Creative Consciousness Strategy

I’ve been observing the various states of being/doing, which we find ourselves in all day long.  For small business entrepreneurs, strategic productivity is essential.  To improve business productivity, raise your state of consciousness.

Doubt and distraction are the two stuck states most often raised by my clients, which get in the way of their completing what they say they want to complete.

Both states are non-productive and keep us stuck within over-thinking and avoidance.  But once we decide to act, what are the most and least productive states?

istock_000004139892xsmallFrom what I’ve observed, creation is the most productive and allowing is the least productive.

Creation stimulates positive evolution in business mastery, personal productivity and personal growth.

The Creative Consciousness Strategy is a way to pause and catch oneself in the moment. This is the third strategy in this series here’s one and two.

ladderfortomTo engage the strategy, look at the ladder of creative consciousness and use it to decide to move up as many rungs as you can.

The Creative Consciousness Strategy has the same effect as asking this question about any business activity: “Is this something that makes me a profit?”

Or, for more creative living, ask, “is this something that brings me great joy or fulfillment?”

Here’s a quick description of how I see each rung.

When allowing, we are permitting and/or endorsing an action that may not have originated by conscious personal choice. When allowing, we are indulging the whims of others or permitting unexpected situations to determine our investment of resources.

Reacting is a notch above, because at least we are recoiling to an outside stimulus – even though reaction is often quick and emotionally charged, and only provides temporary relief.

Responding is a more considered and thoughtful acknowledgment of the situation, and thus our return response is often more logical and effective. But it’s still a return volley and not an originally initiated action.

Promotion is a step higher because we have decided to affect our own world by coercion, persuasion, education or some other method of influence.

Requesting is a higher state because we are asking and inviting.  Since asking invites feedback and conversation, it is the closest state to creation and is often a precursor to it.

But creation is the highest business and life state, because it melds authenticity with intent, confidence and decision.  Creation allows for experimentation and the expansion of possibilities.  Because of this, it’s never a dead end.  Creation is the highest state of being/doing consciousness because it generates value.

The most effective way to reach a state of higher creative consciousness is to be challenged to boldy create the life or business of ones dreams.  Playing small serves no one.  Want a chaleneg that will knock your sokcs off? Enroll in this free coaching experience: Creating the Life & Business You Most Want; A Bold Process for Authoring Your Own Life Now!

Comments

  1. Suzanne @ vAssistant Services says

    From what I’ve observed, creation is the most productive and allowing is the least productive.

    Hmmm…I guess I have a different definition or concept in mind when I think of allowing. I don’t see it as the other end of the spectrum as this ladder suggests.

    I see allowing as an active rather than passive activity. Whether or not I allow someone to push my buttons, or not. Whether I allow the good things I want into my life, or self-sabotage them away. Whether I allow myself to live a bolder life, or shrink and hide.

    Maybe the difference is the level of activity or passivity involved. Which relates directly back to the level of consciousness.

    So, from an ‘allowing is a passive activity’ stance, I agree with you – it is the least productive. But from an ‘allowing is an active activity’ stance, au contraire, mon ami, I do not agree – allowing is an integral part of creation.

    Suzanne @ vAssistant Servicess last blog post..Build a Better Blog in 31 Days!

  2. I too believe that creation is the highest state of being. When we are creative we are usually at our happiest. Whether it be creating a lovely conversation with a friend or building an addition on to a home – creation comes in many forms.

    The hard part is letting creation come out without worrying about the consequences, such as saying the wrong thing or making a mistake on the addition. We have to try many things to get the creative part right even if that means messing up a whole bunch of times. Because messing up is just a part of the creative process.

    Karl Staib – Work Has last blog post..Indulge Your Senses At Work

  3. Hi Tom!

    As always, it is good t be here!

    While I do agree that creation is ensconced in the highest rung, I would much prefer to skip over “reaction.” For me, reaction has never worked in any situation…I always do well with “responding” however! :~)

    Thank you for always sharing your deepest knowledge!

    “Creation is the closest consciousness to the Source!” ~Henie~

    Henies last blog post..Only If You Love Cars (Series #2)

  4. Karl – There are many examples of profitable mistakes. Just thinking about Tom Edison always takes the pressure off for me. You’re right on – failure is just part of the process.

    Suzanne – Hey you raised your objection and then answered your won question. Thanks for doing my job for me. 🙂 From what I’ve observed allowing that is less than aware and passive keeps folks just waiting and waiting is very costly. Sure we consciously allow some things in the creation process. But look at it this way. Which question gets you more fired up? What can I create today? Or, what can I allow today?

  5. Hi Tom. I understand your perspective and agree to a certain extent. Where I go off is in saying that one is more productive than the other. I think the creating and the allowing are like the yin and yang. They are a cycle that feed off of each other. We see the creating: yang/action, but we don’t see the allowing: intuitive/listening. It’s kind of neat that you used these two word back-to-back in one of your sentences… “Creation allows for experimentation…” 🙂

    I just had a conversation with a fellow coach this a.m. We spoke about the doing/being funnily enough. There does need to be a balance. I get excited about the doing/creating because I like to see results, but I also get excited about the being/allowing when things or insights or opportunities “magically” play a part in the creation.

    Davinas last blog post..Good Advice in Tough Times

  6. Perhaps I haven’t grasped your point on “allowing”.

    As leaders of our organizations, we should delegate and empower our staff to make decisions…we can’t make every decision ourselves. Isn’t assigning this responsibility to others ALLOWING them to make a decision that hadn’t originated from our own choices?

    I suppose we made the choice to delegate to them, but the individual decisions they make aren’t always coming from our own directives, right?

    Matt Thomass last blog post..Keeping Yourself in the Spotlight

  7. Tom,

    I LOVE that picture of the ladder of creative consciousness. I think I get stuck on the promoting rung. I’ve always found it hard to promote myself and yet that’s what is required to succeed in business right? I’m printing that image out to stick on my notice board as a reminder. Thanks!

    Daphne @ Joyful Dayss last blog post..Book Review: Facing The Final Mystery

  8. Hi Tom,

    I have a similar problem to Suzanne. Creativity involves receptivity – it is a shaping of this [stuff] and so engages with what is.

    Like Suzanne I think, I see there is a kind of active allowing.

    But being passive and dictated to is the lowest form of consciousness. I don’t think we can live much of a life without creativity. I like the ladder too – clear and useful

    Evans last blog post..The Time Has Come . . . to Launch

  9. Davina – It’s kind of funny reading these reactions to allowing in retrospect because I obviously wrote this post for clients who have not reached the stage of enlightenment that you and Suzanne have. I get what you are saying as well. However deciding to create something at least for me, has much more initiative and determination in it. I did not produce as well or earn as well when I was more connected to my beingness.

    Henie – I’m with you there. reaction isn’t often productive at all. The ladder is just my perspective on how to consciously move up. I don’t get much done on the first two rungs eaither.

    Matt – Sure I can agree with that. First off, I’m almost always writing for solopreneurs. That’s who I like to coach and I never have any desire to work in a large organization at all. So when I talk about allowing, I’m referring to allowing things like, a negative thought, piss poor service and self-doubt to remain in my mind or experience. I often stop allowances I don’t want by setting standards for myself and boundaries with others. Your example of allowing their results is correct.

    Daphne – Yep shameless self-promotion gets easier when you are working within your true calling. But that’s why I think that creation is really the highest rung. For example, I can promote using all kinds of sales copy extolling my ability as a coach. Or I can create a powerful coaching session for a prospective client as a test drive and let them experience the value first hand.

    Evan – I would have guessed that you fall on that side of the equation. 🙂 I’ll try once more to clear up my point. Since I’m a one man empire, my business productivity closely follows my personal productivity. When I simply allow that less than powerful forces in my life that come uninvited I don’t produce as well or as much value as I do when I take initiative, decide, create and complete. That’s a mystical as I care to get these days. I think that each individual needs to use what works well for them. Just call me Action Jackson! 🙂

  10. This is an interesting post Tom. As you know, I work with a business partner. Yesterday I found an interesting thing. You said, “Is this something that makes me a profit?”

    Or, for more creative living, ask, “is this something that brings me great joy or fulfillment?”

    My partner said where she would like her role to go in our business as we grow. While doing what she would like to do would bring her more joy or fulfillment, my thoughts are that it won’t bring us profit but could actually cost us money. I was honest and told her that what she wants would cost us money. I’m not sure that is a big deal to her but it is to me. It could be an interesting problem to solve.

  11. Chris Edgar | Purpose Power Coaching says

    Hi Tom — That’s interesting — for me, it seems like creativity can arise out of allowing in the sense that, when I’m feeling blocked, if I just allow the feeling of emptiness to be for a while without trying to push it away my best ideas can emerge. But I think you mean allowing more in the sense of resigning in a sulking way to what’s going on in your business or some other part of your life, which sounds like just a beaten-down form of resistance.

  12. Chris – Yes the allowing I spoke of could be resignation but also it could be avoidance because we feel just not ready to deal with it. I get what your saying Chris, obviously allowing some states of mind can be very productive.

  13. This is a useful tool showing a “pathway” from being unconscious to the ultimate act of conscioesness – creation.

    I am reading a book called Think Better by Tim Hurson that you might enjoy (he is on twitter as @Think_Better and I believe @thurson too)

    In it he talks about our “gator brain” – it is the part of our brain that is designed to be entirely reactive. It can save our lives, but it can also get in the way of conscious choice. He suggests that more often than not, even when we seem to be thinking (responding is an example of thinking I believe,) that we may not actually be thinking at all but instead rationalizing based on our reaction. This can create an illusion that we are on the path toward consciousness when we are actually just rationalizing based on our reaction.

    Hopefully that made sense!

    Susan Mazzas last blog post..The Ultimate Job Protection Program

  14. Susan – Yes that makes sense. I see this in looking at decsions all the time. Many folks think that they make rational decisions based on facts but in reality they react to emotions and then come back later and edit the story as if they looked at the facts.

  15. “Doubt and distraction are the two stuck states most often raised by my clients, which get in the way of their completing what they say they want to complete.” very general observation and I guess I would have to agree, although when these two factors intertwine, the solution becomes entirely complicated.

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