Maintaining your ability to be awed

Deepak Chopra, when pressed about the single attribute important to living a happy life, named ‘the ability to feel awed’ as his answer.

This surprised me as I expected something more complex and heavy from a sage but his answer was simple, light, and joyful. But I loved his answer for its elegance and obviousness.

Right now, business is in the ‘messy middle’ of its evolution.?

Past: Tough, impressive but callous and damaging for many

Future: Advanced, wise, sophisticated, serving the interests of the world

A whole new world of opportunities, options and approaches lies in wait for CEOs who can stay the course through this transition and get to the other side. But for now, we are in this exciting but untidy messiness that accompanies all transitions, and this is where ‘awe’ comes into play.?

Awe is childlike and pure. For kids, it comes easily and frequently: awe is readily available and unlimited.?

But awe is less easily accessed for adults - not to mention CEOs who carry the heavy loads you all do - because life has dulled us and knocked the innocence and awe out of us along the way. The degree varies from CEO to CEO, but certainly taken as a whole, this is the case.?

If ‘awe’ is not available to you, the bright new future of business might pass you by because you aren’t capable of fathoming the shifts taking place in business and accepting them as possible

The shifts - as I see them - are a mix of the following:

• Business sees itself as being benevolent, not extractive
• ‘Work’ is considered to be something that can and must be enjoyed
• Businesses and employees are in a partnership, not a dictatorship
• Businesses are seen as being dynamic, alive organisms, not static organograms

Any of the above shifts require a sense of positivity, vision, and hope. Absent those ingredients, not of the above might seem plausible (or even attractive) for the CEO and that CEO will remain in the ‘old’ world of toil and struggle.

But add ‘awe’ into the equation, and all of those shifts are in play.?

If you are so moved to rediscover your awe, it will require you to take on a journey toward this awe. Healing will likely need to be done. Do it. It will be the best choice you could ever make because the upside will run into every aspect of your life. (The Body Keeps the Score is the best book I’ve read on this topic).?

??? There might be a moment worth paying attention to when you get to the end of this article. That moment is when you ‘value-tag’ the thoughts in this piece, thus making the choice as to whether the contents are something to bear in mind or something to let pass.?

Be cautious at this moment and particularly pay attention if you’re in the camp of ‘He’s right, but I’m ignoring it and pressing on’.?

That means you’re ready. Ready to unpeel, rebuild and open up to awe.?

A business ‘rebirth’.?

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