It’s Time to Start “Being” a Leader

We are a nation of laborers. White collar, blue collar, working, not working—we labor. We are busy, busy, busy, doing, doing, doing.

When we find ourselves with a big challenge or facing a difficult situation, we have taught ourselves to labor, to do, do, do. We cancel vacations, skip lunch, work on the weekends, stay late, and force ourselves to think until we have our answers, solved the problem, put out the fire, accomplished the result.

We believe that doing, laboring – force – brings results. We do in order to be.

What if we started with being?

Think about it—when do you get your best ideas? When I ask this in a Managing Thought workshop, most people say – When I am in the shower.  When I first wake up.  When I am on a walk. When I am exercising.  When I’m driving. When I am relaxing. When I’m on vacation. When I am meditating. When I’m having fun and doing something I love to do.

What’s in common with these responses? You got it — we let go of our thoughts! We’re not forcing ourselves to think our thoughts. We’re not doing. We are being. And because we are being, we gain access to our highest awareness and creativity and what inspires us.

Robert Nourse, the founder of TEC and Vistage, said it best when he said, “I want to keep the channels open.” He was referring to clearing his mind of distractions and being open and fully receptive to his higher awareness.

When our channels are open, our minds are clear, the world changes, and remarkable things start to happen. Creative ideas emerge when we give our minds a rest, when we do what we love to do. We don’t waste time, energy, or money. Gone are the constricting feelings of heaviness, burden, and stress and the thoughts of struggle, striving, obligation, overwhelm and being a victim.

When we are being, we focus on what is significant. We start being who we wish to become and what we wish to create. What we do naturally follows, naturally flows. Our work becomes effortless and we become energized because our decisions and actions are inspired.

So the next time you notice that your thinking and doing is labored, instead, wonder what the solution could be, wonder how you could be who you want to be and what you wish to create. Then take some time to be quiet, take a walk, get some fresh air, exercise, do what you enjoy, and see what happens.

We all have the ability to ask ourselves questions, wonder and listen for the answers. We discover the right thing to do and how to do it.  We find a power within that indeed transforms us. We become inspired and inspire others.

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Mary J. Lore is a mentor to corporate leaders, multiple award winning author, keynote speaker, and founder of Managing Thought, LLC. Hailed by business leaders around the world, her multiple award-winning book Managing Thought: Think Differently. Think Powerfully. Achieve New Levels of Success and audio book Managing Thought: How Do Your Thoughts Rule Your World? not only change the way you think about success—they change the way you think, period. With a groundbreaking approach to harnessing mental power, Mary helps individuals and organizations turn counter-productive thinking into inspired action and significant results. In her career, she has served as a CPA, a crisis management and business turnaround expert, and an entrepreneur. She also stars in a Live Workshop DVD. Visit Mary at www.managingthought.com and www.maryjlore.com. If you’d like to help Mary teach millions of people how to change their thoughts and their lives, go to www.managingthought.com/PBSPledgeSpecial. Mary serves as an expert resource for Vistage, served as a Chair from 2002 – 2010, and was a member during the 1990s.

Featured Image Credit: https://www.flickr.com/photos/61144739@N03/

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