Genius Stone Blog

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