Professor Paul Stewart
Academic Coach-Monarch Business School, Switzerland
Professor Stewart is passionate about people living their dreams, evolving their understandings of what works for them and acknowledging and practicing the art of deliberate creation. At Monarch, Professor Stewart guides Candidates to be the very best version of themselves by actively providing life coaching that impacts their personal, professional and academic lives.
In this, Part Two of the series, we will build on Part One where we stated that leadership has recognized roles in society but also questioned if we as individuals claim our own personal leadership enough. It offered the assertion that we can see our self as the CEO of our own life. Belief was identified as a primary area that can be examined and evolved as an expression of personal leadership. Beliefs were compared to a computer program in that they produce predictable output depending on what that program is. Any program can be updated freely by choice. Changing a belief or the programming will result in a different life experience from words and actions to feelings. A key point made was that beliefs can evolve or be expanded upon, yet it was also acknowledged that not all people are aware of this or indeed, believe it. Part Two explores perspectives of seeing yourself as a creator, inviting mastery in through various aspects, the ability we have to receive, and the power of personal alignment and presence.
Day One As The CEO
Upon accepting the appointment of your self as the CEO of YOUR life, it is time to get acquainted with the position, to understand the role and working environment and to build relationships with the aspects of yourself that are part of your team. When stepping into a leadership role, there is some natural trepidation and also excitement about perceived potentials and possible failures. The new title comes with certain responsibilities, however; you would not have this opportunity if you did not also have the ability within you to perform at this level. The following ideas will assist you as you move forward into more life. They can be applied in practical ways in both personal and professional areas of your life.
You And Creation
We exist as one with creation. There is a tangible and easily perceived unity and interconnectedness in life. It is felt and observed. It is imagined and experienced through the living of our lives. Most of us can speak from experience and say, that it is easier to perceive this unity when the mind is not agitated or over exerted yet sometimes we operate in an over-exerted day-to-day mind based existence. As we up-skill and learn tools that harmonize our mind, body and spirit, we again perceive this inherent harmony of life and we create from this point. It is a daily choice. Creating from peace or harmony is a powerful and essential component of living a fulfilling life that naturally contributes to all we are engaged with and much more. We do not need to create from conflict.
Align Your Self With The New Energy
The first task as CEO is to call a meeting of all your selves. Your manager self, your expert communicator self, your strategic master self, your financial brilliance, your charismatic leader self, your master of relating self, your optimally healthy self and many other possibilities that you feel to mention. All teams perform better when there is clear communication, encouragement and a collective agreement or commitment to work together in cooperation. One can easily do this through sitting quietly with an open mind allowing your energy to be soft and receptive to feeling the sense of such characteristics in your body as you invite them in. The benefits of such a practice is known by doing it. The method can be shaped uniquely as you see fit depending on your own natural preferences.
Daily team meetings are helpful especially when associated with a light feeling rather than a heavy one. A light feeling is associated with someone who is plugged in and living from soul. A heavy feeling may be caused by present thinking or carrying the past around one way or another. The most important meeting of the day is the first one as it sets a tone and creates momentum. Discover or create a way to bring your mind, body and spirit into alignment first thing in the morning. Some recognized ways are meditation, prayer and movement, affirmations coupled with feeling, walking in nature, writing, music and art.
The Components Of A Day Lived
When we look at our life, we see the different expressions of our self in our families and relationships, careers, exercise, food, art, leisure, studies and various other possibilities. These are all choices we have made. In the role of CEO, it is our job to recognize them, to appreciate them and to enhance them as we see fit. These could be considered outward expressions of who we are or extensions of all that we are. If we contemplate each one and allow ourselves to imagine and dwell upon our best ideas, we will steadily unfold that vision as long as we don’t act destructively against it.
A Fulfilling Life
Each person is uniquely wired and has different goals, needs, aspirations and preferences. While being a CEO, one must find his or her own sense of self and what works for them. By being yourself, respecting your natural strengths and using them, the best possible outcomes and feelings are experienced. The individual who takes the time to ensure their personal alignment before creating in the world of things, creates expressions of alignment from which others may also benefit. It is inspiring and powerful. It is also easy.
The Art Of Magnetism
In a world where we have been conditioned in many ways to believe that there is not enough, that everything must be earned or, that we have to fight for survival, there is now an emergence and awareness of the abundance of the universe and the ease of being which is closer to our true nature. By soothing the mind and allowing the entire mind-body-spirit system to work together, we become more receptive. Though the mind is wonderful, it cannot perceive much beyond its past experience and present data. However, with soft skills such as imagination and feeling, intuition and wisdom and in the spirit of adventure, we can open to new possibilities and begin to experience such natural wonders as synchronicity, genius and the ripple effect.
The Power Of Your Presence is Creation
Presence is not a mental concept but a state of being. It is in ever-changing circumstances yet recognizable to the experiencer of it. In presence, we can operate in flow. Regardless of conditions, be they easy or difficult, there is always something one can do to promote the process of life from presence. You can be present with your child, in a board meeting, contemplating an article or playing a game. The quality and power of your presence can grow. Invest in presence. Avoid putting yourself down, build a toolbox for living life powerfully from a point of alignment and draw on those tools to be the best CEO of your life that you can be.
Part Three of this series will offer practical tips and tools for enhancing the qualities of presence, personal alignment and clarity that are natural to you and can greatly assist in the living of your life. These tools not only support you in evolving your professional and personal success but also allow you to enhance the direct experience of your most cherished feelings as you continue to practice being the CEO of your life.