I crave the creative process of learning, and converting such knowledge into practice; a practice of what I do that is then taken by the individual and converted into his/her own authentic practice. This honors my own living methodology of gather, give, and grow (a rhythm honored in the intersection of my desire and my intent). My Desire & Intent is that you lovingly lead others to their own authentic confidence as you embrace the power of who you are and act on your Trueness.
The collision of the desire for you to embrace the power of who you are, and the intent for you to lovingly lead others to do the same, delivers me into the creative tension of how I do what I do. All I do flows through the creative and tense portal of my belief that I can encourage your confident Trueness. This is the energy of balance, my own unique rhythm. This is my Trueness acted upon. The tension is creative as I operate, holding the desire driving me out, and the intent drawing me forth.
“To rely on its own personal experience or knowledge would be a disaster for the butterfly. Instead it finds itself surrounded by voices of the past, of the other insects, of the wind and the rain and the leaves of the trees.” –Thomas Berry & Brian Swimme
What is Rhythm?
It was approximately 15 years into my management career when my manager’s boss made the unfortunate request. Somewhere along the way, and somehow within his less than logical manner with observation, he appreciated the way the team I was leading seemed to work well together; they certainly got good results and contributed positively to organizational outcomes. However, the unfortunate tone of his request, made to my manager’s peers, was in his word selection. In essence he said, “Tell your managers to be more like Jeff and build a good team like his.”
Such a command was not at all supportive of the relationship I desired with my peers. While the quality of his intention was lacking, the quality of his observation was good. My team was indeed excellent. The excellence was because the team was made up of committed, dedicated, and focused individuals. Naturally I felt I needed to respond to such feedback passed along to my peers. I simply shared with them what I knew as fact; the individuals in my care never heard me use the words team or teamwork. I had by that point seen those words used, overused, and misused for too often and too much for my level of buzzword tolerance. Instead, I gave my energy to building up each individual based on authenticity, what I now know as Trueness. I knew such a collective of individuals, focused together, would produce what should only be seen as outcomes: teamwork and being a team.
While I didn’t realize fully what I was doing back then in light of rhythm, I was conscious of the fact that I couldn’t help but encourage those in my care. Now I know encouragement as both the strength of my voice and the energy created by the rhythm given me. Rhythm is one’s unique methodology informing individual participation in the flow. Rhythm helps one feel, hear, and see Trueness (in self and others). Rhythm is the dance of human and divine. Rhythm is present and opens one to presence itself.
Although I wish I could remember precisely when and where, it really doesn’t matter how I came to my commitment to the individual. It may have begun with a basic belief grounded in the flow of the internal to the external. What I know is that it grew into a methodology of leading that made sense to me, at the deepest level. This commitment has allowed me abundant opportunity to live my rhythm, and to further ground my energy in something else I know; if an individual acts from Trueness−living her or his own rhythm−then this person is a leader. Our world so needs this leadership to come alive in each person, as much as individually possible for the collective good.
We must individually come to know the mystery of authentic integrity, not as something to be solved, but as something to be held, observed, and released into the flow of our Trueness. Now flowing, in authentic rhythm, integrity becomes the way your Trueness shows in the world. It takes great love to nurture and honor the internal to external flow.
“Even at the level of elementary particles we find this irreducible reality of the individual. The universe, in protecting the viability of an elementary particle, works to assure the particle of its place, of its role in the unfolding story.” –Berry & Swimme
Rhythm of Being
Commitment to one’s own Trueness begins the flow that unfolds into all productive, collective accountability. Trueness honors the uniqueness of each individual as the power to make the collective whole. It may seem that flow and rhythm are the same thing. They are, and they’re not. I speak of flow in the larger sense, that of which we are all a part. I speak of rhythm in a personal manner, that cadence within, given since the beginning, and key to knowing how we join the flow.
“Human being is not about an external command or a directive mandate, but about an internal destiny and constitutive identity. If we fail our identity and destiny, wouldn’t the result be human consequence rather than divine punishment?” –John Dominic Crossan
Working one-on-one with leaders, building individual confidence, has taught me much. These many individuals, through the generosity of their unique trust, opened me to what I’ve been teaching, and so desire to continue teaching, about rhythm. I teach about rhythm because I want the individual to know the journey makes sense, as it is traveled with conscious presence. I teach rhythm so the individual can be aware, focused, and loving on her/his journey, and in the larger cadence. I teach rhythm so the individual may lead in a needy world−leading from the authentic rhythm given since the beginning. I teach rhythm as a way to teach love−love for the individual’s work and love in his/her work−and how such love is profitable, not a business strategy but a way of living Trueness, embracing the larger cadence of the individual’s desire, intent, and resulting creative tension.
Rhythmic Impact
The Impact needed in this world must come from those who have learned to be then do. In any situation, ask yourself what you most desire. The substance of the matter−the truth you need−is right there with you. The substance is in who you are much more than in what you think you might need to do. Both be and do are important. If you feel the tension in the meeting of what you desire and what you intend, then you are standing in the right place. Your most powerful stand, as an individual, is not some future vision (although a necessary tool). Your stand is in the reality of the present. The 21st Century belongs to the aware, focused, and loving individual. A narrow focus, guided by desire, broadens intended impact and gives you a present place to stand. A focused individual has a method.
Impact,
is Trueness practiced.
Impact,
is in the flow of being to doing.
In too many organizations, of any kind, it doesn’t take long to observe behaviors of unhealthy competition, selfishness, and downright nasty interaction. We cannot focus properly on any larger collective mission when such energy is being wasted internally. It is the same for us as individuals. We cannot develop externally what we are not developing internally.
“When we operate from our essence life becomes drastically different. We find that ‘everything belongs’ (even the delusions of mind that brought us here!) and we learn to tune into the silence which we are, and there, is where we find personal peace. There is no agenda there, in this vast space, and the consciousness that you actually are. There is only truth.” –Mayra Porrata, TheFlourishingWay.com
When an individual is acting from the truth of Trueness, the path to impact is negotiated with the loving and mysterious movement of providence. In so many situations the pressure we feel is the shaping touch of a loving and providential hand. Change, one then another, assures we, as individuals, have ample opportunities for alterations, momentary modifications in doing which serve a transforming being.
Trueness
Who one is since the beginning is already present, with colors and hues on an original palette, simply waiting to be stroked into present being by the dance and dialogue of artist and canvas.
The world needs us to come alive as individuals. The world needs our truth, our authentic confidence, and our love. Is your voice flowing in your work? Are you doing work in a way that frees the love represented in your voice? Trueness honors the uniqueness of each individual as the power to make the collective whole. When you finally commit to lead, influence, and serve from the rhythm of your Trueness, you can grasp the reality that there is no priority higher than that of your love.
Finally, a reference back to my rhythm of gather, give, and grow. I recently sent a message to a few valued clients, those for whom much work has been shared through many years. I was letting them know of both the value I hold for our relationship and that I was taking some time in the last part of the year to reflect a bit. Here is the response from one of them:
“I was happy to read that you were taking some time to reflect on what you have accomplished and where you’ve been. You have touched a lot of people over the years and no doubt helped them all. The tools of your trade are internal / interpersonal things like communication, faith, trust, experience, and things of that nature. They recharge and strengthen differently than technical, physical and vocational skills. I’d call it processing and composing, not time off. No doubt you’ll hit 2020 better than ever.” –Kevin
I remain grateful for both spirit and opportunity that seem to consistently roam the surface and depth of experience, assuring this individual particle of his place and role in the unfolding story.
Notes:
Berry, Thomas, and Swimme, Brian. The Universe Story: From the Primordial Flaring Forth to the Ecozoic Era –a Celebration of the Unfolding of the Cosmos. New York: Harper Collins, 2015. (pp. 42 & 52)
Brunson, Jeff. In the Middle with Trueness: The Transforming Resonance of a Leader. Ohio: Soul Publishing Group, 2017. (Chapter One & Seven)
Crossan, John Dominic. How to Read the Bible and Still Be a Christian: Struggling with Divine Violence from Genesis through Revelation. New York: Harper Collins, 2015. (p. 112)
Porrata, Mayra. TheFlourishingWay.com – Ohio: Copyright © 2019 Mayra Porrata, LLC. (Truth has no agenda. Post from August 29, 2019)
