October 9, 2011
My question is what is the difference between you and Steve Jobs?
The difference may be not be great, but the little difference makes the big difference.
Ask any silver medalist who lost the race by a split-second.
Jobs clearly identified his core genius and listened to his inner voice. We all have one, but many simply don’t listen. He also emphasized that we never allow ourselves to become distracted by the expectations or loud noises made by others. Jobs walked his talk and did “trust” his gut guidance and intuition and then with courage took the crucial step…Action.
Jobs also expressed a sense of urgency and believed that we all must move forward when the light bulb illuminates our path that leads us to our destiny. There is no time to waste and “timing’ is everything, not just in the Olympics, but in our emotional and financial investments as well.
In 1985, just nine years after he created Apple, he was thrown out by his board of directors. It is not how many times we have been knocked down, but how quickly we get back up. In 1997, the company realized his genius and their mistake and did invite him back as the interim CEO. The rest is history and the influence and impact of his innovative thinking will forever make a difference in how we communicate, work, play and live our lives.
We all have a core genius, but most people die with the music in them, never to sing their song. For more information on how you can discover and develop your core genius, I share these excerpts with you from my book, Why Cats Don’t Bark which will help you sharpen your intuitive intelligence and listen to your inner voice.
Unleash Your PowerZone: Intuitive Intelligence – The Other IQ
(Excerpts from Why Cats Don’t Bark – Edie Raether)
I did not arrive at my understanding of the fundamental laws of the universe through my rational mind. The intellect has little to do on the road to discovery. There comes a leap in consciousness, call it intuition or what you will, and the solution comes to you. Albert Einstein
Unlike traditional IQ, with a century of research behind it, intuitive intelligence is a new concept. It is a different kind of intelligence. In recent years, it is gaining in respectability largely because psychologists are recognizing it as a natural mental skill that helps us make decisions, solve problems, generate creative ideas and even forecast future events. We are beginning to realize that intuition is not just a mysterious gift or an accidental insight.
As you get rid of the emotional cataracts and your vision becomes clear, you will find the walk upon your path effortless as you proceed with ease. Fears will dissipate as you relinquish yourself to a greater cause or your reason for being. You will feel in sync, not out of touch. You will experience your work as an extension of your “self” or you very soul, feeling one with the process of becoming. You will achieve a level of unconscious competence where excellence and peak performance feels effortless as the energy is allowed to flow through you. Perhaps that is why Michael Jordan refers to this as being “in the flow.” Other sports use different buzz words, although the experience is the same. In golf, it is referred to as being “in the zone.” Lee Westwood would qualify. In the current world of musicians, Wynton Marsalis seems to become one with his instrument, as does any exceptional musician. The question is, can we all achieve this supreme level of mastery? I believe the answer is “yes,” if we are in sync with our instinct and we learn the mind-empowering strategies that provide access to the inner unconventional wisdom of our intuition and instinctual intelligence.
While all living things grow into their nature with a supportive environment, we must also have the courage to be different to make a difference. We must transcend from success to significance. As we gravitate toward our own uniqueness, we must respect the direction of our “future pull” which is our present self becoming our future authentic self. Singleness of purpose means avoiding exterior clutter like power, prestige and possessions, which may interfere with the chief purpose of our lives. Shakti Gawain, author on visualization, explains, “Every time you don’t follow your inner guidance, you feel a loss of energy, loss of power and a sense of spiritual deadness.”
Activities and life experiences which derive from our purpose are not burdensome because there is harmony between what we feel we are supposed to do and what we want to do. Unfortunately, we are often derailed and live in someone else’s comfort zone other than our own. Our parents often encourage and coerce us to manifest their own unfulfilled wishes and destiny which, if we obey, is a violation of the soul.
Until we do the work of excavating, claiming and expressing our uniqueness, we run the risk of putting our life script into someone else’s hands. Joseph Campbell, in his book Myths to Live by, warns, “The world is full of people that have sopped listening to themselves to have listened only to their neighbors to learn what they ought to do, how they ought to behave and the values are that they should be living for.” Unfortunately, for many people, Campbell is right.
All of us are far richer than we imagine. None of us possesses a life devoid of magic, barren of grace, divorced from power. Our inner resources, often unmined and even unknown or unacknowledged, are the treasures we carry, what I call our spiritual DNA…the stamp of originality, which is the blueprint of our unfolding.
Human curiosity, intuition, practicality and logic are the fulcrums of personal and professional achievement. They are the revitalizing forces for converting raw human energy and potential into sound judgments and creative ideas. Intuition cannot be ordered, commanded, contrived or predicted. We simply have to be ready for it.
Jack Schwartz, reknown researcher and author, has a theory that at the moment of indecision, there is simultaneously a solution. However, it may take years for us to discover that awareness and act on it, creating confusion and learned helplessness, as we become victims of toxic logic. Yes, “look before you leap,” but sometimes we just have to take an intuitive leap and trust that the net will be there. To be fully intellectual beings and experience those “leaps in consciousness” that Albert Einstein believed are necessary for bringing solutions to us, we will need to develop our intuitive abilities as well.
Edie Raether, M.S.,CSP, is an international speaker, success coach, and best-selling author on innovation, influence, change, optimal performance and intuitive intelligence – the other IQ. You can visit Edie and order Why Cats Don’t Bark, at www.raether.com or contact her at either edie@raether.com or (704) 658-8997.
