“Many coaches speak of “imperfect action”.  And I understand this.  Sometimes that is indeed what is needed.  Our insecurities and fears motivate us to analyze and second-guess endlessly, which paralyze and preclude us from ever taking the ACTIONs that our visions demand.

But just as often, and perhaps more frequently, I observe the opposite problem, revealed when people think that forward momentum is all they need, and thus sacrifice the rational clarity that is so essential to structuring our efforts efficiently and effectively.”

“Ordering our lives requires perpetual recentering in what we want, and this ultimately shows us how to structure the contents of our personal allotments of spacetime.  It is as simple as this, and all dissatisfaction in my life for which I have ever been personally responsible has been a result of this process breaking down or losing integrity at some point.”

“What more could I ask for?  There’s always more.  That’s life.  Human life.  And I intend to pursue it because something inside of me won’t stop.  And I invite you to do so as well, to listen to the voice within that continues to push you toward what you want, and away from what you don’t.  And I promise you’ll be glad you did.  And for that I’m also grateful…”

“Are you a leader.  Yes.  Being a leader doesn’t mean that you completely avoid avoidance.  That’s not humanly possible.  Further, your time and energy is limited.

But be honest.  You are likely avoiding at least one, if not more of these steps.  And if so, it is helpful to talk to someone like me to discern exactly where and how you are doing this.

Because then you have no excuse!  And your leadership will flow effortlessly, bringing you the results you seek.

Animals avoid too, but their STRATEGIES are instinctive, and so it is impossible for them to alter their metaphysical processes.

But humans have a barrier to growth built in.  It is this barrier that drives us to avoidance, but which your soul demands to overcome, in all times and all places.  The leader you are here to be and become.”

“But remember, if you are encountering a problem or frustration that you don’t understand, a problem or frustration on any scale, in any sphere of your life, be it in your family, your workplace, your community, or anywhere else, and you can’t see around the problem, it is because there is a story you don’t understand. A story that is driving someone.”

“This is the fruit of mere self-awareness, this deeply absurd state of treasuring our trauma and forming social groups around it.  While it’s beautiful, most of us agree it is highly limiting and keeps us in old patterns.  And yet, this is where Sagan and Watts finish their story.  Self-awareness, the domain of Narrative Trauma.

How do we transcend Narrative Trauma?  Why, by transcending self-awareness, of course.  And to do this we must become aware of self-awareness itself, for it is from this privileged vantage point that we see the mechanism of Narrative Trauma which has yielded the social divisions which currently fracture our species.”

“Improvement, while ubiquitous and saturating the outlook of each and every one of us, is surprisingly difficult to define, characterize, and pursue.  But it’s what we’re all trying to do.  And in what we call our professional work (business, entrepreneurship, investment, careers, etc.) we can be quite explicit about this, putting our calculations out in the open in ways that would be seen as taboo in other spheres of our lives.  Every move we make in business is about improving something or another, and doing so in a way that minimizes compromising this effort from other, competing influences and forces.  Our work lives are refreshing, in a way, because we can be so open and honest about the nature of the agreements we make toward these ends.  But I know it also happens everywhere else in our lives, that the agreements are simply more implicit, found a bit farther below the surface, and that it’s often socially unacceptable to look for and reveal them, which is why philosophers, clergy, therapists, comedians, and storytellers are helpful.”

“It is important, crucial in fact, to remember that we are each individual outgrowths of that original, sacred unity of being, and as such we each reflect it in our own way. We each harbor a restless and sacred spirit, connected to that longing for ultimate unity, and ceaselessly pursuing that feeling.

Where do we find this feeling? Our strengths. Our growth. Our visions. Our triumphs. These are all born of our gifts and our potential, the profile of which is entirely unique from, yet categorically similar to, that of all other people. When we speak of stepping into our strengths and pursuing our visions, we must connect with our individual potential which is, I believe, connected to that longing, and the source of, that ultimate unity.”

“In the beginning God was One, pure Unity of Being Itself. But it despised Itself for it chose to divide, and that has been the shape of existence ever since - divided, separate, and engaged in commerce within, between, and among Itself at every conceivable level. And every level comes with taboos. And there is liberation in seeing them clearly and realizing you’re not the only one who does.”

“And, as soon as you begin the work of Attraction, with its attendant processes of communication and persuasion, your vision changes.  It may be subtle, but it always does.  You must tailor your offering to the market, and this will, somewhat or substantially, violate the sense of pure Authenticity surrounding your vision.  And you know what?  That’s okay.  That’s how the process goes.  Always.  In all times and places.”

“So, all of these disciplines, then, pursue the same end. And I see this. I see how each of us approaches our work in pursuit of a collective IDEAL, a vision of wholeness that we see beyond the horizon. Therefore, just as it doesn’t matter whether an ant is a queen or a worker to know that they all strive in support of the colony, it doesn’t matter what profession you practice, because it is all in support of human flourishing.”

“Is it wrong to love it?  Is it wrong for this lawyer to love this work that demands a steady supply of broken marriages?

Is it wrong for a surgeon to love appendectomies, which is only possible in a world with a steady and endless supply of inflamed appendices?

Don’t we desire a world in which no marriage fails, and in which no appendix becomes inflamed?

The absurd truth is that, no we don’t.  Because divorce lawyers and surgeons need meaningful work and opportunities for growth, just as we all do.  And that requires endless problems to solve and traumas to heal.  In the words of Nicholas Christakis, a physician and sociologist, ‘Our professions are made of the emergencies of others.’”

“It is from this hallowed source that all the work I do flows, work that always shines light on how to communicate with and relate to the other people in your life, because it is through them that all success, satisfaction, and prosperity flows.  And to find the ultimate source of that we need to do metaphysical work and discover the ontological source of our deepest pain and longing as the ultimate self-aware agents of the known universe.”

“Do you see what happens?  Ask anyone what they want and it will quickly become a description of the way they wish to relate to all other humans.  In order to live in peace we need to satisfy our respective political jurisdictions.  To enjoy our families we need to give and receive love in a highly reciprocal way.  And to make the money we desire we must provide a worthwhile service to satisfied customers in cooperation with a harmonious team.  How can we say any of this is selfish?  The concept quickly loses coherence to me.”

“These quantum leaps require faith. We need to keep putting energy into our personal atoms. The current orbital of the electron is simply telling us we're not at the next level yet. But the pattern is reliable. Quantum mechanics is, after all, experimentally verifiable. Otherwise it would be pseudoscience, and not actual science.”

And that’s my secret job description, as promised: theologian.  Because I do believe in God.  Nothing about human life makes sense otherwise.  But I don’t know the “correct” or “most accurate” way to think about and approach whatever this means, or if it’s even possible to capture by thought or word within the metaphysical frame to which we perpetually unsatisfied humans are consigned.  This too makes me restless, at the very level of being itself. “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee.” Ontological restlessness.

“I believe that self-doubt is always born of what are highly benevolent sensibilities if we trace them to their psychic and metaphysical source within our spirits/souls/essences/etc.  And, as far as I can tell, self-doubt always reduces to just three of these benevolent impulses, all of which imply the fear of some kind of lack.  Here are the three things we fear that we lack…”

“Heroism is a struggle.  You will doubt.  Expect it.  Find your favorite stories and draw nourishment from them along the way.

As I said, self-doubt is a benevolent impulse, so don’t forget that.  It simply means that you care, specifically that you care about three very important metaphysical factors that perpetually define the human condition at its most fundamental level.  When we struggle with self-doubt, it comes down to some combination of those three.  What are these three factors?”

“That’s the power of negativity.  People are in pain.  We have all been, and continue to be, traumatized on so many levels, and mere positivity just doesn’t do the job we need.  Not entirely.  I’m not saying not to stay positive, because I consider myself to be a very positive person.  And my clients find the time they spend with me to be incredibly uplifting and inspiring - they all tell me that.  But you have to know, understand, and see people’s pain to heal it.  And when people dogmatically and inflexibly promote mere positivity it actually does more harm than good.  In fact, the very concept of positivity is only meaningful when we experience negativity for the contrast.”

“So a marriage can never be perfect.

And the fact is that we have gone through hard times.  We have both had to work on ourselves and each other.  And when we did, somehow, the right resources crossed our desks and showed up at our door.  And we’ve been intentionally building and honoring one another ever since, endlessly and perpetually.

And Arthur sees it, which is the most important thing and ultimately what shows us that we’re doing the right things.”