We are living in an era where everything is changing daily. Circumstances are pushing us to look more deeply at challenges facing us. So, we need to develop a much deeper level of thinking.
According to Peter Senge and co-authors in the book “Presence,” what we need is to be able to “access the future” in a way that he calls Presencing. Presencing is about being fully aware in the present moment. We cut out any distractions and listen deeply. We consciously stop thinking of how we previously solved issues. We let go of any need to know the outcome or to control the process. In this way, we allow for creativity and intuition to enter this empty space.
When we need to solve a challenging problem for which we have no answer yet, we need to follow a different approach. E.G. you are wondering whether you should expand your business. Or should you change direction? Or how to bring diverse cultures together?
Step 1: Empty yourself and Live with the Question
Let go of any preconceived ideas or solutions. “Live yourself in the situation” as if you are in it. Allow yourself to observe and absorb the challenge. This process could last days or even longer depending on the complexity or magnitude of the issue. In reality, we slow down our thinking and back off trying to find a quick solution. It becomes a deliberate process of waiting. This is like an incubation phase. This means we need to manage our own level of frustration of not yet knowing the outcome.
Step 2: Retreat
Give yourself time for a concept or idea to evolve and form into something more tangible to solve a challenge. Allow yourself to stay in this “suspended” space. You will find that consciously and subconsciously your mind is working with the issue. This is not a logical and rational process where you can weigh up the pro’s and con’s of the various options. It is more a right brain, creative function where the subconscious works with the challenge.
When we sit with a situation long enough, we will over time reach a place of inner knowing of what is required next. It is not a decision, but rather a deep sense of what is the next obvious step.
Step 3: Take swift action
Once you have this inner knowing, you need to take deliberate action and do what is required. Typically, what happens is that we have sat with the issue for so long, reflected on all the aspects around it, that we feel we have become the change. So what actions we take tend to be effortless.
In this process we give our intuition the space to surface and to show us how to move forward. We get out own beliefs, agendas, etc. out of the way. We sit with an issue and just allow it to unfold. The intuitive messages or inner knowing will suddenly one day, out of the blue, come to the fore. It will be very obvious to us then, what we need to do next.
Contact Me if you need a sounding board for resolving new or complex challenges.