Ok. Silly, rhetorical question:

Do you ever find that modern life moves unbelievably fast?

Right.

Each day brings new demands, a never ending to do list, and the harsh criticism of an insatiable inner critic. The rabbit hole easily manifests a condition of overwhelm and paralysis – not knowing what to prioritize and literally stalling into inactivity.

Even the world’s greatest founders struggle with entrepreneurial hardship. Elon Musk is famous for sharing that, “running a start-up is like chewing glass and staring into the abyss. After a while, you stop staring, but the glass chewing never ends.” Oh, the joy!

However, the irony of an overly logical, task list oriented society might just be how much it compels us to exercise our intuition. At some point the only way to make sense of it all is to let go and use intuition to guide our actions.

Something powerful happens when intuition is combined with hard work. The rigors of reality inform our subconscious mind. There is a certain necessity to the effort, to the way that it creates an embodied understanding. Think of a professional athlete that practices the same movement over and over again. Consistent effort over time is that practice. When the conscious mind becomes overwhelmed by too much detail, the subconscious mind instinctively knows how to respond with creative intelligence – if we create the space to listen.

And the best way to listen is to take moments of stillness. The subconscious communicates through random thoughts, images, and sensations. Taking just a few moments to tune inwards opens the doors of perception.

The trick is continually coming back to center. Too much stillness, and we take no action. Too much action and we are lost in perpetual busyness. To quote the ancient greeks – know thyself. This is a practiced territory of coming back to internal presence over and over again.

Today’s video explores how you can lead from the emerging future – a phrase coined by MIT professor Otto Scharmer.  How do you cut through all the noise to make important decisions with more intelligence?  How do you tune in to what wants to emerge?  Today, we delve in to a simple and specific way to approach any creative project with awareness and intuition.

Please enjoy.

PS… Our team recently participated in Otto Scharmer’s Societal Transformation Lab.  Working with graduates of the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma we developed a fun and insightful reflective journaling experience to help you build awareness around your relationship with time.  After eight months of co-creative process, we’re launching the The Time of your Life pilot today. If you’re interested, sign up here.