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.
Orientation
When we think of leadership, our thoughts may go to examples such as the heads of large organizations or to community figures that have historically impacted our society. We might point to others saying they are our leader through an accepted way of thinking or to simply avoid responsibility. But do we consider our self to be a leader regardless of our role, age or status? This series will explore the opportunity we all have to be the leader and what it takes to become and to live from the understanding that we are all the CEO of our life.
CEO of Your Life
A Chief Executive Officer (CEO) is acknowledged to be the highest-ranking person in an organization. They are responsible for final decisions in the managerial process. Obviously most people will not be a company CEO or the head of a Global body. A large majority of people will not be famous for their huge impact on humanity. For most, their daily goodwill and community involvement will not register on the Richter scale nor appear in a Google search for leaders that changed the course of humanity. However, we have the freedom and ability to create, participate and contribute in a unique way from where we are standing. We may have a significant impact in ways that are not measured. This can be amplified as we optimally organize all aspects of our life. Common sense tells us that we are the top ranking person in our life. We are the CEO of our life.
Free Will
With this acknowledgement, and for some, this recent promotion, we start to wonder what the title implies. What is the job description and to whom are we accountable? Effectively, it makes us the decision maker and the manager. It makes us the driver of our life. This is nothing new as we have always been making decisions in not only action or non-action but also with thoughts, feelings and beliefs. From deciding how we approach the day to choosing a new career, it is all free will. Taking a perspective, having a reaction, or following a particular belief system is the same. Many thoughts, emotions, beliefs and actions, are conditioned habits and unconscious processes inherited that have not been observed, challenged or evolved. Repetitive patterns could be called the circle of life. For some people, this is helpful but for many, it leads to a feeling of dullness. We could serve ourselves well to describe life as a spiral. Ever increasing expansion and awareness though cycles do occur. The Milky Way, our galaxy, is currently spiraling through space as we read this article. Everything feels new as we expand through our experience and live it.
Conscious Awareness
Declaring that you are now the CEO of your life will bring many things into conscious awareness which then by default, gives you more say about who you are and what you will become. You might see parts of yourself that you are not comfortable with. When we set a new direction, we also see what is needed in our personal development and practical life to help us experience our new vision or dream. This level of personal responsibility can be frightening for some. Many of our limiting beliefs are challenged and sometimes the existing skill-set needs to be upgraded. Much suffering in humanity on a personal and collective level is the failure to explore openly and to add to what exists in a creative positive light.
Beliefs
Action is recognized as a way to change our life and also, to change the world. But actions are not the only powerful way to make a difference. Another powerful way to create and experience self-directed change is through acknowledging, living and evolving our beliefs. We identify our beliefs by looking at the way we experience life and the resistance or openness we have to it. Actions flow from our beliefs. To take action toward change without changing a belief may have temporary or little effect and in some cases will result in the opposite of what is desired. There is no shortage of evidence in the world of this dynamic. Fighting a war for peace is the obvious example. Leaders, who know how to collectively alter people?s beliefs have driven humanity in certain directions. They created change both helpful and conflict ridden, by encouraging certain beliefs knowing that the predictable actions would follow. Not being aware of our own power makes us vulnerable to manipulation and gullible to fear propagation. When we are living powerfully and are consciously engaged in our creations, we are less likely to be distracted by a myriad of other people?s experiences that are being presented. We should not overlook that our state of being and personal alignment is alone, a gift to our self, inspiring to others, and a powerful contribution to the collective.
Recreating Yourself
A belief system is much like a computer program. The running program will result in certain output. To change the output, one must alter or upgrade the program. Updates are readily available and one simply has to choose and upload them. Collective beliefs seem a bigger challenge, as often, they have been programmed for so long and may come with attachments of fear. It is easier to change personal beliefs and in that way, you experience the same life in different ways. Beliefs are a malleable free choice but many people do not utilize this understanding for fear of reprisals. One thought can change your whole life.
Mind-Body-Spirit
While our beliefs run through all areas of our lives, we can also look at components of our day-to-day living in many practical ways. Viewed as a mind body spirit system, we can greatly elevate our experience by consciously nourishing these three components of our daily design. There are many ways to do this and as the CEO, it is a personal choice optimally based upon what comes naturally and works for you. People explore this to varying degrees. We might sense a flow or alignment and perhaps inherent power of an individual who is caring for themselves on all levels. Most people can identify parts of their life that flow very well. The belief that is behind their thoughts and action is resistance free and is more like a feeling or knowing. One can identify these inherent strengths and use them.