How Can Duality Help Us Succeed At Work?
It’s the season of the Hawks.
I can hear them calling from beyond my sight, lost amongst the towering Japanese city apartment blocks and the squat concrete boxes of modern family homes. Every morning as I sit down to work, their distinctive melody echoes across our rooftops and takes me back to a recent experience at one of the most sacred sites in the Ryukyu Kingdom.
Sefa Utaki.
Here in Okinawa, where ancestors are believed to live among us and houses to the dead are built around and amongst the homes of the living, the connection to ancient history feels thinly veiled.
This, perhaps, sounds crazy but when you walk amongst the hallowed natural halls of Sefa Utaki, where royal priestesses knelt in prayer for the wellbeing of their people and the land - A deeply sacred place where some women still kneel and pray today - In the silence of the moments between the chaotic clamour of tourists, you can hear the echoes of the past speak true and clear.
Sefa Utaki was (and probably still is) the most holy site in Okinawa.
The spiritual heart of the land that still beats, despite its secrets being lost to time.
Protected from development, it’s abundant with nature.
Butterflies the size of birds dance before your eyes along heavily shaded jungle paths, littered with stones worn smooth by thousands of pilgrims over the centuries. Bats the size of cats chitter and flap in the trees above your head and hawks swirl across the sky in a joyful performance at being alive.
A celebration for completing their winter migration from mainland Japan to our cluster of small, tropical isles.
Perhaps, Eckhart Tolle is right when he describes birds as a doorway to the evolution of humankind. A glimpse into our own future possibility and “the reason why humans feel such fascination for and affinity with them can be attributed to their ethereal quality”.
Even with the simplest of everyday encounters, they feel otherworldly.
The buzzard that perches majestically and patiently upon its watchtower or the kestrel sitting serenely on a fence post bordering a Cornish meadow that buzzes with the sleepy sound of insects, as the grass and wildflowers sway to the waves of a gentle summer breeze. My past sightings in the UK always involved solitary sentries.
Flying solo.
Alone.
However, Sefa Utaki was a completely different encounter.
The first and only time I’ve witnessed birds of prey take to the skies in unison. Encircling each other in perfect harmony as they danced along the invisible slipstreams of a Pacific Ocean breeze. It took my breath away and caused me to pause.
Become silent.
Still.
And
Simply
Be.
Though honestly, this serenely beautiful moment took an unnerving turn, heightened by the atmosphere of a place that resonates with a unique and distinct energy.
Completely present in the present, I watched this heavenly display of Life unfold and suddenly experienced the strangest feeling of deja-vu. A sense of being transported back in time, as if standing in the footprints of past lives gone by. Looking at the exact same scene from the exact same spot but witnessed through a different pair of eyes.
A lesson. An insight into Life.
Wrapped up in a view that’s not altered for millennia, however, how many modern minds have only acknowledged what they’re seeing and not understood what they’re being shown?
Knowing the nature of our Life’s Calling! community, I’m sure most of you already tune into the wisdom of the natural world and understand that Nature has the innate ability to heal us, physically, spiritually and psychologically.
From my own personal journey of healing clinical depression, living with chronic pain and recovering from long term trauma, the rediscovery of my connection to the natural world was one of the greatest therapists for me.
Nature guides us towards a more authentic version of ourselves and provides the opportunity to evolve by returning to our roots. In other words, Nature teaches us how to be better humans.
So, today, in honour of these ethereal creatures that greet me every morning, as I show up to do The Work - we’re going to take a quick dive into the wisdom of the hawk and how we can apply it to our life’s calling, business, career or general life.
The Wisdom of The Hawk
Hawks live in a world of duality.
Through flight, they have the ability to see great distances into the future, as far as the horizon, while also having the natural gift of laser sharp vision and the ability to lock onto a specific goal with deadly accuracy.
They combine these natural born physical gifts with a mindset that’s fully committed to fierce action, with an outlook on life that demands no fear of failure and accepts no guarantee of success.
Often, when I begin the process of working with clients it’s this lack of duality that’s played a large role in them getting stuck, lost and frustrated.
So, let’s dive a bit deeper into each aspect to see how we can apply this to our own lives - I’ve provided some reflective prompts to use during your “development time”.
And if you don’t have any development time in your life, we need to talk! Xx
The Expanded View - Bigger Picture
You might be surprised how many people I’ve worked with, that when we first met had no idea of exactly where they were heading, what they were working towards or the layout of the environment in which their world operated. Honestly, it’s the majority and they were stuck until we started to ask the big questions that most people don’t ask.
If you’ve known me for a while, you’ll know I love the big questions, mainly WHAT & WHY? Why am I here? What am I meant to do with my life? Why have I experienced so much suffering and what do I do with my life on the other side?
WHAT & WHY are the foundations of your life’s calling.
The work that you were born to do.
You find your what and why through expansive vision - looking up from the day-to-day minute details and out to the world around you and beyond to the horizon. Without an expanded vision you’re going to end up somewhere but is it really where you want to be?
I’ve known company directors that appeared successful, with profitable companies and large teams but behind closed doors, experienced intense suffering and misery. By not being shown the benefits of rising above the day-to-day running of their business, they blindly followed a path to someone else’s version of success.
Untangling yourself from this kind of mess is complex.
It’s one of the most painful and difficult experiences to go through, because by that point in your professional journey, it’s no longer about yourself but the tribe of people that depend on you, from your staff to your family. You might think this is a rare occurrence, trust me, it’s a lot more common than you might think.
Rising above to view your bigger vision can also provide answers to some of the smaller questions related to your work. One client couldn’t decide where to relocate his growing office, with three great options available to him. I told him to ditch the small details of a pros & cons list (which had him going in circles) and instead revisit his bigger vision. Later that day he rang me to tell me, once he pulled up to that higher level the answer became obvious - saving him a lot of wasted time, money and energy.
The quicker you start to embrace the duality of being amongst the small details of delivery and soaring above to explore all your options expansively - it’s the difference between you being a manager and a leader.
And if you’re here, reading this.
You were born to lead.
Reflective Questions
Reflective Questions to Explore
Are you spending quality time sitting with, exploring and reflecting on your bigger vision for your work? How can you make more time for this? Eg. Making non-negotiable space in your schedule for reflective practice.
What practices, rituals or habits can you create on a daily, weekly, monthly or yearly basis to connect regularly with your bigger vision for your work? Eg. One of my clients has a wooden elephant, that for him represented his big vision we mapped out and he kept it on his desk as a daily reminder.
Where do you want to head? Can you see it clearly, so that you’re able to describe it to someone else? You don’t need to know the how, so ditch trying to figure out the route and instead tune into what you wish to see in the future on your horizon.
What potential obstacles and challenges can you spot on the horizon that you need to prepare for now? Eg. You’ve spotted a event that’s perfect to share your message and work, but it’s 1 year away so you don’t need to take immediate action, however now it’s in your sights, you can keep checking in and you’ll know exactly when to take the first step.
How can you call some of that bigger vision into your daily life, TODAY - not next month or 5 years from now? Eg. If being located in a forest full-time is part of your vision but right now you live in the city, can you play nature sounds while working and surround yourself with green visuals (plants, wood decorations and/or photo wallpaper) and scents such as pine essential oil.
Laser Sharp Focus on a Specific Goal.
Hawks don’t fly all over the place, hoping they’ll come across what they need to survive. They remain high above, observing with a specific goal in mind and applying laser focus to find it.
Many of us are reactive to Life!
Stuff happens to us that we respond to.
Being strategic with your goals requires patience and dedication rather than being distracted by things like “shiny object syndrome”. Not being focused is the quickest way to deplete your resources of time, money and energy.
The majority of new clients, who come in without a clear strategy or specific “next step” are often jumping from one thing to the next and doing a bit of everything all at once. It’s overwhelming, creates anxiety and is a sure path to burn out. This is especially true for those of us, where our trauma, tragedy, illness or injury has changed us physically, spiritually or psychologically. We have to be even more mindful of how we use our resources because we often have a form of limitation that we have to learn to adapt to, compared to the “average” person.
It’s important for anyone to be strategic but it’s essential for people like us.
Hawks don’t plan 25 steps ahead.
They pick one goal and they focus intently on it.
You need to do the same but choosing that one goal can be overwhelming and confusing in itself. Which one is the right goal? To help you figure this out I’d look for 3 things:
1
It’s essential (not a nice to have)
2
It’s timely (has an expiration or deadline)
3
It’s important in other words it’s got great ROI
Return on your investment of time, money and energy! It will help you take the longest stride forward with that next step. I want you to leap, not shuffle your way through life!
Reflective Questions
Reflective Questions to Explore
Am I prioritising enough time to review my task list and to understand which are essential, timely and important?
What are the everyday tasks that are essential to keep my work ticking along and what are the important goals that help me move forward faster?
How can I remove, reduce or reallocate the non-essential tasks that are sapping my resources and distracting me?
Do I have a monthly focused goal clear in my mind? Do I have the same for my week and day? If not - what’s the one thing I want to achieve this month that’s essential, timely and important?
Am I getting bogged down in trying to achieve too many goals at once? What checks, practices or routines can I put in place to help me focus on one essential and important goal at a time?
Fierce Commitment to Action
The speed of hawks diving with a fierce commitment for their goals is well known. They’re fearless because it’s instinctive, which is essential, because one moment of hesitation or self-doubt can kill them or leave them severely injured. Their entire survival depends upon them having single-minded dedication to taking action towards a goal and seeing it through to the end, despite having no certainty of success.
In this situation, humans are at a distinct disadvantage because our beautiful brains are hard wired to assess potential risk and to avoid it as much as possible. For those of us who’ve gone through a life-changing experience that’s made us face our own mortality or the loss of someone we love dearly, overcoming the fear of failure can be even more acute.
We’re more aware than most of the dangers involved with risk, however our fierce commitment to making the most of our lives after facing death can also turn us into risk takers.
It’s a very conflicting situation for us to navigate.
The typical office worker and workplace won’t always get this - I was once told I wasn’t allowed to use the word “fearless” when describing my work (story for another time) but fearless to me as a survivor of trauma doesn’t mean I don’t feel fear.
I feel fear everyday, more than the average person, including doing mundane tasks like brushing my teeth, making a cup of tea or sitting in my chair writing this. My trauma brain is always on high alert and after 20 years of living like this unconsciously, I’m now consciously taking steps to try and calm my faulty alarm system.
I’m a work in progress and maybe you are too (but aren’t we all).
I’m not asking you to be reckless.
I’m asking you to tune into your commitment to taking action, even if you risk failure.
The best way to do this actually leads us full circle - your big picture WHY. It also incorporates the second point around your goal being essential (hawk needs to eat), timely (if it doesn’t act straight away it’s prey will disappear) and important (if it doesn’t eat it starves - matter of life and death).
Tune into your WHY?
The motivation for you wanting to change your life and the world.
Decide on a truly essential, timely and important goal
&
Go for it with fierce commitment and with no certainty of success.
Because no matter the outcome you have the ability to adapt and try again.
Reflective Questions
Reflective Questions to Explore
Where am I holding back with my work? Where can I show more fierce commitment? You’ve already shown a fierce commitment to face a life-changing event. You’ve got this.
Do I have a burning desire to achieve my goal? If not, you need to revisit your WHY to remember your reasons for starting this journey and what you want to achieve.
If I had a guarantee of success, what action would I be taking right now? Because that’s the goal you need to be working on right now, regardless of your fear of failure.
What am I afraid of? What’s the worst failure that could happen and can I negate this or get comfortable with it? This can be incredibly liberating and some of my clients have literally changed their entire lives by going through this process with a single goal - eg. relocated to HongKong from the UK to start a whole new life and job.
Assessing, managing and psychologically handling risk (the fall out of failure and the fear connected to it) is something my clients and I do a lot of work on, because it’s usually our minds that have us stuck, not the possible event itself.
I hope these insights and training helps you move forward with achieving your life’s calling. Remember, you’re not alone. I’m here to help if you have any questions or problems.
If you’re ready to really step up, change your life and take the leap into finding and fulfilling your life’s calling, my Rise & Thrive interactive experience will help you get to where you want to go faster and for only £7 a month!
We go much deeper into this type of training with unique, interactive tools and techniques to help you implement change quickly, alongside a supportive community and coaching with myself.
Because we all deserve to experience deeply meaningful work that not only lights us up but also keeps the lights on at home.
