State of Being Matters

State of being matters

You may have heard the phrase that state of being matters—no question about it in my experience. When I started doing the inner work, I became much more aware of it and noticed that life and work were changing in new and unexpected ways.

But what is state of being, really? State of being can include many aspects, such as physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual, that influence how we experience and interact with the world. A simple statement, but it encompasses countless factors.

The first time I became aware of my state of being I can remember was when I met Joseph Jaworski shortly after reading his seminal book, Synchronicity: the inner path of leadership, in 2014.

Conversing with Joseph or being in the same room was different and noticeably felt. Everything is noticeably different in his presence. You might think of it as charisma, but it was more than that.

In Synchronicity, Joseph describes a form of leadership grounded in state of being, not doing. We do that by choosing and making a commitment to serve. Not necessarily others directly but by choosing to serve life. And when we make this choice, we open ourselves to allow life to unfold through us.

This may be a difficult concept to digest until you experience it, but this is what I have experienced over the past 13 years. When we allow life to unfold through us, we let go of control and surrender to the natural flow of life.

It means trusting that the universe has a plan for you and that everything is happening for your highest good, even if you don't understand it at that time.

Even though I tried and failed at it for many of the past 13 years, when you allow life to unfold through you, you have to let go of your attachment to specific outcomes.

Life, at least in my case, just does not work that way anymore. Instead, you are open to the possibilities and opportunities that come your way trusting that everything will work out in the end.

The exciting and fascinating outcome of all this is that this form of leadership is available to us all. In fact, it may be crucial for our future.

This is why I believe the inner leader journey is the path we all must take in the 21st century and may be essential to solving the tremendous challenges we face today. It's also why I believe that if you are a human, you are a leader.

Doing the inner work

Doing the "inner work" is how we change our state of being. Doing the inner work involves a process of self-reflection and self-exploration that we can undertake to understand ourselves better, our thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.

Inner work also involves examining our beliefs, values, and biases more closely. Then working to resolve any inner conflicts, traumas, or negative patterns of thinking and behaving.

Ultimately, the goal of inner work is to increase self-awareness and gain insight into our inner world. By doing the inner work, we become more open, grounded, centered, and self-assured and begin to work with others in new ways.

There are almost an infinite number of ways we can undertake the inner work, but there are six key themes that I focus on.

• Forward Thinking
• Awareness
• The Mind
• The Journey
• Leadership
• Questions, Listening, and Dialogue

Why these six categories? Because these are the six key themes that unfolded in my life over the past 13 years. These categories are described more fully on the home page at leaderone.org.

LeaderONE workshops and online learning

The LeaderONE virtual workshops and online learning will launch in April or May, 2023. Each month and for the following six months, we will focus on one of the categories, e.g., Forward Thinking.

The month will begin with an online workshop and one or two support sessions in the following week(s). Attendees will also get access to the online learning lessons at leaderone.org.

Because we are still finalizing the details of what this program will look like, we want to make this special offer available now.

Anyone enrolled as a Sponsor member at SpaceB will be eligible to participate in the LeaderONE workshops and sessions at no additional cost.

This special offer expires on March 31, 2023. More information is available on the Membership page.

If you'd like to learn more or set up a meeting to discuss any of the above, please email me at bill@billfox.co or schedule a 20-minute call on Calendly.

And remember, state of being matters!

— Bill