The System Holds Us Back

With very few exceptions, like during a college philosophy course or at a career planning workshop, there have been very few times when I was encouraged to explore in depth what I really thought or felt during my education or professional career.

For the most part, we are largely expected to fit in and be obedient wherever we find ourselves, whether at home, school, or work.

And for sure, I was never taught the importance or even the idea of awareness and how to tune into myself and develop the ability to consciously notice the energetic changes that might attract or repel me to any particular situation.

Many of us ignore or don't even notice those sensations and are more likely to fit in and not resist or do something different. We are too busy even to notice.

I'll offer a personal example to explain what I mean. When I experienced a situation at work where the current leadership team was being embarrassed and undermined by a new "leader" who was being groomed to take over, it was unthinkable that I would ever want to work for this person.

There was just no way I could go forward with this company. My feelings were so strong that I quit before even looking for my next job.

Everybody could see this was happening. At the time, it was hard to understand why so many people would overlook it and remain with the company.

The system has taught us to fit in, be obedient, and not rock the boat. There were many times when I looked the other way too, in the past, and life went on. Putting yourself on the street with no net has its trials and tribulations, but fortunately, it also has its rewards in time.

The biggest agent for change

As Eckhart Tolle wisely says, "Awareness is the greatest agent for change." I'm not sure I would have always believed that, but over the past 13 years that I have been on this inner journey, it has become more and more apparent to me.

Every advance I have made in increasing my awareness has brought unexpected new, more enjoyable, impactful ways of living and working.

A case in point is my work here at SpaceB. I'm sure the people who have known me most of my life would never have expected that I would be writing posts like this and creating images. There is no one more surprised than me. But here is the really interesting thing.

I've frequently mentioned my interview with Dr. Helena Lass, where I gained a new understanding of awareness. However, this is my first time mentioning this part of the experience. During the interview, there were a few times when she would pause for what seemed like an uncomfortable amount of time.

During one of those periods of silence, she looked at me, sensing my unease. Then she said, raising her arms, "I'm waiting for transcendence." Then after a few moments, she would begin speaking again, sharing her deep wisdom and insights.

When I witnessed this experience, I said to myself, "Wow, I want to learn how to do that!" Now it's clear to me that's how SpaceB came into existence. It's also the place from which this newsletter is written.

Changing our awareness

The topic for this newsletter was inspired by Brian Gardner, who wrote in a recent newsletter on commercial distancing. Brian said:

"The race to the top is a marathon, not a sprint. Through commercial distancing, we can elevate our work, nurture our values, and create something remarkable. Wouldn’t that be fulfilling?"

I want to contribute to this idea of commercial distancing, so I've been thinking about how I share and make this work available to as many people as possible and, at the same time, make a living.

I'm more inclined to give all the content away but offer additional benefits to those who support this work with a paid membership. I've resisted requiring a paid membership to receive this newsletter.

However, as this work matures, more things are becoming available that I could offer. So I have made the entire Awareness Portfolio of designs and images available for free to download under a Creative Commons license.

This means you can download and use anything for free but give attribution when you use it. View and download any of the images in the Awareness Portfolio here.

We've also run many free workshops where we explore the designs and quotes in more depth. But now we are transitioning to offering workshops for a fee and hosting quarterly events for our members who are Sponsors.

During the next several weeks, on June 6 and June 15, 2023, we will run the first set of quarterly workshops. I will also be joined by two colleagues, John Ryskowski and Wolfgang Fiebig, who bring their mastery of facilitation and more to the sessions.

However, if this is your first time attending a workshop, we welcome you to attend as a guest. The feedback from workshop participants has been very positive, so I encourage you to participate if you are curious.

Learn more and sign up to attend the workshops here. If you'd like to know more about the workshop and what people are saying, learn more at the LeaderONE site.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything in this newsletter today and explore how we might bring more awareness to you and your world.

Here's to increasing our awareness and creating a better life and world!

— Bill