Poles apart can bring us Closer

“Poles apart can bring us Closer”, suggests Susan Furness

Here’s an alternative look at words often that are often seen as opposite, or in polarity.

I almost always experience a sense of freedom when I consider the polarity of a word or a situation. I notice a smile as I look towards the other end of the word spectrum. Most often I experience a felt shift into a new relationship with whatever it is I am considering.

For example, way back I realized the positive impact of experiencing the dark to recognize light. I notice that an issue or challenge can first appear dark, disturbing, and even chaotic before metaphorically turning on the light to reveal its blessing.

Consider the energetic shift on this play on words. These two (business) statements mean the same. Try saying each out loud. Which sounds and feels more appealing, possible, exciting and lighter?

Our Objective is to ensure an Outcome.

Or,

Our Intention is to make an Impact?

The latter floats my boat.

Going back to ‘light’. Light also refers to weight. Do you agree that the word baggage feels heavy, but luggage feels lighter? In reference, you may know the idiom ‘carrying too much baggage’ or even ‘carrying the world on your shoulders’.

Talking of luggage versus baggage, in this still somewhat disruptive time the opportunity to let go of what does not serve can be a blessing; from stuff, to habits, to ways of doing in business and life.

I notice the ‘tools’ I needed in business and in life, or thought I needed BC (before corona), are no longer fit-for-purpose. This is especially apparent as I move through DC (during corona) to AC (after corona).

As I practice letting go – a synonym of surrender – I stand consciously in the present to ask, ‘what must I leave behind?’. I notice I am talking in; I am listening to my heart before asking my head as I muster the courage to say farewell. Interestingly, in French ‘heart’ translates as ‘coeur’. Courage to Coeur Age, or the Heart Age. There’s blessing if ever there was one!

My love of wordsmithing fired during my professional journey in Public Relations. Many moons ago I named a workshop ‘The Value of Vocabulary’ and another ‘The Gift of Glossary’.

Then in 2008, I started my Edgewalker journey and began integrating Dr Judi Neal’s modelling into my toolkit. This is how ‘my experience’ with Alternative Strategy was birthed.

With practice, I am now able to look in different places for new answers, and use word play to amplify the essence of the findings, as well as the build the equity of the (brand) message. But the real joy comes from supporting strategic leadership in the creation of new value by ‘positively playing with words’.

In early 2020, a colleague said: “we must remain decisively human in this digital era”. This aroused my ethical commitment (as a marketer) to discourage a cyberworld smacking of ‘content obesity and information starvation’.

On- and off-line, clarity matters. Kindness does too.

It’s a no brainer that (spoken) acts of love and kindness evoke love and kindness in others. In polarity, words can deflate, inflate and crush ego. This is likely to result in all manner of negative outcomes, especially when the intention is ignite expansionary impact, right?

Back to idioms or expressions, you may be familiar with the ‘calm before the storm’ in reference to an often-noticeable period of inactivity or even tranquility before something quite chaotic sweeps in, with calm and storm in polarity.

During this extended period of time I am calling during corona (DC), are we are experiencing a reverse polarity at play? Could this be the storm before the calm? Is this really a sign of the new normal, or as Ian Berry, my co-creator in StrategicHeartistry.com said: “There will be no new normal. There will only be a series of not normal”.

If Ian is right, ‘not normal’ could be a blessing in disguise for a new world order.

Here’s Six Alternative Nuances:

1. Be Present: The first Edgewalker Skill is Sensing the Future. The blessing in disguise of DC into AC is we do not know anymore, so we can strategically plan in the moment, from here to here, instead of here to there!
2. Travel Light: One of the five Edgewalker Qualities of Being is Playfulness defined as A joyful sense of fun and creativity, an ability to keep everything in perspective. Stepping forth with our business strategy carrying luggage not baggage will likely give a determined lightness across the team.
3. Words Matter: Integrity is a Edgewalker Quality and Connecting is the fifth Skill. Both act as a reminder that what we say and how we say it influences cause and effect.
4. Heart Knows: Some say intuition lives in the gut. Others suggest this is the source of instinct – not intuition – nudged to life by memory recall, whereas intuition ‘sees’ from the third chakra, also known as The Third Eye. This is the pineal gland and it has a direct link to the heart. On the path of transformation, listen to your heart before you ask your head, including the heart of your organization.
5. Listen to Hear: It’s not just you, we all need constant practice in the art of Active Listening. I have noticed that Fear can close off the Ear, so we Hear what we want to hear. Listen to the Heart. And notice the letters at work in these words – Fear, Ear, Hear, Heart. And, an anagram of heart is Earth.
6. You: You are a blessing and the gift to universal intention. So is every family member and team mate. Enough said.

Thanks for reading. I am self-proclaimed Alternative Strategist because the strategist in me just won’t buzz off and let me be something different, so I am Being Different by fusing Strategy with Spirituality at the intersection of Digital Technology. For further details or to schedule a discussion with me, email coach@maximizeu.life

 References:

Edgewalker Qualities — Edgewalkers

Edgewalker Skills — Edgewalkers

Edgewalker Statements Are You An Edgewalker? — Edgewalkers

A version of this article was first published in April 2020 on www.edgewalkers.org