Genius Stone Blog

Imagine there is a place within you that connects directly with the formless intelligence that creates a new world every moment. It is the point where the deep light that enlivens us is connected to divine love, like a mother to a child forever. It is our portal to the infinite wisdom that the Native Americans called, “The Great Spirit.” It takes the divine energy of what Emerson called, “The Great Intelligence,” and weaves it into every moment of our life. Happiness is being consciously aware of the flow that comes into our life, filling the unique sphere of our being. It is where our forms, beautiful and light, meet with the infinite love of the being that created us, and all living things.

Our Avalanche of Fear
Sometimes it seems like our view of this light is covered by an avalanche of fear piled upon us by the struggle of living in this finite world. Somewhere between the moments of birth, dancing with the joy of childhood, and our first steps into adulthood, we burry the light of our hearts beneath piles of fear. Slowly, almost without noticing, our lives become cold and meaningless. We lose touch with the flame of life. We lay beneath the debris our painful mistakes have left behind. Smothered with coats of armor around our hearts to conserve warmth and protect what is left of our light. But shields of protection also block out the light that leads us to the surface. One day, because we held the flame in our hearts, we see the light and begin the climb. We live again in the radiance of our Soul.

Our Light Within
Once we recover from the avalanche of our fears, and find the surface full of light, the quest to let our lives shine with this creative presence only begins. As we see we are connected to an infinite being, we nurture this awareness each day quietly and follow our breathing, letting go of the fears that cover us as they fall out of our comparisons and judgments. We learn to let ourselves fly to the edge of our Soul, and peer out into the infinite. We feel the currents of the divine flowing into us, and let them guide us deeper into the heart of life. We learn to drink of this refreshing spiritual spring that is always there for us. When we feel this essence with every breath, our lives will never be the same.

It Waits For All of Us
This is what the ancients called “Awakening,” which is the beginning of a timeless infinite journey into a beautiful mystery beyond anything I can describe. It waits for all of us to take the first step.

Sheryl Crow in her song “Soak up the Sun” says, “It is not having what you want, it’s wanting what you’ve got.”  Every culture seems to have a phrase that describes a hidden weakness.   For example, many intellectuals in Northern Europe say, “If you are happy, you are an idiot,” which creates a double bind that is hard to escape.  Here in the USA it seems to be, “This is not it, and I am not satisfied,” which creates continual striving.  This is more economically productive, but also creates a double bind that leads to unhappiness.

Why Are We So Unhappy?

Philosophers, spiritual teachers and most religions say that we are spiritual beings living in the material world.  Most see this as the cause of unhappiness.  They see the material world as a place of suffering or, at best, a place to prepare for the next world, which is much more pleasant.  Suffer here and you will get your reward in heaven.  This of course is another way of saying, “This is not it, and I am not satisfied.”  In our consumer economy your reward comes when you “make it.” In religion it is in the next world.  Happiness is always in the future.  Not a good thing.  No matter how much you have there is always more, and what you have is often falling apart.

Is The Material World Really The Problem?

My understanding of the “Material World,” or what philosophers call form, is the following:  All form emerges out of a formless intelligence, which is often called God.  This intelligence is expressing itself in form, which is based on duality or differences.  For example, you cannot see black without white.  This duality splits into many parts, thus creating the array of things in this world including ourselves, trees, the oceans, the air we breathe, lakes, rivers and all living things.

This formless intelligence is continually creating new forms.  Each form comes into existence, grows to its full radiance, shrinks back and dies.  All forms are infused moment to moment with this divine intelligence, which I call “The Life Force.”  We are all full of this force.  All the beauty that naturally unfolds every second is filled with this mysterious force.  Yet we often feel empty.  The Buddhists have a phrase for those who feel this way; they call them “Hungry Ghosts.”

“Hungry Ghosts” are always trying to fill them selves not realizing that they are already filled with divine energy.  They are over eating, over spending trying to find things to fill the void, which does not really exist.  They can never be satisfied. The whole process of “having what you want” draws our consciousness away from, “what we’ve got.”   Form is like fountains of beauty flowing all around us from the well of divine intention.  Yet we are always looking for something else. That is why philosophers are telling us to “Be Here Now” instead of hoping for something in the future that does not exist. Happiness is turning our consciousness to “what we’ve got,” which is beyond description.

How Do We Lose Touch With Beauty?

Last week I went to lunch at a restaurant that always has new paintings.  Waiting for my lunch date, I found myself entranced by a beautiful painting of a naked woman looking at her self in a tall mirror.  The colors and the moment of her seeing her own beauty sent chills up my spine.  My lunch date arrived and came over to the painting and had the same experience.  We talked about the creation this artist provided for us.  Then we looked at the price, which was very high, and thought, we cannot have this painting.  Suddenly we felt disappointed with a sense of loss, when in fact we had already experienced the beauty.  The artist created something that touched us until our desires to own it broke our connection to this existing beauty.  We did not realize that we already had it.

This is want happens to us moment to moment as we move our consciousness from the miracle of who we are, a living being full of grace, to who we should be or want to be.  We lose touch with what the painting was trying to tell us, we are all beautiful beyond description.  If we could only see that to live in human form is a gift we often squander trying to feed our desires.

While working with a company which does direct marketing through infomercials, I met Steve Ober, SVP and Partner. Steve directs and produces most of their shows. His success record is far greater than anyone in the industry. Seven out of ten of his shows produce successful levels of sales. The industry average is one, or during a good year, two out of twenty.

I asked Steve why he was so successful. He said, “I am driven to win and the answers are already there. If you work hard enough, you will find them.” He also said, “I know what I want because I can see it.” He went on to explain that he never gives up until the show is exactly right. He said that he stays humble, and always looks for a better way before releasing his shows.

After listening to his story, I told him about a movie Martin Scorsese recently produced about the life and career of Bob Dylan. As the story is told, they cut to interviews with Bob Dylan. He comments on the various stages in his life throughout the interviews. Dylan discovered the needs and wants of his market and became the voice of his generation, while transforming American folk music from the backrooms of Greenwich Village to a global craze.

Dylan in response to the interviewer saying he was the voice of a generation commented that, “It was already there.” He explained, that he noticed how people would respond positively to various aspects of singers like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and many others. Each singer had certain things that would connect with the audience: the look in their eyes, the tone of voice, the way they picked the strings on their guitar, and combined great singing with meaningful words. What the generation wanted was already out there, but not embodied in one person.

Dylan observed what worked and then let go of the aspects of his act that were not connecting, and adopted all of the elements that were connecting with the audiences. He literally became the voice of a generation by discovering existing realities and combining his intention and creativity with the needs he noticed in his audience. It seemed simple to him. He could see the future success by observing what was happening in the moment. He truly unleashed his genius by living in what I call “Integrative Presence” and connecting with an existing intelligence, which was the flow of cause and effect in his market.

When he returned to Minnesota after only five months in New York City, which was the center of folk music at the time, he had been transformed from an okay singer to a genius. Many from Minnesota commented on what seemed to be a magical transformation. One said, “It was almost like he had sold his soul to the Devil.” But, of course, he didn’t; he was able to let go of what he knew, and be open to a series of insights about what was really impacting the audiences, combined it with his intention, and became the voice of a generation.

To make that transition Dylan had to let go of his past and be totally present. He even changed his last name and often says that, “it really does not matter who I was.” Letting go of the past is the first step to insight and discovery of present reality.

After listening to the story, Steve Ober said, “Exactly, and that just shows what a great filmmaker Martin Scorsese is.” Steve Ober and Dylan have formed the habit of allowing insight: which is as Webster’s says “A clear understanding of the inner nature of some specific thing.” … Which in my view is the gateway to genius.

The Genius Stone mission is to create companies that are living examples of genius at work to create a better place to live. One of our areas of focus is summarized in the following books, which we recommend.

• Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature – Janine M. Benyus
• Whole Earth Discipline: An Ecopragmatist Manifesto – Stewart Brand
• The Ecology of Commerce: A Declaration of Sustainability – Paul Hawken

As Stewart Brand points out in “Whole Earth Discipline,” major sudden climate change is likely, and will require rapid deployment of innovations discussed in these books. We intend to be the leading edge. Please send us your thoughts, recommended reading and companies who are working in this space who need help.

The word “genius” comes from the Roman God named Genius that according to the mythology of the time was given to everyone at birth.  Your Genius is your connection to divine powers, your guide or muse.  When you are connected to your Genius everything you do is in concert with the divine or supernatural.  Genius is not I.Q. or E.Q., it is a state of mind full of grace that produces an extraordinary moment or life.  Genius is available to everyone, regardless of his or her intelligence or experience.  It supercharges whatever knowledge or skill you might have developed.

People often ask me, “What is it like when your Genius is flowing?  How do you know you are in “The Zone?”  It is important to understand when we are operating at high levels of consciousness and when our Genius is impaired.  Decisions or actions that come out of this state of mind are much more effective.  All of us, even if we might not have noticed it at the time, have experience being in “The Zone”  … or as I call it: “Integrative Presence.”  Integrative Presence is experienced when we let go of all frameworks, both limiting and empowering.  It is a state of high awareness infused with joy, insight and peace.  Results and well-being go up dramatically.  I would like each reader to remember his or her times of “Genius.” I normally facilitate this in a retreat, but if you follow these instructions, you may experience yourself in a state of Integrative Presence or Genius.

Take Three Deep Breaths: sit quietly for two minutes, and then read.

As you read, go back to one of the peak experiences in your life.  Go back to a time when you found yourself flowing with every moment.  You may have been lingering each moment, falling in love and moving to another moment of wonder.  Go to a time when everything worked for you without effort.  Go to a time that was exhilarating and peaceful as one moment flowed into another.  Perhaps you have experienced being in “The Zone” in sports.  Close your eyes and imagine for a few minutes all the times in your life you were at your best.  Allow yourself to fully experience these magical moments.  Pause and remember these peak experiences, savor them deeply. To understand them more write your stories down in your journal.  Notice what drew you into this state and what pulled you out.  Notice the differences between the two states.

What Is This Phenomenon?

It is a natural state of being that some only experience once or twice, others experience often and a rare few integrate into their lives.  We let go of our beliefs and frameworks, and suddenly we see the moment as it is now.  We see and feel every nuance of the flow and we feel part of the life force.  We respond to life instead of thinking, then reacting to, what we think happened.  Everything seems simple and profound, and our being radiates.  It is an innate state that is blocked by the thoughts and fears that are produced by our ego.  Like the Roman God Genius, it is always waiting to infuse our lives.

Many say to me that you cannot maintain this state of mind indefinitely, but if you can maintain it for a minute, an hour or a day, why not more often than not?  Sure the pull of human suffering and confusion draws you back.  But once your realize this state of mind is natural and you have developed practices that unleash your Genius, this state of mind can become more normal.   Imagine Genius being normal, and occasionally you slipped into the state of mind you call normal now, instead of visa versa.

Dramatically Increased Results

The results of these states of mind are much greater than normal, yet we seem to fear them. Why?  That is a long story, which I will write about later.  Most times it happens to individuals, but sometimes it happens to teams.   There are many stories of teams experiencing “The Zone.”  They are, of course, unbeatable when they are in this state of mind.  What would happen to the performance of a business organization if the leadership team could snap into this state of mind at will?  It has been my experience that shifting into this state increases a team’s insight and presence in the marketplace. Imagine an organization whose developmental process has “Unleashing Genius” as the central goal.  This, of course, is the goal of my work.

A Spiritual Feeling

Close your eyes a moment and remember a similar state of mind that was more spiritual.  Mine came when I was kneeling at the altar with my Priest, The Archbishop, and another Priest placed their hands on my head channeling the “Holy Spirit” into me.  It was peaceful, deeply alive, filled with light, timeless and beyond description.

Go back again to a time when you were feeling so clear, that you felt like you were going home. Find a time when you felt connected with the “Great Intelligence,” that feeds life, often hidden beneath our fears, but waits for us always. Imagine a moment when you allowed your Genius to guide you to the life you are meant to live.

Close Your Eyes and Enjoy This Moment- Imagine those spiritual times in your life.

To be able to experience this state of mind at will, we have to practice completely letting go, and our Genius flashes like lazar beams in the night sky of our life. It is important to practice releasing our dark fears, and be comfortable letting this heavenly energy fly through us like an angel.  Take time to write these experiences of light in your journal.  Learn to invite the “Great Spirit” to fill you with the peace that passes all understanding.  Make love to each deep moment every day and night.  Learn to dance with “The Flow of Heaven” passionately, as your being expands.  Commit to creating the future you have always been, but didn’t know was waiting within you. Experience life like a flash of lightning, or a ride on a wild stallion across the desert galloping into the sun, like the wind.  Knowing “The Life Force” within you is vital to your happiness and is the most important thing you can do for your children, community and the World.  Dance with the heartbeat of life, as God met you to do.

Share Your Moments of Genius

Remember, in this and in all areas of life, there is no substitute for practice. To help you practice and help others see this possibility, I request that, you, my readers, please share your moments of Genius as comments.  Tell one or two of your stories.  Tell us all about your peak experiences.  Genius Stone Publishing, my organization, will publish your stories, with full credit given to you, in an up-coming book, on its blog and here on the Huffington Post.

Paul David Walker, CEO & Founder, Genius Stone Partners, www.geniusstone.com

The first organ that develops in the womb is the heart. With all our science we still do not understand exactly what animates its beat. But we do know there is a mysterious force that animates life itself. If you sit quietly in nature you can feel that force. Call it what you will, but it is the life force that animates your heart, which in turn animates your body by flowing oxygenated blood through your veins.

When we are unhappy it seems to me that we are out of rhythm with the flow and beat of life itself. While this force continues to animate us, we put our attention on our thoughts about what has happened and what might happen. Placing our consciousness on these thoughts for too long begins to disconnect us from the life force, and often lead to high levels of stress causing heart attacks, sudden unnatural death, and all manner of illness. We stop dancing to the rhythm of life, which is always there, and our entire system starts to fall apart, as we unplug from our power source. It is a natural warning to get back to the dance of life.

So when you are feeling stressed, remember the life force is always present, bringing you and everything around you to life. It is creating a beautiful diverse array of creation. Do whatever helps you let go of the thinking that is creating your stress, and use your heart to tune yourself with the rhythm and flow of life itself. Let your heart become a tuning fork for the heart beat of life, and like a runner whose breathing and heartbeat synchronizes with the body, you will feel a surge of natural energy.

We have been following the MacArthur Fellows 24 Genius Grants. 24 people each will get a $500,000 fellowship; nine of recipients are in their thirties. Read the article here  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32964537/ns/us_news-education/

During a recession relationship is more important than ever, because it is relationships that will hold you, your customers and vendors together. Together, during a recession, you can increase market share easier than increasing profits. If you, your customers, and vendors survive and / or thrive during weak demand, you will rise together as demand increases, which it always does. Here is how you do this.

Recession Value Proposition

Adjust your value proposition to fit the new economic circumstances, and train all people who interact with customers to implant this in the minds of customers. For those of you who are in the B to B space, at some point in time your customer will be in a meeting with corporate leaders asking, “What vendors can you eliminate? How can we reduce our costs and be more appealing to our customers?” At that time you want the voice in the back of your customer’s head to be saying that your company is a keeper for the reasons you have implanted. Likewise, if you sell to the consumer, you want the consumer thinking that your products will help them live better in this economy. The consumer advertising, packaging and PR should be positioning your brand as the answer. Your new value proposition should to targeted and ever present.

One of my B to B customers mission is to provide “Engineered Solutions” that improve the efficiency of their client’s factories. They explain, “We will work with flexibility and expertise.” They are making sure all their customers have this on the top of their minds. Another client, who sells to consumers, vision statement is: “Better Products … Better Life.” They are sure their advertising drives home how their products provide twice the value at lower prices. They are working on getting this message into the scripts of their customer service teams around the world. The most successful businesses during a recession implant their new value proposition at every contact with customers. This makes the relationship strong, and creates hesitation before a customer changes brands. That relationship will benefit all as the tide rises.

Extend Your Team

Make it clear to your vendors and customers, that we are all in the same boat floating on a low tide of demand, and that we must work together for mutual success. Continuously reach out to customers to understand their changing needs and wants and make temporary deals with the customers and vendors that will carry all through changing economic dynamics. If your customer needs a price break, ask your vendors to reduce their prices. If they need to reduce their inventories, get your vendors to help you create just-in-time inventory programs. Find out what your customers and vendors need to help their business prosper, and have the flexibility to change your products or services to fit. Do not get stuck in business as usual. Business as usual will be a death sentence. Build a community of strong relationships with your customers and vendors. Talk about your mutual missions and synchronize them so all can succeed during economic change. Make it clear to all that you and your company are committed to mutual success. Let them see and feel your commitment to mutual success.

Attack Weak Competitors

As your competitors fail to adapt to the changes in the wants and needs of the market place, their customers will be moving. Be sure they move to you. Conduct research to determine your competitor’s weaknesses and focus on acquiring their customers, who will be frustrated with those weaknesses. If your value proposition is right, and being communicated in the market place at every point of contact, they will come to you. The most venerable competitors have the following weaknesses:

1. Overextended credit

2. Old technology

3. Cash flow problems

4. Poor customer service

5. Inability to adjust prices

6. Lack of flexibility

Once you understand the nature of the weaknesses of your competitors, select the three weakest and develop a strategy to acquire their customers. Position yourself as the life raft for the customers tied to a sinking ship. People in corporations tend to change at a slower rate than people in the market. Be ahead of the wave of change and find competitors who are not.

Business has always been driven by relationship and trust. During high demand it may not be as important because of the lack of supply for surging demand. During economic and social change when demand is falling, relationship and trust are even more important. If you have ridden the wave of demand, maximized your profits and weakened your relationships, it is past time to change, but never too late. Do not hesitate, find and communicate the correct value proposition for your business, extend your team to include customers and vendors, and rescue customers from the sinking ships of your competitors.

By, Paul David Walker, Founder and CEO of Genius Stone