Believe

This morning, I saw on my Facebook timeline, the following post...

• There’s one thing I LOVE about this image… It’s not the fact that this mountain goat is about to make a massive leap, that if done wrong, could alter the rest of his life… It’s not the fact that he even had enough faith to do so! What I do love is this… His eyes are focused on one thing only - his final destination. He’s not looking down wondering if he’s going to fall to his death. He’s not looking behind him regretting the decision he made, wondering what would happen if he took a different route to his final destination. His focus is on one thing only - the other side. Often times in life, we finally get the courage to make a big leap (whatever that may look like). Then hours, days, weeks, or even months later, find ourselves looking down… Looking behind… Or even looking beside… Second guessing our decision and wanting to retreat back to the point of our departure. If you have decided to make a leap in your life, here’s your reminder to keep your head forward and your focus ahead - despite what you may be dealing with in the present. It will be worth it in the end. “Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.” - Proverbs 4:25 --- Michael Tucker

And then, I saw this on my Facebook and LinkedIn timelines from Russell Zehtab.

Both speak to me of well discerned and decided belief, and the action of believing.

Yesterday, I posted a little library on leadership, filled with a multitude of links and resources in which I believe. Personally, I humbly but assertively recommend the read and reflect... not to ascertain my beliefs ... but to explore your own. We explore our beliefs in reading, writing, conversation and reflection. We find it in our living and learning. Faith or belief is best well earned. It is not a drive through order.

Faith and Faithfulness

True Faith in practice is born of Discernment and Sagacity, digging, exploring and discovering ever deeper. It is not a pill to take. And yet, to practice such we need something else; that something the goat above was practicing in the jumping. Practicing Faith in action... it requires Faithfulness.

Consider Faithfulness...

Beliefs well earned and consistently questioned in the healthiest of ways... they require a Commitment. It does not imply an unwise and simply stubborn unfounded belief. It does imply an "I have earned this belief well and hard and will follow it until I am otherwise proven wrong in doing so" mindset.

Science is grounded in such. Theories are well founded beliefs, driven by experience and observation. Empirically driven belief... is good and sound belief.

From a spiritual perspective, Shoghi Effendi spoke to this I believe ... when he suggested 5 steps for prayerful problem solving...

• 1st Step:?Pray and meditate about it. Use the prayers of the Manifestations as they have the greatest power. Then remain in the silence of contemplation for a few minutes.

• 2nd Step:?Arrive at a decision and hold this. This decision is usually born during the contemplation. It may seem almost impossible of accomplishment?but if it seems to be as answer to a prayer or a way of solving the problem, then immediately take the next step.

• 3rd Step:?Have determination to carry the decision through. Many fail here. The decision, budding into determination, is blighted and instead becomes a wish or a vague longing. When determination is born, immediately take the next step.

• 4th Step:?Have faith and confidence that the power will flow through you, the right way will appear, the door will open, the right thought, the right message, the right principle, or the right book will be given to you. Have confidence and the right thing will come to your need. Then, as you rise from prayer, take at once the 5th step.

• 5th Step:?Act as though it had all been answered. Then act with tireless, ceaseless energy. And as you act, you, yourself, will become a magnet, which will attract more power to your being, until you become an unobstructed channel for the Divine power to flow through you.

Whatever your Faith or not, these steps have a Wisdom. Focus on the matter. Meditate upon it. Arrive at a decision from that meditative reflection. Follow through on that clarity, without doubt (for doubt is the saboteur that provides the impurity of variable in the experiment), practice Faith that you will be guided somehow, and act as if it has already happened. This requires Courage.

The 3 C's of Believing

I suggest that belief requires Courage, Confidence and Certitude, and that these three strengths evolve into one another.

Courage, well practiced, leads into Confidence and Confidence well practiced ... it leads into Certitude. And, it begins with an approach to Faith that is both discerning and decisive... and results in Certitude.

Courage plays when we are not sure ... but we will try, and we will learn in the trying. Courage practiced consistently builds true Confidence. The more we learn in the trying with Courage, the more our best Confidence grows. As that kind of Confidence grows, we learn around which we can truly be certain. There is little in the world around which we can hold such certainty, but there are rare pieces that we can discover as our Confidence grows.

The Two Cities of Believing

Having Faith in finding what we believe is a process of Sagacity and Tenacity.

Some years back, I was requested by a well respected colleague and even icon in the speaking industry (one Toni Newman) to sing at the CAPS Convention which saw her incoming as President. My first thought was yes, most certainly. Then, she informed me of the choice of song... Because We Believe by none other than Andrea Bocelli. Are you kidding me?... I thought... but I had made the Commitment.

I practiced over the year by trying it at home, car and karaoke. It lead to this rendition. What must needs be said is that the process also included learning that one of the founding forces of CAPS (Warren Evans) passed that same year, and it was to be a tribute to his life and service. To say that I was nervous about doing such Honor would be an understatement; but I believed.

The performance was far from perfect but perfect is a myth, as a noun or destination. Perfect as a verb is about getting better; our best reality. I love to sing, from Simple Man to Why Can't This Be Love? I say this not to claim anything but the notion that I believe in the power of music, I believe in the power of perfecting over perfection. I believe in having fun with others and oneself. I believe in what I believe. I believe in what I have discerned and decided upon in my 61 years to date.

I believe; and I have earned the right to do so. We come to our truest and best beliefs by living our trials and triumphs alike, and by our best Discernment.

Believing in 3D

When we discern, we give real thought to what we are experiencing, and learning. We dig deeper to get the gems of Wisdom amidst.

Then we decide.

Decisiveness is not knee jerk.

It is considered, given whatever time we have to make said decision.

It is thoughtful too.

And if done well, it leads to ...

Discern, decide and devote leads to a more well earned belief... is my contention. And, I say all of this today to suggest that I am taking the balance of the year to hibernate a bit. My back step last evening inspired the thought in large part.

I choose to take this sacred time to going inward; to reflect on what Russell above suggested might be my own best "anchors" of attachment, attention and Loyalty...

... to reflect with Discernment, Decisiveness and Devotion... with Courage, Confidence and Certitude... to ever better explore my Loyalty of belief and believing.

The HOMEwork

Considering your home within, you... what is your best Loyalty of belief and believing for 2022 and beyond? As you experience "The Season", your best gift to yourself and those you truly love and serve might just be getting clear on your best anchors.

My 4 decade love of the work of Richard Bolles tells me such Discernment is vital to living our best lives. As far as we know, we only get one in this material existence... and that is worth our Consideration and Discernment.

Leaving our best mark, matters.

I will be going back to my beliefs and believing... and further sharpen the blades. For us all, let us ask ask ourselves these questions and answer with Candor.

• To what and whom am I no longer obligated for such Commitment and Devotion? From what will I detach?
• To what and whom am I steadfastly committed and devoted? To what and whom will I continue attached and attentive?
• To what am and whom new into my life and looking forward, will I steadfastly commit and devote myself?

• What will that look like in thought, will and action? What behaviors and actions will manifest that?
• Finally, how can I apply this to myself to better love myself such that I better love those who matter most to me?

With that, I offer up the latest and special conversation ... our TUGtv Frontline Summit... a remarkable conversation and consultation amongst 10 people on the challenges, opportunities and hopes for 2022. I believe it to be well worth your time to consider. That said, for these next 16 days, I am off to ponder further on belief and believing. The habit seeding continues. Wishing you a wondrous Season, however you proceed.

Peace, purpose and prosperity...

Barry Lewis Green, The Unity Guy with Epic Engage.

Me?on LinkedIn

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• Developing Leadership Character – Ivey Business Journal
• The Global Goals

• The Virtues Project

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