I am honored to have recently been accepted into the prestigious Transformational Leadership Council. Among my peers and coaches, those who appear the most successful (and happiest) seem to be developing themselves inside and out.

 
My last three years have been a period of soul searching, a time of creating and a time to dream. My ego developed patience while I learned to slow down and wait for guidance. In the empty space this revelatory and relevant message emerged.

In order to achieve big dreams, we need to take risks. In order to take risks we need to trust ourselves. One thing that will deepen or erode our self trust is how we make and keep our agreements with ourselves and others.
But at a soul level, a true visionary answers to a higher source. Are you living in integrity with your soul? Are you saying, "no thank you," to opportunities that are not aligned with your values? Are you exhibiting the courage to wait, and to act on faith, rather than jumping on any opportunity that makes you feel good, safe or secure?
Clearly a healthy relationship between ego and soul is a powerful way to live. Is your ego in service to your soul or has your soul been hijacked by your ego?

In a state of uncertainly or not knowing, deeper wisdom and insight can often be garnered. A visionary knows we were "created to create" and allows the time and space for true creation to occur.  
It's nourishing and freeing to "not know". With a beginner's mind, we can think anew. With child-like curiosity, life can become more precious and amazing. My favorite quote on this is from Tony Robbins who said, "Your level of passion and aliveness is directly proportional to the amount of uncertainty you can comfortably live with."

If your life has become routine or uninspired, I urge you to take time to enter new terrain, to boldly go where you have not gone before. It can be done simply, as you will see in my next point.

 

 

In my quest for experimenting with uncertainty, I searched for something that wouldn't engage my inner critic. I took up acrylic abstract painting where I could dabble and if I didn't like my work, could flip it over for a whole new perspective. That was freedom.

I spent five days at a beach in California inspired by dancing dolphins where I painted ten works of art. I chose colors intuitively and sponged and squirted them on to canvas. I would lose my self-consciousness in the swirls and drips while I discovered a new part of myself....the creator within...the ultimate dreamer. I felt expansive and incredibly alive.

Completing my last painting I had a simple thought. "I wonder what my friends will think of this." Suddenly, I became immobilized, afraid to choose the wrong color. With that single thought, my spirit shut down. It felt like a corridor of doors simultaneously slammed shut. The change was fast and so visceral, that it made me dizzy. I had to sit down to assess what had just occurred.  

I had been in a truly expanded state when my ego charged in causing me to contract into my familiar, small world of right and wrong.

Could I get back to nirvana? I took a deep breath, inhaling and with a long exhale, my ego surrendered, returning me to my creative self. This concept is simple, yet profound. The secret to enlightenment is to relax. As we "let go" our ego releases its grip and we are left with our Divine essence, the truth of who we are.