Plead the 5th: Purity of Motive

Plead the 5th is an occasional blog post for the 5th Monday of any given month of 5 Mondays ... where we typically run a summary of the first four Monday publications. With that in mind, and for September, we posted:

• Monday, September 2: broadCAST September 2019
• Monday, September 9: Leaducator September 2019
• Monday, September 16: Deliver September 2019
• Monday, September 23: AukWords September 2019

Plead the 5th in some circles is about, among other things, remaining silent. Not here. The 5th here has more to do with the 5th Strategy of the Virtues Project which is to offer companioning. The 5th Strategy has power to clarify.

COMPANIONING ONESELF

What I have found over the years is that offering companioning can be done with others or ourselves. We can listen and be present with others following this process, with remarkable results. Personally, I use it even more often with myself, where I engage in some constructive internal conversation asking something akin to "What's happening?", offering myself some receptive silence to listen within without judgement, asking better questions like "What is that like for you?" and "What is hardest and/or best part of this for you?" and "What strengths of character (virtues) are being called into action now?". I finish with closure around "What has been helpful about this convo?" And, I do finish with a virtues acknowledgement, appreciating some character strength from that intimate and interactive with myself. I recommend the process. It is not simply self talk. Indeed, it is much more self listening and presence.

UNVEILING

This month, with Plead the 5th, I opted to take such a deeper dive and see what unfolded; what unveiled. The answers were interesting. It went something like this.

• What's happening? Well, I am still somewhat wrestling with my path. I feel I am 99% there and that is great; incredible even. But 99% pure is still not pure, and I am looking for purity of motive and meaning. Indeed, this past week I posted on motivation and meaning and home, heroism and humanity... and I think it ignited something. Last week, I posted on what I learned in a session with Kylie Slavic, on the importance of the story. I have been reflecting on accountability... and joyfulness. Between and amongst it all, something is stirring and my restless soul is trying to tell me something.
• What does that feel like for you? It is stirring, exciting, resonant maybe even scary.
• What do you mean? I feel like there is a soulful "memory" re-awakening somehow. I feel like the work of Epic Engage has an even sharper focus around character and love as those twin forces for leadership and education that can make a true difference. I feel like I am on the verge of having such a powerful sense of joyful purpose. I also feel that it means some re-alignment, and Detachment.
• What is the Detachment about? From some broader message and reach to a laser focus on what we do and who we do it best for in this world. I feel particularly called to education and community enterprise and the leadership therein. I feel particularly called to working with those who are world embracing and of noble hearts and minds. It is actually what we say we do, and we do actually do it... but I think there is some sharpening still to do and that requires Detachment from older models of work.
• What is the hardest part of that? As The Unity Guy, I now find myself on a slippery slope connected to the often misunderstood concept of unity. Unity is not uniformity. It is based best on diversity and the exchange of strengths. I know that. But the message we put out will have to be about unity forged in character and love; the kind of unity that builds excellence in the world. Moving from some generally vague concept of unity, to the true one... will mean some will not buy in. That is hard, but necessary. True unity will not be built on anything other than high character and real love. I need to work that belief and message and be true to it.

• What virtues are calling you now? Love, honor, unity, zeal, integrity, truthfulness, idealism, optimism, courage, and more. Indeed, so many. Wholeheartedness, big time. There can be no Plan B for this, as I enter 2020. There is no time to lose. It is now or never, and never is not an option.
• What is it that makes it so important? I think I have always held it as important, since my first memory ... of the funeral of JFK at 3 years of age. My childhood imagination always centered on themes of character and unity... the music that meant most to me honored the human spirit... and into my adulthood and career. But now, there is a sense of convergence and urgency. If not now, when? That is occurring to me. I do not want to live this life, leaving any of that joyful work in the tank.
• What has been helpful here? What is more clear? Everything. The listening to self and soul is palpable. One can lie to oneself, but we know it is a lie. We also know our truth when we listen. The listening here has been most helpful and brought forth greater clarity. I know the vigilance and urgency needed now.
• Through this internal process, I witnessed in myself Truthfulness.

Something much more clear has been unveiled. It does not make things easier, but it does make things more resonant and healthily urgent. Listening to Evolve by Shinedown, I am hearing "I had to take leave of my senses and draw my own conclusions... had to swing for the fences and find my own solutions". That makes deep sense to me. With huge workloads and deadlines these next few days, running up to September 30, and with all of the above in mind and heart, I thought to offer up Plead the 5th a few days earlier, rather than Monday, September 30. In so doing, and with the companioning in mind, I remember and note that we also posted this past month... on:

• L.O.V.E,. and Purpose
• DEVOTION and DETACHMENT
• Justice, Accountability and Responsibility

... and more. They are adding to the resonance. And, Jenny Dearing and I have been have also been writing on a better sense of love... this past month. Again, adding. Our work is all about Character, Love and Leadership. More resonance.

So What?

Our work is about character and love as sources and forces for great leadership and education. We work with educators, social hearted entrepreneurs, youth and all who "get it" or want to get it... those world embracing leaders on the front lines who believe in humanity at school, work, business and community... locally and globally. We champion the champions of constructive change. We do not change the world but we work with those who do... to help them build the kind of leadership and "armies of change" needed. Our studentry (new word maybe lol) is character and love. We study them, practice them, engage them and profess them. We believe in humanity. We believe in it's future. And, we are not naive. As Epic Engage moves forward, our work is all about advancing character and love as those twin forces and sources. The rest are details.

I am The Unity Guy and Jenny is the Chief Love Officer, and we are the core of Epic Engage... with Tracy Carberry (our People and Business Lead). With the cohort of incredible expert speakers in The broadCAST Team and the Epic Speakernet, we move forward for a better world at school, work, business and community. We talk and write, and more. :-)

PERSONALLY

Truthfully, this is what I set out to do on the journey this year, with my own personal goals and milestones. These 9 "must do's" were and are grounded in getting ever closer to that purity of motive; that work that is joyful and excellent. I have long said that W.E.A.L.T.H. is:

• when
• excellence
• and
• love
• take
• hold

As 2020 approaches, the work I do with Epic Engage gets ever closer to the deepest parts of my soul. It includes my belief in and connection with the literary work and gift of LD Olsen, as I read The Realm Between and share my own insights into its application for living in the here and now. It includes my belief in and working with social organizations of substance and connection for me. It includes my lifelong work as an educator, with CNA and beyond. And then, especially personally, and from Motivation, Meaning and Me... (worth a read and reflect in and of itself)... for me, it goes something like this.

• On poverty and hunger, I will re-engage with other like minded friends interested in providing soup for soup runs and kitchens. That will fill my soul.
• On health, I will take much better care of me, myself.
• On quality education, gender equality, good jobs and economic growth, innovation (not so much infrastructure), reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, peace and justice, and partnerships, Epic Engage will serve as my vehicle of contribution.
• On sanitation, renewable energies, responsible consumption, climate action, life (water and land), I will be more well read and live in my household more accordingly.

Now, I am feeling that Purity.

Now, that is pleading the 5th. Try it for yourself.

Peace, passion and prosperity...

Barry Lewis Green, aka The Unity Guy with Epic Engage

• Developing Character Leadership
• The Character of Leadership

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