David Howitt
5.0 out of 5 stars Skeptic's Guide to Pragmatic Monetizable Spiritualism and Balance, October 5, 2014
I read this book on the way back from The New Story Summit at the Findhorn Foundation in Scotland, and have to admit that the experience there with many people both spiritual and practical, elevated my ability to appreciate this book. It is a solid five and strongly recommended for anyone who wishes to be more effective, more balanced, and happier.
There are at least two bottom-lines in this book:
01. You can have it all — the trade-offs that CEOs have tended to make, sacrificing family and happiness (and often ethics as well) for the sake of the job are both unnecessary and counter-productive. AND, rather than EITHER/OR, is the central point of this book. Another word in this vein used by the author is HYBRID.
02. By integrating empathy, feelings, intuition, and a strong desire to SERVE, the authenticity, integral value, and sustainability of your entire offering will be radically enhanced, leading naturally to more and better (more ethical) money.
Multiple authors and mentors are deeply embedded into this book, here are just a few:
The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on His Life and Work (The Collected Works of Joseph Campbell)
Super Brain: Unleashing the Explosive Power of Your Mind to Maximize Health, Happiness, and Spiritual Well-Being
A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
Entangled Minds: Extrasensory Experiences in a Quantum Reality
The Dark Side of the Light Chasers
My copy of the book is heavily marked up. I will not try to summarize the book beyond the few notes below.
+ Eye opener on the benefits of balance
+ Roadmap for personal and professional empowerment — to the next level
+ Integration is how we experience the breath of God (“rauch”)
+ Eleven lessons on transformation — alone worth the price of the book
+ QUESTION AUTHORITY — “standard practices” are TIRED not Wired
+ Key frame: who do you want to ATTRACT to you and your work as a calling?
+ Focus on connectedness to diversity not on finding “like” beings
+ Entrepreneurship is pre-cognitive genius
+ Empathy critical to appreciate the larger context beyond one's self
+ Digital world is further disolving community (see my review of The Big Disconnect: Why The Internet Hasn't Transformed Politics (Yet), also read on the airplane coming home)
+ AND is a disruptive opportunity
+ Trust and surrender are ASSETS
+ “The Force” is patience, flexibility, trust, surrender
+ Let go the guilt (a common theme in many such books, but I find the author compelling)
+ Co-create, stop trying to be in charge
+ Story telling matters
+ Studying archtypes and fiction helpful to testing new paths (I obsess too much on non-fiction, this gets my attention)
+ Language includes art and song
+ Definition of a hero: catalyzing change
The book ends with a manifesto, 19 guidelines. It also has three substantive appendices and a glossary.
QUOTE (133): “We must also welcome whole-brain consulting and intuitive analytics inot the language of commerce.
I am glad I bought this book, and certainly recommend it!
Best wishes to all,
Robert David STEELE Vivas
THE OPEN SOURCE EVERYTHING MANIFESTO: Transparency, Truth, & Trust
