Are You An Enlightened Leader? Five Things to Become One!
Ask yourself these seven questions and step Into your authentic inner power.
Enlightenment (in the light) is a state of being – it refers to the experience of being aware. Period. So don’t worry, we will not delve into the traditional connotations of this word, such as used in Buddhism or other spiritual or religious practices. For our purposes here, we will be looking at enlightenment as applied to leadership. If you are reading this article, you are probably a business owner, entrepreneur or corporate executive.
Ask these seven questions right now:
- What kind of leader am I?”
- There are many kinds of leaders. What is valuable for you to recognize about yourself is the context from which you lead. Do you lead from a place of fear?
- Is your ego running the show?
- Are you in constant doubt? Are you full of yourself?
- Are you a bully?
- Do you blame others when things go wrong?
- Do you experience joy in your leadership role or is it causing you to suffer?
When you lead from a place of awareness, you are always clear and sure of yourself. You start each day with purpose and by setting an intention. Awareness guides you from there. Your thoughts, words and actions create and build around you. Unlike the destructive nature of the ego-driven leader, the core of an enlightened leader is always uplifting and constructive. Humanity is undergoing a massive shift in consciousness.
We know this through observation. There are changes occurring in our political, socioeconomic and cultural landscapes. These changes are shaking us at our core and causing us all to awaken. Collectively we are being called to don our individual righteousness and step into the inner strengths that we all possess so we can assist the world in becoming a better place…a place where our children can experience abundance and prosperity in every aspect of living. There is no doubt in my mind that the success of humanity’s future depends largely on the success of each of us as an individual aspect of the collective.
In my opinion, which has been formed through many years in the corporate world, no group of individuals on this planet has a greater impact on the overall experience of the human species than those that are leading businesses and corporations. That’s because at the heart of our life’s journey lies that thing we do “to make a living.” Our jobs, our careers, our vocations, and our day-to-day business of living summons us into an existence where we either survive or thrive.
We must strive to enlighten ourselves as leaders and become as aware as we possibly can. This is a choice, of course, but is it really? To be aware is to know without uncertainty that our thoughts, actions, and words reflect only the highest level of “good” and light that we are capable of in the moment.
To become an aware leader is to be in full responsibility for our truth and for who we are as a contributor to humanity. It doesn’t matter if we own a bakery, a car wash or a McDonald’s franchise. It makes no difference whether we are the CEO of our family or the CEO of Coca Cola. As leaders we must step up our game and shine with our gifts. And we have all been bestowed with so many gifts.
Let’s commit to using them for the betterment of our world!
Five basic things you can do to become an Enlightened Leader:
1. Have a vision/purpose that is bigger than you.
It should be able to exist even when you are gone. Make one up if you are having a hard time figuring it out. Life is not about figuring things out, as we have been taught. Life is about allowing Grace to move through us even when we don’t “feel like it.”
2. Practice being present.
Listen with your heart. Stop focusing on what you did or didn’t do or what you could’ve or should’ve done. Don’t worry so much about the future that you forget to smell the roses in front of your house. Being present opens you up to true joy and gratitude for what IS.
3. Tame your ego.
Ego has a mission in our life by helping us stay on track.
Ego protects us, shows us where we need to be more alert. Learn to use your ego to your benefit. But don’t let ego run your life. That is a sure way to become and un-enlightened leader!
4. Spend 10 minutes each day in silence.
Breathe deeply. Contemplate on your truth. Allow your Inner Guidance to come through. In the beginning, your truth can only come through when you are still and silent. With practice, your truth will be loud and clear even if you are on a busy subway crowded with hundreds of commuters.
5. Get into the habit of doing at least one thing per week that raises your vibration.
Do this with presence! Music, an inspiring movie, a gentle book, poetry, dance, a hike in nature, a walk on the beach, meditation, yoga, laughing, and yes, love-making. Just do one or more of these things until you realize you can no longer live without them! Everyone you come into contact with will benefit from your Enlightened Leadership. Your employees will be happier and more productive. Your business will thrive. Your bank account will grow. You will get a promotion. Your relationships will blossom, all of them. Your future will be brighter. All of this is possible because you will be more centered, more harmonious, more present, more here. Your truth is what the world needs.
Don’t make us wait any longer for it!!
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