We are conditioned to believe that we need to ‘fight harder’ to win.
We love the stories of the underdogs that ‘fight hard to win’ against a towering opponent. We ‘give it our all’ to win matches, individually or as a team. If something is important to us, we know that we need to be prepared to ‘fight for it’. This is a beneficial attribute for survival but if we look at it from the level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, our challenge is to move beyond our deficiency needs to realize our potential. The shift from fulfilling physiological and security needs to achieving self-actualization involves not only a physical and mental shift but also an energetic shift in connection to our purpose.
When we trigger our ‘fight’ response, we experience closed and reactive thinking.
When we are triggered by stimuli, our automatic physiological response is to release stress hormones, which prepares our body to fight or to flee. The body relies on automatic behaviour and the mind relies on reactive thought patterns. In a crisis, the trigger and the response can be very evident. In everyday situations, we are often not aware of the operations of this feedback loop. Not only do we not recognize the perception that triggers our reaction, we often do not acknowledge our response. As humans, we operate for efficiency and rely on patterned behaviours, even if they no longer beneficially serve us. New learning provides new solutions but perceptions that are inherited from our culture and our individual experiences remain frozen, intact and active.
Teams benefit when leaders can foster ‘calm’ to embrace challenges.
Fear, worry and frustration are emotions that each of us feels. The distress is not from our environment but rather from our reaction to our environment. A key role for a leader is to create an environment that does not trigger negative emotions. This can be achieved by creating a sterile environment, which is free from troublesome stimuli. Another approach is to support individuals to resolve their unique perceptions, which trigger their unique distress. An optimal solution will contain a combination of the two approaches but providing individuals with a tool to allow them to resolve their blocks to unlock their potential, in their given environment, has powerful potential in ‘leading change’.
We can achieve a feeling of ‘calm purpose’ with Logosynthesis®.
Logosynthesis® is a guided change method which allows us to identify, isolate and neutralize the perceptions that trigger our reactions. When our environment is not constantly triggering reactions, we are better able to remain calm in chaos. The philosophy of Logosynthesis® compassionately speaks to the understanding that each of us is Essence, born with a life purpose. We become disconnected from our purpose when this energy becomes frozen in reactive patterns based on culture and life experiences. As we embrace the power of words to shift energy, we can restore the flow to reconnect with purpose. The simple, teachable, self-coachable technique is powerful. The challenge for adoption is that the method is counter-culture and rises above physical force and mental acuity to embrace the power of our spiritual Essence.
From an everyday lens, we can think in relation to the impact of a scolding boss. From the perspective of the employee, resolving the image of the scolding boss (current issue) may uncover an image of a scolding parent or teacher (underlying issue). When we resolve the images of the boss and the parent/teacher, our energy is available to think creatively rather than being stuck in constantly reacting and trying to change a boss. From the perspective of the scolding boss, sensory perceptions that trigger the scolding can be resolved. As we embrace the tool, we can begin to shift individual reactions to the environment and as such, the environment changes.
Why is this important?
We often associate ‘calm’ with being relaxed, which in our society is associated with vacation and procrastination. These are not words we normally link to productivity. Calm, when connected to purpose, is extremely powerful. Not only does this allow us to connect with our own open and creative expression, but it also provides an environment where others can collaborate to achieve the same.
The world is changing rapidly and we are constantly being activated by external stimulus, which does not match our beliefs, attitudes, and values. Our ‘fight or flight’ response is triggered, often below our level of awareness.
Our reactions are automatic based on cultural background and individual experiences. When we fight, we trigger others. With calm focus, we can have more expansive, meaningful discussion rather than repeating the same rigid arguments. When we embrace the work of resolving the perceptions that trigger our unique response, we can achieve a sense of calm purpose to support our unique role in leading change for health and productivity.
Learn more about Logosynthesis® as a tool to resolve triggers and lead change for health and productivity.
