Scott Jeffrey » consciousness

Three Qualities of Consciousness

Scott Jeffrey — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 13:00:18 +0000

Indian spiritual literature speaks of the three gunas, or three qualities of consciousness.

First, there is tamas, the quality of inertia, lethargy, and darkness. At tamas, life functioning is difficult as only the bare minimum is possible.

When one lets go of his or her resistances, tamas gives way to rajas, the level of activity, effort, and passion. Whereas at tamas, a person may be apathetic or simply lack the energy to take action, at rajas, the person is now fueled by motivation to improve his or her life. Here, there is a focus on both internal and external esteem needs.

Finally, the determination and dedication of rajas gives way to sattva, the state of being, harmony, and peace. At rajas, there’s a focus on material things: the car you drive, the size and location of your house, designer clothing, the latest technology, and so on. At sattva, the emphasis turns to who and what you are—and to experiencing a sense of balance, compassion, and peace.

Ultimately, all three qualities of consciousness are around us at all times. We can observe people and businesses stuck in tamas, seemingly unwilling or unable to grow and adapt, barely surviving. In others, we can notice an unquestionable drive to succeed in the world (rajas)—individuals committed to “making it to the top” and businesses focused on creating dominant market share. And in some individuals (but rarely in businesses) we can admire a state of balance and centeredness (sattva)—those that have transcended both rajas and tamas.

Perhaps you can even witness all three gunas within yourself—within different roles or Areas of Focus in your life and business.

When you observe resistance within yourself, say to completing a project or doing a household chore, the state of tamas is present. When driven by constant activity, rajas holds sway. When you enter a state of allowing—when things just seem to flow—you are in a sattvic state.

Become aware of these three qualities in your daily life. With greater awareness comes a greater range of choice. You will come to notice your resistances (tamas) more quickly, enabling you to transcend into rajas. Through the course of one’s inner evolution, sattva will begin to emerge on its own.

Relinquishing Control of the Creative Process

Scott Jeffrey — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 12:30:47 +0000

The more you try to be creative, the more creativity will elude you. Trying to capture the creative impulse is like grabbing water in your hand—the tighter your hold, the less water you retain.

The human ego has a constant drive to control its environment. Secretly believing that it is the source of the universe, the ego willfully looks to change everything. From the ego’s perspective, it is the source of creative inspiration.

Consciousness and psychological research, however, has demonstrated that the ego actually blocks creative expression. The more humility you possess, the more you are able to get out of your own way. As the ego’s hold is minimized, your creative potential is realized.

Instead of attempting to control the creative process, let go trying to change anything.

As a Student, your job is to explore the problem from every angle. But then, the Wanderer must step in. In the state of the Wanderer, the creative genius surrenders to the problem to something beyond himself and awaits the Muse’s answer.

When confronted with a difficult problem, seek to understand the nature of the problem. But then, simply allow the problem to be there. Your creative output can soar.

The Power of Intention in Brand Building

Scott Jeffrey — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 11:30:55 +0000

There are many different levels of brand loyalty. These levels are defined by the degree of commitment corporate leadership and the overall company culture demonstrates in serving their customers.

There is, however, a clear dividing line that separates companies into two distinct groups. As psychiatrist David R. Hawkins’s consciousness research reveals, there is a clear line between companies with and without integrity.

To illustrate this critical factor in business success, let’s compare the different qualities of integrous and nonintegrous businesses:

Businesses without Integrity	Businesses with Integrity
Exploitative intention toward customer	Transactional/relational intention toward customer
Focus on short-term profit	Focus on long-term relationship (profits are a consequence of serving customers)
Apathetic toward customer needs	Positive feelings toward customers
Worldview: “If we don’t get their money, someone else will.”	Worldview: “We are grateful for the opportunity to serve our customers.”
Short-term focus	Long-term vision
Selfish and greedy	Supports the community (invests in programs that don’t necessarily yield immediate revenue)
Deceitful and disingenuous	Honest and trustworthy
Bureaucratic	Effective and creative
Exploits employees	Supports and uplifts employees; perceives employees as part of a family
Does the bare minimum for customers	Goes the extra mile for its customers
Revenue-centric	Customer-centric
Uncaringly destroys environment	Ecologically aware; moves toward long-term environmental sustainability
Uses force to feed financial coffers	Comes from power to build a long-term, sustainable business

Businesses with integrity include Southwest Airlines, Apple, Costco, Wal-Mart, Zappos, L.L. Bean, FedEx and Amazon. Businesses without integrity include Enron, WorldCom, Countrywide Financial and AIG. Which companies do you think have loyal customers?

A Penny for Your 50,000 Thoughts

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 11:00:26 +0000

According to psychologists, we each have approximately 50,000 thoughts per day. (If this sounds inconceivable, close your eyes and try counting all the random thoughts that float through your consciousness in 60 seconds.)

Like the Indy 500, most thoughts race through our minds, zoom across our psyche, making an occasional pit stop on our radar of awareness.

Pondering this staggering number, it’s amazing we’re able to communicate coherently or accomplish any task at all. The array of thoughts zipping through our head isn’t necessarily the problem; generally, we function fine.

The greater challenge lies in the quality of these thoughts: Out of the 50,000 thoughts you had yesterday, how many are different from the 50,000 you are having today?

We have the tendency of locking ourselves into patterns of thinking reinforced by beliefs, behaviors and habits. Although each moment is unique—a whole universe within itself—by default, we unknowingly engage analogous thoughts over and over.

Precision focused with positive intention, these thoughts can be powerful allies as you fashion your future. Alas, too often we contemplate the injustices of our unforgiving work environments, replay nonsensical arguments and simmer in ongoing competitive crises.

The qualitative sum of your thoughts defines your experience. Your level of happiness, enthusiasm and centeredness is a byproduct of those racing, aimless thoughts flashing through your psyche.

Gravity tends to pull us toward a lower common denominator. If we remain unaware of our thought patterns, we end up like the vast majority of people who never learn how to craft and live their vision. There are few truly effective Creative Professionals in the world.

Obviously, the power of positive thinking isn’t a new concept. We know. We get it: What we focus on becomes our reality. But with 50,000 whirling thoughts to manage, even our best efforts will likely fall short. So why not try something different?

Find a sacred space within yourself and uncover a land beyond worry, anxiety and anger. Deep in the uncharted corners of your mind await hidden treasures of love and tranquility. Once you unlock the chest, a pool of newfound energy and ideas springs forth.

So what are you thinking about?

Six Powerful Thoughts for Monday

The Origin of Ideas

Scott Jeffrey — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 11:12:59 +0000

Most people assume ideas originate from our brains, as if there’s a idea-generating machine inside that is always “on,” except during sleep when the dream machine takes over.

Neuroscientists are unable to locate the “place” from which these ethereal enigmas arise; they can only determine what parts of the brain get activated after the thought has registered.

Mystics and philosophers, however, have proclaimed since antiquity that thoughts arise of their own, characterizing them as impersonal. Although difficult to fathom, with honest, introspective observation, one can easily confirm that thoughts arise of their own—whether you want them to or not.

This realization brings up the next big question: Where do thoughts and ideas come from?

Psychiatrist and consciousness researcher David R. Hawkins confirms that thoughts arise from the infinite field of consciousness itself, a sort of collective nonlinear pool of knowledge existing beyond time and space.

This infinite field is known by different names by various religions and schools of thought. Western religions call it God; Eastern philosophy calls it the Self (capital “S”).

A unique explanation of the nature of consciousness is found in Hawkins’ Power vs. Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, and summarized in my book Creativity Revealed: Discovering the Source of Inspiration.

Although the topic of consciousness might seem too intellectual or abstract to some readers, the benefits of this research are extraordinary for virtually every field of study—including creativity.

5 MORE Ways to Become Creative at Work

Scott Jeffrey — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 11:00:56 +0000

Building on yesterday’s post, here are five more ways to align to creativity:

1) Clean the Mental Slate

Belief systems and “paradigm blindness” blocks our ability to see things in new ways. Be willing to let go of how things are generally perceived and view the problem from a clean slate.

2) Facilitate Open Dialogue

Quantum physicist David Bohm introduced the idea of dialoguing where a group of people willingly let go of their perceived notions and seek to find shared meaning. Lead your meeting with a sense of openness and collaboration in search of shared meaning instead of a debate where members try to persuade each other.

3) Maintain a Positive Attitude

If you start with the assumption that there is a solution and you have the inner resources to uncover it, you’ll increase your chances of aligning to the answer.

4) Come From a Place of Humility

Humility is a universal quality of the genius. A true genius rarely takes credit for the creative work he produces. Most geniuses look to some form of a “Higher Power” as the Source of their creative efforts. See yourself as a mere conduit for the creative impulse rather than its originator.

5) Be Patient

The Muse often appears at the most unlikely time and place. Stay ready. Stay open. And be patient. The creative impulse is not a personal phenomenon. You’re tapping into a universal field of consciousness that transcends the understanding of the human mind. When the conditions are appropriate, the solution will present itself.

Creativity is our natural state when we remove the barriers to its manifestation. Keep this in mind and have an inspired day.

The Death of To-Do Lists and the Birth of Creativity

Scott Jeffrey — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 12:41:26 +0000

Our culture’s love for busyness dominates our lives. From high school and beyond, we’re socially conditioned to think in terms of to-do lists, tasks, and checklists.

While a checklist for groceries can be useful when food shopping, using to-do lists in your business activities is not only inefficient, but it often plants the “seed of your own destruction.” To-do lists guarantee busyness without necessitating achievement and results.

There’s nothing “wrong” with being busy. In fact, as a quality of consciousness, it’s innate to our humanness. If we are unable to transcend this primal ego drive, however, we greatly limit our creativity. The general lack of creativity in the majority of mankind is a testament to this animalistic drive.

Locked in this endless pattern of activity, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to maintain the “big picture” perspective. High-level evaluation and doorways to creative inspiration are closed to the person overwhelmed by continual activity.

The wise transcend the survival instinct that often hinders our ability to manifest creatively.

Spend less time asking What do I need to do next? and invest more time connecting, exploring, and clarifying the bigger picture. If you do, you’ll find the to-dos tend to take care of themselves effortlessly.