2017, It’s Almost a Wrap
After a weekend of rest, reflection and time with family, I’m ready to get back to it — these last few weeks before the holidays always feel like a sweet wind-down to me. This year, celebrating the graduation of the 2017 AAIT Fellowship Training Group and I’m a bit ahead of the curve in planning my next year’s calendar.
I had a great year last year, though I was BUSY! I spoke at a national conference, got to have long visits with friends and family and SAW THE ECLIPSE in TOTALITY! That was truly a highlight for me.
Kind of sounds like I’m wrapping up the year — I kind of am. I recently shared an insight I had resulting from integrating a pair of polarities (my business past / my business future) that has me ahead of the curve in my planning for next year. In a recent workshop, I shared a LONG list of polarities related to business success. The integration of these polarities can go an even LONGER way towards laying a strong foundation for SUCCESS that’s ALIGNED.
One of the things I find so interesting about integration is the natural unfolding of awareness and right action that occurs after practice. Once the tension between two opposites is neutralized, that is integrated, there is a natural openness — open empty consciousness free from thoughts, images, emotions and sensations. This openness typically includes a natural expansion in awareness.
A principle of AAIT points to the results of this phenomena,“Cultivating an awareness of empty consciousness tends to contribute to increases in present focused attention, compassion and skillful choices.”
Through the process of integrating my business past with my business future, I recognized a sticking point —if I keep up the pace I’ve been going, I’m going to run out of steam. I could feel a kind of avoidance of business future because I didn’t want to work at the pace I’ve been going. I kind of knew that before but avoided trying to find a solution to my vaguely defined problem.
Immediately upon integration, I entered that vast spacious inner territory that meditators seek. After some time and using directed awareness to expand even further and settle into that territory, I got about my day. I still wasn’t trying to fix anything. This is what I find so interesting about integration, awareness seems to naturally expand and solutions present themselves. Within a couple of hours, I had a BIG insight on some changes I could make that would give me a much more EASEFUL pace. I see the path to more SKILLFUL CHOICES around this issue.
Before the holidays get too far under way – how might your business past inform your business future and vice / versa? If you know any integration tools — you know what to do. Have fun and share your insights.