The Eyes Within Book Excerpt April 2010

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2010 Dawna H. Jones The Eyes Within: A Unified View of Life at Work- A Sample ChapterApril, 2010 [email protected] Page 1

Book Excerpt

The Eyes Within: A Unified View of Life

at WorkBy Dawna H. Jones

Making Sense of Life

In fractal geometry we find that the universe is actually built on self similar images meaningif you can understand one level of organization, say the level of atoms or molecules you can

understand the next level: cells, people, organizations, civilization. Patterns express themselvesthrough each of these different levels. i-Dr. Bruce Lipton

No question. And no question that we are presently experiencing a time of turbulence that isreverberating through the many planes of our earthly existence. We are at a period of humanevolution where doing what weve always done isnt enough. Adding to the mystery of lifesexperiences, people have been brought to their knees by an inexplicable series of events intheir personal lives: financial loss, unexpected deaths, health issues that ignore age. Inbusiness, organizations face engagement issues, stress related illness, and ethical issues thatprovoke transparency and accountability, governance, market and innovation challenges. Theseissues and more are easily rationalized and the driving forces overlooked in the face ofrelentless pressure to consistently show results fast. Personally or organizationally/corporately,there is no escaping the pressure to evolve. The global financial crisis has called into questionexisting approaches to corporate governance. Corporate collapse, disproportionate bonus payments and job insecurity have all contributed to a growing distrust of business. ii

Then there is the unexpected: planetary disruptions in the form of natural disasters increase infrequency and magnitude. Large complex global issues like climate change, food supply anddiminishing levels of biodiversity openly confront assumptions about our relationship with theworld we live in: as above it or an integral part of the web of life.

Different reactions to the unexpected mark a shift. Hearts open to help countries hit bydevastating earthquakes. Business leaders speak of consciouscapitalism. Rising to the surface is that driving force in the heartsand souls of personal and professional lives to contribute creativetalent, to work with others and to create solutions that nurturesustainability.

Yet there remains persistent denial, intellectual rationalization,and complacent comfort with daily routine. Day to day we live our

lives in patterns, routines, habitual or not which create a limitedtime-bound sense of our place in the world. Unconsciously, manycompanies and organizations pass on the external pressures to

Natural disasters are increasing in

requency and magnitude.

Photo: www.sciencecastle.com


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employees who crumble from the stress or leave to find better balance. Many habits in our livesand in companies go underground to form pat terns that arent practical or adaptable when theunexpected hits.

Disruption serves the purpose of opening up portals: the space between one stateand another, where you can intentionally insert elevated consciousness: expand

compassion observe the interrelationships.

All experiences deemed good or bad present openings for self-examination and reflectionregardless of whether you are an individual or a company/organization. True to the replicatingpatterns in nature, the need for growth and evolution has reached businesses grappling toaddress complex issues impervious to strategies designed for superficial problems.

Oneness and living systems are natural companions. Our task is to shift from a heavy relianceon linear thinking to embracing a holistic mindset - the entire system of Life and our place in it.We can then view the world through a variety of different lenses to see the composite image;one that can help activate a deeper level of inspiration and innovation, while achieving a naturalstate of well-being and health. By understanding how the scientific and spiritual principles apply

to release and support the power of the human spirit, co-creation is well within reach.

Dr. Bruce Lipton, cellular biologist, put it this way:If you can understand the dynamics of how 50 trillion cells can provide for a healthy human beingand apply this to a corporation, to a nation, to the world the rules for making a successfulorganization are expressed in the human body. It is important that corporations look inward beginto say. Can I find an understanding in there that I can apply to my corporation? They areparallels. Every living system has the same requirements. Whether it is IBM or the human bodyyou still need the same things to survive. I am hopeful that as we go deeper into the science andas corporations understand the mechanics of biology and physics that by applying theseprinciples to our business organizations that we will be able to create as successful communitiesas the human body.

My own life journey, combined with over twenty-five years ofexperience facilitating personal growth and group performancebecame the path to recognizing the repetitive patterns embedded inpersonal lives and replicated in organizational dynamics. In myprofessional role, I could see the repression of talent throughlimitations imposed intentionally by assumptions and beliefs. Much ofthese were sourced in outmoded beliefs and assumptions aboutpower, control and what lies at the source of performance. Eventuallyas I observed organizational and team dynamics shift or swing back, Irealized that I was really facilitating energy and beyond that, the healthof the human spirit. My job was to create a centered space to holdemotional safety so the group, however, large, could explore and learn

from the conflicts they were dealing with, without making any onewrong. As a mastery principle within me, it was not easy yet the persistent openings to practiceoffered plenty of opportunity to creatively explore how to draw out and sustain the best.

Sometimes it was a simple matter of surfacing awareness that harmony is not achieved byavoiding conflict. Through understanding, a more constructive approach could emerge. But afterone leadership program my colleague, Dennis Cherenko, and I became acutely aware that theculture of the organization, despite its stated desire for innovation, was rooted in a commandand control structure. Freeing creative limits at the personal or group level would collide directly

The innate intelligence of

a cell is replicated in the

human body, the

organizational body, and the

planet. Photo:

www.iStockphoto.com
http://www.istockphoto.com/http://www.istockphoto.com/http://www.istockphoto.com/


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with this particular organizations default mode of centralized control. Sure enough, when crisishit, all trust in management judgment was retracted and a rabbit in the headlights approach tookover. This was incredibly instructive. It told me that companies are like people: they operatefrom a set of beliefs and assumptions that, for the most part, they are totally unaware of. Giventhe fractal nature of replicating patterns, this revealed the invisible set of beliefs andassumptions that defined the culture.

All these things combined revealed the higher picture with depth and breadth. Organizationsshowing signs of illness: stress-related, depression, oppression, indicated where systemicbeliefs operated unseen and untouched by mental maneuvers on the surface. People werebeing fixed by training when the cultural container drove the results. Opportunities tostrengthen key relationships through exploration of difference were being missed.

I decided to devote my time and energy to uncovering solutions. The entrenched nature oflimiting beliefs at work became clear. A couple of questions hatched: What does it take torealize our full unbounded potential? Why are we here and what are we capable of doingcollectively we cant do alone? What happens when we take ap art the walls of limiting belief and

just allow possibilities to run freely? The obvious starting point was to shift the level of

consciousness. That required moving beyond the rationally defined safety zone to deeper trustin creative talent.

Then, the unexpected hit my life

Once upon a time I owned things. I had a retirement savings plan, a home, investmentproperties and a great place to live. Inwardly, my life had too much drama in it and not enough

joy or fun at least that is how I experienced it. Outwardly, it looked pretty good. At some pointhowever, my body let me know that a change was necessary. Too much energy was going outand not enough was coming back in, especially to my heart. Burnout. Then from 2003 onward,revenue and possessions began to fall away.

Internal pressures to express my creative talents were colliding with invisiblepressures to evolve.

Until then, I had been running a reasonably successful facilitation and consulting business forwell over ten years. Yet I felt exhausted and trapped on a gerbil wheel. Something was missing.No matter what I did toward manifesting my dreams and my goals it didnt work. Worse, losswas often the result. Propelled into a confrontation with my shadow side, my fears, insecuritiesand deepest wounds came to the surface for transformation or transmutation. I could seeemotional patterns in my personal life I wasnt happy about and a dissonance between mynegative outlook and how others saw me. It became clear that in order to be more effective inlife and to serve from a deep place, I had to unite the lessons of the shadow side with the rest ofme.

It was time to get myself out of the way.

As all I had worked for fell away I needed more than inner strength to attain the level of deeptrust and spiritual expansion to enable me to lead from a higher place. Every layer I uncoveredrevealed another layer after layer where attachments disguised insecurities. As I identified andreleased each one, trust stepped in and inner freedom bubbled up. It was the biggest leap offaith I have ever done in my life. It was a series of leaps. Little did I know that the personalprocess directly informed achievement of an upgraded leadership role for business andorganizations.


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Despite appearance, there is no longer any division between personal growth andprofessional and organizational capacity to achieve a higher purpose. Service to all Life.

Business has always assumed its purpose is to be the economic engine and so hasconveniently left out variables that, when factored in, would demand integration of a moreadvanced level of consciousness and vision for its existence. Interestingly enough, it turns out

that the very qualities business is determined to dismiss as the soft stuff are the very th ingsthat power phenomenal results.

The Monk Mayo asked this question of the Sixth patriarch: "What is Zen?" the Patriarch replied

that, "when your mind is not dwelling on the dualism of good and evil, what is your original face

before you were born?"

Investment advisor and author, Jay Bragdon s LAMP index (Living Asset ManagementPerformance) is comprised of seriously screened companies. He explains:

The LAMP index is a list of companies managed on an emerging new mental model where the firmoperates as a living organism dedicated to value creation rather than a profit making machine. This

reflects an important distinction in the way companies value their assets. Living assets are peopleand nature. These are fundamentally different from non-living capital assets. This is premised on arespect for life.

Its a biocentric world view where the firm sees itself as integral to the web of life not separate fromthe web or above it. Thinking in evolutionary terms I see this as a major adaptation in capitalism; aradical departure from the bankrupt and now dying industrial model of capitalism where the total cost

of this system now arguably exceeds its benefit.iii

The first interview I did with Jay was in January, 2009. At that time, LAMP companiesoutperformed the Morgan Stanley Capital World Index by 11 basis points. At the beginning of2010 when I asked Jay for an update he said,

Globally, fewer than 4% of exchange listed companies operate from core values of care andcompassion. Most people believe this approach to business is "soft." But, when done with deepcommitment and professional competence, it produces hard results. In 2009, for example, the GlobalLAMP Index, which tracks such companies returned 44.56%, far surpassing returns on the S&P 500(+26.46%) and the MSCI World Index (28.01%). Over the past decade the Global LAMP Indexreturned 98.03% while those other benchmarks lost money.

iv

LAMP index companies align the ends with the means and while doing so embrace their role asstewards of Life serving to contribute through: better ecological stewardship, more stable employersand business partners, more reliable vendors from a buyer standpoint, better investments and we getbetter neighbors. The companies that practice Living Asset Stewardship are more responsibleneighbors and they are better generators of tax revenues.

v

These companies demonstrate that by aligning their culture with the intention to servesomething infinitely beyond self-interest, they are rewarded by the market. Striving to survive isbeing replaced by stewardship and reverence for all life. Profit follows in monetary and non-monetary forms. As individuals and companies become secure within themselves; the samedeeper level of trust that underpins all successful economic (and other) relationships canfunction.


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Care and compassion is a universal field of energy that is sourced in a larger vision: one muchgreater than us. There is huge opportunity. Jays research shows that 4% of public tradedcompanies and countless more privately held companies are on to something. There is stillplenty of room to grow. Companies with one foot in command/control and the other in the ideaof triple bottom line feel the pressure increase as disengaged employees leave or suffer fromstress-related illness. They are missing a wealth of opportunity. The twenty to thirty year olds in

the workforce bring high levels of creativity, no respect for rules of limitation and a high value forcollective and collaborative teamwork. They have much to teach us. To embrace the high levelof creative collective talent available within all generations in the workplace, we must improveour capacity to keep pace with the speed of change.

The new consciousness must be intentionally and collectively nurtured.

A business leader who views business activities only as producing a product or service forconsumers in order to maximize near-term profit will look at social and environmentalperformance as discretionary costs. Business leaders who take a narrow view of social andenvironmental obligations will be drawn to quick communications fixes, largely symbolic charters,or purely technical compliance programs... What consumers, employees, and investors aredemanding is a conduct of business that takes into account the effect of its activities on all itsstakeholders. This requires creating a consciousness of greater connectedness with one anotherand with nature and an understanding of global problems that involves feeling and intuition aswell as thinking. The resulting mind-set will change planetary ethics from a blip on the corporateradar screen to a mainstream way of thinking and acting.

vi

This entire book is a call to expandconsciousness in harmonization withdeepened compassion. Compassion formsthe connection between all living things. It iscompassion for the Self and for others,especially others who do not see the world or

a particular event in the same way that helpsus work with diversity: where your viewcollides with others perspective, where the

notion of oneness born of compassionbecomes real and not a figure of speech orethereal concept.

To make the changes personally and organizationally necessitates understanding that thesolutions are found in you, then, and only then they are released into workplaces andcollaborative platforms that absorb different perspectives. There are three directions.

First, there is a shift underway from linear thinking to seeing and perceiving holistically. This

engages creative thinking and agility to shift perspective in an instant in order to see thedynamic interrelationships and interconnection.

Second, by engaging in your own self-realization you can achieve a state of higher fulfillment inlife and work, thereby facilitating the release of knowledge. As security attained through positionor manipulation is replaced by an intrinsic source, workplaces can progressively inspire andsupport fun, caring and high performance relationships.

Global work teams remove geographic and political

boundaries freeing ideas to serve where they are needed.

Photo: www.iStockphoto.com


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Third, by providing a balance of structure and support, natural collaboration can make thecomplex issues we face become less daunting. Remaining open, even when skeptical, permitsexploration, experimentation, and discovery of the core creative talents you hold. Trustdeepens. Well-being expands. Through understanding the importance of epigenetics: the way inwhich the environment influences genes and how DNA changes in response to itsenvironment,vii individuals gain power to reclaim or maintain vitality and health; businesses can

intentionally sustain working environments that unite to achieve the goals.

During the many years I have been consulting, I have been advised many times to separatebusiness from personal which was logical twenty years ago. Not now. To maintain separationdefies biology, physics, spirit at work, the dynamic of life, and the natural desire to contribute. Iwas told to sell companies on what they wanted and then give them what they needed. It didntexcite me. It was a relief when, after spotting Eckhart Tolles book A New Earth: Awakening toYour Lifes Purpose on the dash of a police car, it felt like we were ready to see thingsdifferently. We were ready to merge the duality of thinking into a more unified state ofconsciousness - one that can see reality through a wide angle lens.

The compelling urge to contribute creative talent to something much larger than ourselves has

finally reached the level where we can take the walls down and see things as a unified dynamicwhich asks the same from all of us. Self discovery removes barriers to inner knowing. Innerknowing in business is the tacit knowledge and collective wisdom that powers phenomenalresults. Knowledge cannot be contained within boundaries. Causal thinking, which follows thebreadcrumbs to a single or multiple sources, applies a reductionist approach. Becauseknowledge is housed in networks, seeing the whole system both cognitively and emotionallyrequires perceiving the world holistically.

What exactly is the imperative?

First, the incidence of stress-related illness and stress caused by uncertainty has reachedproportions that endanger not only individual well-being but also that of communities,

businesses, and the planet itself. We are creating many of those issues and it is unnecessary.Much of this stems from unrecognized fear. The habit of separating things to the point whereinter-connections are imperceptible means talent and opportunity get overlooked.

Second, all but those completely absorbed in day to day survival are cognizant of the state ofthe world and our relationship with sustainability. Tim Flannery in The Weathermakerspointsout, Whether we are crossing the road or paying the bills, it is the big, fast moving things thatcommand our attention. But seemingly large issues sometimes turn out of be a slide show.viiiThis naturally begs the question: What does the future hold? Fortunately, as the mystics say,the answers do indeed lie within.

Third, there is no shortage of crisiss to work with at all levels: natural disasters, corporate,

organizational or personal. Unless we learn how to use those to evolve we miss the moment.Most powerfully, when individuals of any age take time to reflect, there is recognition thatcreative energy cannot function in a disconnected and uncompassionate environment. Whenpeople do work that doesnt engage their passion using the need for financial security as arational, their health or some other indicator will alert them to the vital call to align their personalintention or purpose with what matters. The mental, emotional, physical and spiritual aspects ofbeing human functioning in a social environment that respects and values their contribution is afundamental source of health and well-being.


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Addressing the interdisciplinary and cross-sector issues or a solution to a large scaletechnological conundrum calls for collaboration on a global scale. Higher performance fororganizations or teams relies on embracing all kinds of diverse talents and perspectives and onknowing what makes it work. Mass collaboration is impaired in its possibility when mired downby mindsets or limiting beliefs that cannot stretch to the occasion. The shift is underway and it isinevitable. Business is well positioned to take a higher level of leadership, and I believe it can by

being empowered to contribute far beyond self-interest. Agility is essential and it is powered byby each person who reads this book.

Mechanical engineer, Itzhak Bentov, was able to retain his childlike vitality of visio n and see theworld as a single untangled web in which all parts are connected in a grand pattern. ixBentovswork was grounded in knowledge of the self as the route to all knowledge. He knew that theunfolding of consciousness, that is, spiritual evolution, opens up this latent knowledge. InBentovs view, encoded in our reality, this knowledge appears at first on the threshold ofconsciousness as vague feelings, eventually becoming clearer as spiritual evolution proceeds.x

Self realization starts with cellular memory and expands to organizational well-being. It involvesbecoming a steward for the working environment and the people in it. It speaks to alignment

between conscious intention and subconscious beliefs and ability to constantly attune theunderlying dynamic to support the human spirit and working environment.

The purpose of this book is to help you to see through differentlenses of perception, and to do so without instigating the rationalmind to block the unfamiliar. Statistically, one person is losing hiseyesight every five seconds. One million people in the world areblind... And a million morepeople are becoming blind... Lifestylechanges, pollution are affecting the eyes, deteriorating our vision,

causing early blindness.xi As you see through the perspectivesoffered on these pages, think of yourself as being at the eye doctoras he or she flips up the different lenses to check the accuracy and

focus of your vision. It is my hope that you will emerge with a moreexpansive picture of your world.

The intention of this book is to activate the discovery of your true capabilities and to instigate ahigher level of leadership from business or communities. By deepening knowledge of your Self,you become the driving force behind endeavors that serve all Life. Whatever the nature of thedisruptions in your personal or organizational life, you can trust that they are there for you todive deeper to retrieve your innate knowledge; expand the periphery of your vision on life; seethe world within and beyond you as a living system with unlimited potentiality. It is about seeingholistically without limits. And it is a matter of choice.

The difference between what we are doing and what we are capable of doing would

solve most of the worlds problems. Ghandi

To see the world in a grain of

sand.-Walt WhitmanPhoto: www.iStockphoto


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iAudio interview with Dr. Bruce Lipton, June, 2006

iiReshaping Corporate Governance to Incorporate Sustainability Neela Bettridge

iiiEvolutionary Provocateur interview with Jay Bragdon, January, 2009

ivConversation with Jay Bragdon, January, 2010

v

Evolutionary Provocateur interview with Jay Bragdon, January, 2009vi

Laszlo, Chris. The Sustainable Company, Island Press, 2003, page 24-25.vii

Adam. Dreamhealer, Penquin books, page 26.viii

Flannery, Tim. The Weathermakers. Harper Collins, 2005, page 2-3.ix

Bentov, Itzhak. A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation, Destiny

Books, 2000; Essay on Cosmology by Edgar Apgar, page 97.x

Bentov, Itzhak. A Brief Tour of Higher Consciousness A Cosmic Book on the Mechanics of Creation, Destiny

Books, 2000, page 3.xi

http://sreedhareeyam.com

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