to think it over.

How do you manage emotions? As any management acting, first you need to know them. Then, you need to have some skills, techniques or a relevant education that enables you to deal with them.

However, good managers don’t simply deal with things, they attain success by using energy in a very effective way, comparing to results. So, it is not only techniques that will help convincing another person to not get married yet, many other things are required, like: empathy, spirituality would be helpful, listening to the other’s point of view, etc. Developing emotional intelligence is a very effective way to live better and help others to live better too.

My message here is simple: dust your favorite Emotional Intelligence book and use all that knowledge into your day-to-day life.