For a couple of months now a few of my clients have been asking me when are you going to set the dates for your Coral Journey. It’s lovely to be able to respond to their requests rather than to be creating something and hoping people will be interested, such a different energy. Even before I had created the web copy for the course, 50% of the places were taken: no words can express the gratitude I felt for that. And yet I was aware of other messier feelings bubbling below the surface.
It started in a place of curiosity when I read a fantastic article about the Overton Window – the range of ideas that the public will accept. A tool that is very popular amongst politicians as a way of deciding whether to support a particular idea or not. If it becomes popular enough it will become policy. And here’s the thing the Overton Window subtly influences each of us whether we are aware of it or not.
What it reveals is unthinkability bias – so often we are unable to accept facts simply because we wish they weren’t true. In other words if something seems unthinkable because it falls so far outside the Overton window, we unconsciously deny its accuracy. As a historian, it is why I have always been an advocate of Braudel’s work in which he argued for the “longue durée” – the study of history over decades or hundreds of years rather than five to 20 years. Taking this kind of long range perspective can help us see how ideas evolve; and so ultimately make more informed decisions.
Why is this so difficult?
To spot the trends of the future be that in society or specifically in the work that you do, you need to be living on the edge of the Overton window. This is because if your ideas are within the range of acceptability and popularity on the scale you are one or two steps away from commodity (when talking about work we swap policy for commodity). In other words when a career choice is popular and lots of people are doing it, the perceived value is less so what others are willing to pay for it goes down!
Living on the edge of the Overton Window is challenging because it’s like being on a tight rope or a balancing beam. You want to be ahead of the curve so in radical territory but not so far out that your ideas are in unthinkable territory because being 100 years ahead of your time makes it hard for people to grasp and accept. Even in the radical space you will probably be looked down on or seen as an oddball beyond the comfort zone of most. People won’t want to associate too closely with you. This may mean as an entrepreneur that other aspects of running a successful business could elude you like gaining testimonials and referrals.
What is the answer?
My source of support comes in the form of my soul family, my version of a “mastermind” group. When the going gets tough I lean in and find a way through. Together we rise and what I have noticed is that each of our businesses have benefitted as a result because of the way we hold the space for each other. These words from a poem called The Circle which I shared with my super-vision sangha capture the quality I am talking about:
This space formed by gathering
Is unmindful of social grading
Repelling all attempts at control
And when held with intention
Is the embrace of invention.
Right now in this time of transition we are called to quest uncertainty rather than seek certainty and yes that can take everything out of you. It is not always easy to find a mastermind group so if you haven’t then I invite you to consider reaching out and looking for a mentor. It is a service I offer to visionary leaders and coaches and if that’s of interest, start by booking a 60 minute chemistry session to see if we are a good fit.
The quest into the unknown leads to love
The energy of the full moon last Saturday was inviting us to step into the unknown which is also the energy of bottle 36 in the CM system: clicking
on the link will allow you to find out more about that bottle. In my journey this week, I realised that finding love is like making great creme brûlée, it can take many attempts before you get it right. You are love, I am love. When I remember that my light shines brighter and the energy emanates from me without me having to say anything. And in that moment I realise that that is enough. That is what attracts clients to me; not the testimonials of others. And with that allowing, acceptance and embrace I can release a little more of my lower self and expand a little more in my beingness.
As you consider all of this then just maybe there is space to see the Divine perfection in all things, the essence of the Coral Journey. And as you relax into that your breath comes a bit more easily and life becomes less about getting it right and more about enjoying the moment. And that ease allows for more grace and flow and so more creativity and innovation. Who knows that may even nudge you a step further from what is sensible and acceptable so you can start embracing what’s radical… I would love to hear what this brings up for you so why not leave a comment or drop me an email?