Rashmi is a writer, entrepreneur, and motivational speaker. An author of ten bestselling books on entrepreneurship, Rashmi is the #1 business books author in India. Her books include Stay Hungry Stay Foolish, Connect the Dots, I Have a Dream, God’s Own Kitchen, Touch the Sky, and We Are Champions.

Rashmi-Bansal.jpg

Rashmi Bansal

The road less traveled

Rathna Yaldaparast

<h4>RATHNA YALDAPARAST is a Senior Consultant at Deloitte and a longtime Heartfulness practitioner. Here, she describes how a <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/love-and-remembrance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spiritual practice</a> has helped her connect with herself and others.</h4><hr>In a world increasingly intertwined, it is overwhelming to look out and be faced with all the issues we are yet to resolve. It is easy to lose ourselves when constantly chasing after something more, never content with what is right in front of us. It is easy to pass off issues that don’t impact us directly as “someone else’s problem,” or to convince ourselves that there are other more talented and well-qualified people to tackle the injustices in our world. Often we recede into ourselves, trying to disconnect from the rest of the world and its endless problems.How can I, with all my imperfections and doubts, possibly make a difference?Spirituality is a welcome escape from the pressures and the stresses of everyday life. It allows us to focus on inner growth, to develop at our own pace without the pressures of competition or deadlines. It offers a momentary escape with singular clarity and provides comfort in solitude. It is easy to lose ourselves in the “high” of the peace, the serenity of being alone without feeling lonely, and the escape from the stress and pressure of everyday life. What is not easy is coming back, finding a way to be part of this world after experiencing such profound relief.But the point of spirituality is not to escape. It is to live a balanced life. Instead of using spirituality to seclude ourselves, we can use it to connect with the people around us. As we dive deeper, and discover that there is more to life than what is outside us, we can then balance our attention between the inner and outer. By gaining deeper clarity about ourselves, we are more capable of the compassion and acceptance required to understand those around us, even those with whom we have nothing in common.<hr><hr><h4>By gaining deeper clarity about ourselves,&nbsp; we are more capable of the compassion and acceptance&nbsp; required to understand those around us,&nbsp; even those with whom we have nothing in common.&nbsp;</h4><hr><hr>In response to the world’s misfortune, Walt Whitman wrote, “that you are here – that life exists and identity, that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.” To live a meaningful life is to actively participate in the place and time we in habit. We achieve balance in ourselves and in our lives, and recognize that doing so cannot be accomplished by isolating our lives from the world. Peace within sustains peace on the outside. Spirituality teaches us how to live with ourselves; relationships teach us how to live with each other. Learning to live with ourselves and accept our imperfections shows us how to live with and accept each other as we are. Approaching ourselves with patience and compassion gives us the capacity to treat each other in the same manner.<hr><hr><h4>Peace within sustains peace on the outside.</h4><hr><hr>A <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-science-behind-creating-a-daily-meditation-practice" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spiritual practice</a> dissolves the walls we build around ourselves, and removes the barriers we use to compartmentalize problems as “someone else’s.” We learn to accept that each one of us has a responsibility to contribute to the world in a meaningful way. By choosing to be a part of this world, by living our lives in a purposeful manner, and by improving ourselves from the inside out, we create a more compassionate and accepting society.The first step, the hardest step, is to begin. Make that choice and your life may contribute a verse.<hr>

How to connect with yourself and others

Rathnam Parthasarathi

<hr><h3 style="text-align:center;">GENERATION NOW</h3><hr>According to Google, the definition of generosity of the heart is, “One of the ways we come into balance and connection with each other; life is by giving from the heart. When we give to others, whether it’s an act of kindness, generosity, or compassion, it helps us live from the heart instead of the ego.” If you perform an action from the heart, whether it’s something as small as giving the last cookie to your younger sister, or as big as donating one million dollars to COVID-19 relief funds, it is because of generosity of the heart. If we take it a step further, we can even call it love.The idea of love seems like a very twisted concept nowadays, but it is actually quite simple. When you really give generously from the heart, it’s because of the love you have for other human beings. It doesn’t matter if you just met them, or if they are a blood relative, or if you’re in a relationship with them. On a fundamental level, it is due to the love you have for them; that’s where the idea of generosity stems from.I distinctly remember a childhood memory, which is spoken about by my dad even to this day. At the age of three, I had been suffering from severe fever for about two days, and no amount of medicine or time seemed to help. It was only after my mother stayed up for two days without rest or food, sick from worry, did I finally begin to heal. Today, as I ruminate over this event, I feel like I was healed because of her sheer willpower. She refused to let anything happen to me, and her will and love healed me.Generosity allows your heart to open up to love, compassion, and other positive emotions that allow humans to experience their true self. As is often said, “Generosity is a practical expression of love.”<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RATHNAM PARTHASARATHI</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

Love and generosity

Ravi lives in Atlanta, Georgia, and is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Cantaloupe. He is also a regular public speaker and public speaking coach. He has been a Heartfulness meditator for over 20 years and is passionate about applying meditation lessons to improve workplace relationships and productivity.

Ravi-Venkatesan.jpg

Ravi Venkatesan

<h4>In the last 4 articles, RAVI VENKATESAN has talked about the reasons public speakers fail, the 27Cs of good communication, body language and voice modulation, and the ‘power of pause’. In part 5 he shifts from the science to the art of Heartful presenting, with a focus on ‘Presence’.</h4>
<h5 style="text-align: center;"></h5>

<hr>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Presence</h3>

<hr>

We are evaluated and judged, even as we walk onto a stage. This happens subconsciously, before we have uttered a single word. There are simple external factors like the clothes we wear, and more subliminal factors like our thoughts and feelings as we walk in, which combine to establish our Presence.

To understand the importance of Presence and how to purposefully establish it, try the following simple exercises:

<img class="has-img-center" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/presentation1_f142c23c3e.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-30T05:05:33.907Z" />
<h6 style="text-align: justify;">With a group of friends or co-workers, have one person walk in as if they are about to present on a topic. Before they say anything, ask the group to comment on the person by saying, “I felt that she brought a _______ presence to the room,” and filling in the blank. You will be surprised at the types of comments you receive. This will bring to light how subconscious evaluation happens.</h6>

<img class="has-img-center" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/presentation2_149d043b09.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-30T05:05:56.528Z" />
<h6 style="text-align: justify;">Ask the same person to now think about what presence they would like to bring, for example, confident, casual, somber, authoritative, serious, joyful, etc. Have them walk in again, without sharing with the group what presence they wanted to bring. Now ask the group to comment again as before. This exercise will bring to light how much the presence of a person can shift simply based on intent.</h6>

<hr>

There are 5 Cs that need to be mastered to establish presence in public speaking:
<h4>CREDIBLE</h4>
It is very important to establish upfront who you are, why are you qualified to speak about your topic, and why your audience should listen to you. For example, if you are speaking about the importance of balancing exercise, nutrition and meditation for overall wellness, it would help to start with a statement like, “I have been an avid Yoga practitioner and meditation instructor for over 20 years. I have also been a nutrition consultant for the last 2 years. I am passionate about helping people create balance in their lives through better nutrition, exercise and meditation.”

<h4>CONFIDENT</h4>
Confidence arising out of preparation and self-belief is essential to elicit attention. The best way to develop confidence is to speak to a large group in the same way you would have a conversation. Simply make eye contact with one person at a time, and say whatever you have to say, as if you are having a conversation. Self-belief comes from knowing that you are the expert in whatever message you are here to deliver, irrespective of whether or not you are the expert in a particular field.

<h4>CURRENT</h4>

Use approaches that are in vogue with the times and the environment. For example, if you are doing a TED talk, don’t stand behind a podium. Use visual aids appropriately to highlight key points. Ask questions so that you use an ‘inquiry-based learning’ style.
<h4>CHARISMATIC</h4>
Let your natural personality shine through. This is the simplest way to develop charisma. Most of us believe that charisma is something natural, and you either have it or you don’t. The reality is that most charismatic people have worked on it. Charisma is there in all of us, but inhibitions and the fear of being judged block it. To overcome this, practice speaking and having conversations with a firm belief that you are not being judged. Deliberately go to the edge of what you are comfortable saying.

<h4>COURAGEOUS</h4>
Be spontaneous. Don’t be afraid to go off script. Courage naturally attracts people. This is because it inspires confidence and builds interest. When you get on stage and speak, you are also leading your audience. They need to feel that you are not just there to read a script, but to share something from your heart.

<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful presenter - part 5

<figcaption>Happy Young Family Having Fun on Beach at Sunset</figcaption>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h3 style="text-align: center">
 Sustainable outcomes 
 through heartful negotiations
 </h3>
 &nbsp;
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h4>
 In part 1, RAVI VENKATESAN looked at
 how prior disposition, ideas and thoughts, as well as emotions and
 feelings, play a huge part in negotiation. In this article we’ll dive
 deeper into what makes up prior disposition, and how to best manage it.
 </h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 &nbsp;
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Prior Disposition
 </h4>
 
 Disposition is defined as the natural or prevailing aspect of one’s mind
 as shown in behavior and in relationships with others; for example, a
 happy disposition, a selfish disposition, etc.
 
 
 When we enter a negotiation, there will be emotional and intellectual
 reactions that we have to what happens as part of that interaction.
 However, even before that, we each carry a disposition into that space,
 which heavily influences how things flow. Molding this disposition is a
 key first step to optimal negotiations. We will look at four specific
 aspects of disposition – Likes and Dislikes, Worries and Concerns,
 Desires, and Guilt.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Likes and Dislikes
 </h4>
 
 Think of a part of your heart reacting to everything that happens – from
 the physical space, to the chair you sit in, to the color of the walls
 around you, to the person in front of you, etc. Some of the reactions are
 strong enough to come to your conscious mind; others don’t make it to the
 surface, but nevertheless impact how you feel. Remember, the same thing is
 happening for the person with whom you are negotiating.
 
 
 The key here is to observe carefully what reactions your heart has to
 various things, as you enter a negotiation space, and consciously bring
 yourself to a ‘neutral stance’. In other words dial down any strong likes
 as well as strong dislikes that come up.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <img
 class="lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator_1_img_1fda52631a.jpg?updated_at=2023-03-31T06:05:00.724Z"
 alt="heartful_negotiator"
 />
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 To make this real, 
 try the following exercise
 </h4>
 
 Take a typical negotiation exercise that you go through on a regular
 basis. For example, if you are a manager, then take the interaction of
 providing assignments to a staff member, or if are an individual
 contributor, then take the interaction of discussing a new assignment with
 your boss. Think about things that feel pleasant or unpleasant about this
 interaction, and trace them back to your likes and dislikes. For example,
 each time you receive a new assignment you may feel anxious, and this may
 be because you like more specifics and details and your boss likes to
 provide high-level direction and empower you.
 
 
 Try to approach the same interaction by setting your disposition to a
 neutral stance. To do this, consciously recall and dial down your strong
 likes and dislikes. This will lead you to being more open-minded. See if
 the interaction felt any different. A lot of times our disposition,
 especially strong likes and dislikes, will create reactions that prevent
 the best outcomes. Practicing this exercise and making it part of muscle
 memory, will go a long way to addressing this.
 
 
 In summary, prior to a negotiation, recall your strong likes and dislikes,
 reduce them consciously to bring yourself to a neutral and open-minded
 state of mind. See what shifts come out of this.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Worries and Concerns
 </h4>
 
 We all carry a bundle of worries and concerns with us all the time. These
 are mostly career or job related and family related, but can be from other
 sources as well. When we enter negotiations, these concerns weigh on us,
 and many times prevent us from reaching optimal outcomes. We cannot wish
 these concerns away; however, we can use a powerful Heartfulness
 meditation technique to alter our disposition prior to a negotiation. When
 our worries and concerns are aggravated during a negotiation, it often
 feels like the person we are negotiating with is an adversary. So if we
 start with a feeling that they are like a family member, like a brother or
 a sister, then we will approach the conversation with more ease, and reach
 a better understanding. To develop a general feeling of this kind in our
 disposition, we can simply close our eyes and meditate with our attention
 on our heart, for five to ten minutes every night, thinking that everyone
 is our brother or sister. Try this for a week before your next high stakes
 negotiation, and notice the difference in your disposition, in how you
 look at your colleagues, and the outcomes.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Desires
 </h4>
 
 All of us have desires and aspirations. Many times, they tend to cloud our
 judgement, especially when we enter the negotiation table. They keep us
 focused on our interest and the other person’s position versus reaching a
 place of common understanding. The simple task of writing down the top two
 or three things that we desire, resolving to be mindful of these during
 the negotiation process, will prevent them from unexpectedly influencing
 the negotiation.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Guilt
 </h4>
 
 The worst burden we carry is guilt. It comes from both wrong action and
 inaction – not acting where we should have. Guilt creates a heaviness that
 can put a major cloud over any negotiation process, completely blocking
 open discussion and creative generation of outcomes. There are no simple
 and easy answers to deal with guilt, especially if it exists at a
 subconscious level. Here is the Heartfulness practice that helps
 tremendously:
 
 
 Spend a few minutes each night before sleep, go into your heart, review
 the day, repent for any mistakes that might have been committed, even
 unknowingly, and genuinely resolve not to repeat these.
 
 
 This clears the burden from our hearts and leaves us feeling lighter. Try
 this for a week and see if your disposition changes.
 
 
 In summary, practice the two Heartfulness methods suggested, along with
 dialing down strong likes and dislikes, and writing down your top two or
 three desires prior to your next negotiation. See how that shifts your
 prior disposition.
 
 
 In further articles we’ll explore what happens during the actual
 negotiation, and how to manage feelings and emotions in the heart as well
 as the ideas and thoughts in the mind to achieve the best outcomes.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 <hr />

The heartful negotiator - part 2

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Influence minds and win hearts</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h5>Last month RAVI VENKATESAN shared his understanding of why speakers fail. In Part 2 of the series he shares the
 aspects of communication we need to explore in order to refine and improve our presentation skills, focusing on body
 language.</h5>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

Here are the 27 Cs categorized under 5 focus areas:
BODY LANGUAGE – calm, comfortable,
 composed, choreographed and consistent
VOICE MODULATION – clear, crisp, controlled, civil, and charged

PRESENCE – confident, credible,
 current, charismatic and courageous
EMPATHY – caring, compassionate,
 connected, context-aware, careful and conversational
IMPACT – concise, compelling,
 creative, convincing and comprehensive
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulpresenter3_vol7_48914f62b6.jpg">


<hr class="vertical-space1">

Let’s dive deeper into body language. Research shows that body language accounts for 55%
 of all communication. Non-verbal expression makes a very significant difference to the impact of your presentation.

<h5 style="text-align: justify;">CALM</h5>
Many times even seasoned speakers have ‘nerves’. Classic symptoms are rapid heartbeat,
 shivers, a dry mouth and a shaky voice. Relax yourself and breathe deeply to get rid of this. Do a quick version of
 the Heartfulness Relaxation if needed. You can find this at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HuiV395xI4I.
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">COMFORTABLE</h5>
Take your time to get comfortable with the environment. Preferably visit the day before,
 or arrive early. Soak in the atmosphere and feel like you command the space.
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">COMPOSED</h5>
Maintain a balanced state within and a steady posture. This will reflect as your poise.
 Your feet should be shoulder width apart and point straight ahead. Men tend to keep their feet at 10 o’clock and 2
 o’clock. Women tend to lean on one leg and then shift to the other.
<img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartfulpresenter2_vol7_591517be88.jpg">

<h5 style="text-align: justify;">CHOREOGRAPHED</h5>
Always stand still and make eye contact with one person in the audience at a time while
 speaking, even if there are thousands of people present. Pause and shift to another person and resume speaking.
 Pause while moving, and resume eye contact and stand still before speaking again. This will make your movement on
 stage appear purposeful and impactful.
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">CONSISTENT</h5>
Ensure that your body language supports your words. This will amplify the perception
 that you mean what you say and say what you mean. For example, if you are describing a big new idea, spreading your
 arms wide open is better than bringing them together.
In the next article, we’ll dive deeper into voice modulation. Till then have fun
 practicing these techniques to refine your body language.

<hr class="vertical-space1">



<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful presenter - part 2

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h3 style="text-align: center">Feelings and Emotions in the Heart</h3>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 In the previous
 <a
 style="color: #b51029"
 href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-2/"
 >2 articles</a
 >
 of the series, RAVI VENKATESAN set a framework for how prior
 disposition, ideas, thoughts, emotions and feelings all play a huge part
 in negotiation. He also took a deeper look at what constitutes prior
 disposition as we walk into a negotiation. In this article he’ll take a
 look at real life negotiation scenarios and explore the role that some
 of these feelings and emotions play. He’ll also review some tips and
 tricks on how to manage feelings and emotions.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 Feelings and emotions in the heart always come in dualities. Broadly these
 can be categorized into 5 main sets of opposites.
 
 
 <img
 alt="heartful_negotiator3c_img"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator3c_img_eed0583c41.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T03:42:13.390Z"
 />
 
 <h4>Greed versus Contentment</h4>
 
 This opposite forms the basis for most feelings and emotions, and so it is
 most important. Let’s take a scenario where Sam and Janet, a young couple,
 are trying to decide on where to go for their next vacation. They have
 both been saving up for this vacation for a couple of years and want to go
 someplace really nice. In many ways Sam and Janet are a great example of
 ‘opposites attract’. Sam is always looking for more. He wants to get the
 best deal and squeeze out the best advantage. Janet tends to be content
 with whatever she gets and is careful to not over reach.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <img
 alt="heartful_negotiator3b_img"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator3b_img_f7944b5525.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T03:43:04.826Z"
 />
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 Sam: Let’s go to Paris this time. It
 is great in the summer, and such a romantic destination.
 
 
 Janet: I thought we could go to Laguna
 Beach. The tickets would be cheaper, and we could save some money for
 another trip during Christmas.
 
 
 Sam: We’ve worked so hard for this. I
 really want to make this a big one. Why not go all out?
 
 
 Janet: All right. I do want you to be
 happy. Let’s do Paris then.
 
 
 Sam: Let’s go all out and fly first
 class. I can get a personal loan from work.
 
 
 Janet: I don’t think that is a good
 idea. We are already going to spend all our savings on this. What if
 either of us loses our jobs?
 
 
 Sam: Now, why would you think of a
 thing like that! If you don’t want to go then let’s just not go.
 
 
 Let’s pause and ponder over this simple negotiation. Many of us have gone
 through similar experiences. Sam negotiated effectively making a case for
 why they should go to Paris. Janet was reluctant but agreed. However, Sam
 got greedy and this took the whole negotiation off the rails. Many times,
 when we let greed creep in, it triggers an angry response from the other
 side, and then we have to make more concessions to get back to the same
 place. This is exactly why we should carefully avoid greed in a
 negotiation.
 
 <h6>
 Tips to manage greed versus contentment:
 </h6>
 <h6 style="padding-left: 30px">
 Whenever you articulate your position, ask yourself the question,“Do I
 really need this, or am I trying to get more just to get more?” Note, many
 times we will express a position that is more than we need, just so that
 we can leave some room to negotiate. This is fine as long as we are
 sensitive to how the other person will perceive our position.
 </h6>
 <h6 style="padding-left: 30px">
 Feel free to call out greed politely and respectfully. For example, you
 can say, “That is a stretch. Do you really need that, or would it be nice
 if you could get that?” Or you could say, “Is that a nice to have or a
 must have?” These types of questions can help rope in greed in the other
 person.
 </h6>
 <h4>Peace versus Restlessness </h4>
 
 Let’s take a scenario where John and Tim, who are students, want to rent
 Mary’s apartment. Mary really needs to rent her apartment out, but she has
 been very restless about what it would be like to have students living
 there.
 
 
 Mary: I am glad you guys are
 interested in renting this apartment. Are you sure you can afford the
 rent?
 
 
 John: The rent is high, but Tim and I
 can manage it by working part time. We like the place and are looking
 forward to spending time in it.
 
 
 Mary: Great, there are some rules
 though. You cannot have a lot of people over. Parties are not allowed.
 
 
 Tim: That would not work for us. What
 if we promise to keep the place clean and safe, and&nbsp;assume
 responsibility for repairs if any damage occurs?
 
 
 Mary: Why should any damage occur in
 the first place? I really need to rent the place, but I feel very
 disturbed at the prospect of it getting trashed.
 
 
 John: We are never going to trash the
 place, but we do want to have friends over. We will make sure nothing
 happens.
 
 
 Mary: I am not sure this is the best
 fit.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 This negotiation is a great example of restlessness or disturbance that
 spirals in one person and clouds her judgment. Mary could have potentially
 offered a discount on the rent in exchange for Tim and John doing
 maintenance on the apartment. She could have suggested limitations on the
 hours up to which they could have friends over, and so forth. However, she
 was so restless and disturbed that it impaired her ability to generate
 creative options.
 
 <h6>
 Tips to manage peace versus restlessness:
 
 </h6>
 <h6 style="padding-left: 30px">
 Relax yourself prior to negotiations. Identify anything that is making you
 restless and write down your concerns. This will prevent the restlessness
 from spiraling out of control. A great way to relax can be found at
 <a
 style="color: #b51029"
 href="https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HuiV395xI4I"
 >https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=HuiV395xI4I&nbsp;</a
 >
 </h6>
 <h6 style="padding-left: 30px">
 If you spot restlessness in the other person, then politely suggest
 negotiating at a different time.
 </h6>
 <h6 style="padding-left: 30px">
 Ask the other person to look at it from your perspective. This generally
 calms them down and gets them to a more peaceful state.
 </h6>
 
 In the next article, we’ll look at other feelings and emotions with
 additional scenarios. We will also understand how these opposite emotions
 are interrelated and create virtuous or vicious cycles that impact our
 negotiations. The first step to improvement is awareness. In your next
 negotiation, try becoming more aware of these two opposites – greed versus
 contentment and peace versus restlessness – in yourself and the other
 person.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by&nbsp;RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 <hr />

The heartful negotiator - part 3

<hr><h4>In the previous 3 articles of the series, RAVI VENKATESAN set a framework for how prior disposition, ideas, thoughts, emotions and feelings all play a huge part in negotiation. He also took a deeper look at what constitutes prior disposition as we walk into a negotiation, and explored greed versus contentment and peace versus restlessness as opposites that constitute feelings and emotions in the heart. In this article he’ll explore additional emotions and feelings, and provide suggestions on how to manage these through real life scenarios.</h4><hr>Feelings and emotions in the heart always come in dualities. Broadly these can be categorized into 5 main sets of opposites.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_part4b_img_ef94d072a7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T06:34:29.611Z" alt="THN_part4b_img"><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Love Versus Hate</h4>Love and hate are extreme ways to describe these opposing emotions. They can also take the forms of compassion, empathy, affection etc. on one side, and annoyance, anger, self-centeredness etc. on the other side.To explore this, let’s take a scenario where Rita is negotiating a raise with her boss Jim, who has direction from senior leadership not to give raises and reduce the staff by 10%.Rita: Jim, I wasn’t happy with last year’s raise. It wasn’t fair based on how I performed. I hope to get at least a 15% raise this year to makeup for it.Jim: I don’t think you have any idea of what is going on around here. You definitely did a <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/barnabys-new-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">good job</a>, but your aspirations are not even in the right ballpark. I am fighting to save your job against pressure to reduce staff.Rita: That is totally unfair. I don’t control the company’s overall performance. I did my job really well and expect to be rewarded based on that. I don’t think I can stay motivated to do my best in this situation.Jim: I understand how you feel, but I have my constraints.Rita: I think you are just biased. I am sure Gary got a pretty good raise. As a matter of fact, I know he got better than me last year also.Jim: Look here, I am trying to do my best for you, but your attitude is not helping.Rita: I really don’t care anymore what you think of my attitude. I am leaving. I don’t want to work here even one more day.In this scenario Rita received news that she did not expect and found unpleasant. This put her into a downward spiral of anger, suspicion and eventually hate. She lost all objectivity, and not only&nbsp; did she not get the raise she wanted, but ended up losing her job before finding another one. This could have devastating consequences for her family, but her judgment was clouded by emotion. For his part, Jim started out neutral, but let Rita’s negativity impact him, and made things worse by calling out her poor attitude just as she was ready to explode.<hr><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Suggestions to manage love, compassion and empathy versus hate, anger and self-centeredness:</h5><hr><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Take a few deep breaths and calm yourself before getting into a negotiation, especially when you know that the conversation is going to be difficult. This puts you in a neutral state, and makes you alert to your own emotional state.</h5><h5 style="text-align:justify;">If the conversation starts to become emotional and negative, immediately put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Try to feel what they feel. Articulate the issue or problem from their perspective and ask them to look at it from yours. For example, Jim could have said, “From your perspective, I totally get the expectation of a raise, especially based on what you got last year. However, I want to share with you the company’s situation, and have you look at this from my perspective.”</h5><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Approach the conversation with the affection that you would have when dealing with a family member. For example, Rita could have said, “Jim, I appreciate your effort in saving my job. I know that you would have looked out for me. I still feel strongly that my compensation does not reflect my performance. Is there a way to do a one-time bonus to make up for a raise?” This approach puts Jim in a much more positive mode to think creatively about other options. Negotiating as partners trying to find the best outcome is way better than as adversaries trying to win while making the other lose.</h5><hr><h4>Fear Versus Courage</h4>Fear comes in many shapes and forms. It can start as anxiety and end up as paranoia. Courage, while very useful, can also be dangerous when extreme. Fearlessness can lead people to make bad&nbsp; choices. The key is to find the right balance.Consider a scenario where Bob is a coach and Jason is the owner of a basketball team. They are discussing the replacement of their shooting guard and star player, Rodriguez.Bob: The losses we’ve had recently are because of a single reason. Rodriguez is a great individual player, but terrible with the team. We have to replace him to get the team to a better place.Jason: That’s crazy. He was the only scorer in the last two games and has been our top performer for the last two seasons. Sounds like too big a risk.Bob: We have to try something new. We can always bench him and bring him back if this doesn’t work.Jason: I don’t like that at all. He might get demotivated if we do that.Bob: How can I be effective at my job, if I can’t make these types of decisions?Jason: This just sounds way too risky, let’s wait for a few more games and revisit.This is a classic case where fear will cause decisions to be deferred. Whether it is in government or business or sports, way more damage happens because of not making decisions than because of making bad decisions. This is squarely due to fear.<hr><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Let’s consider some recommendations to manage this, specifically from a negotiating perspective:</h5><hr><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Before entering a negotiation, create a short list of what you are afraid of with respect to this conversation. Think rationally about whether these fears are well-founded or driven by anxiety.</h5><h5 style="text-align:justify;">As you get into a negotiation, if you feel very uncomfortable and anxious ask for time to consider the information and come back. Fear can impact you physically and it is difficult to recover to a neutral state without taking some time.</h5><h5 style="text-align:justify;">To address fear in a person with whom you are negotiating, use reassuring language and gently present facts and data points. For example, instead of suggesting benching Rodriguez, which Jason perceived as too risky, Bob could have said, “I see your point about risk. One option is to bench Rodriguez for a couple of games, and another is to have him play a different position, explaining it to him as us trying different game strategies. Do you think either of these would work for us to try someone else?”</h5><h5 style="text-align:justify;">Be mentally alert to either extreme fear or fearlessness in both yourself and others with whom you are negotiating. The key is to stay in a balanced zone.</h5><hr><h4>Clarity Versus Doubt</h4>The fifth opposite pair of feelings and emotions is clarity versus doubt. This is mostly a consequence of the other four opposites that we discussed.The 4 opposites we have explored – greed versus contentment, peace versus restlessness, love versus hate, and fear versus courage, form primary feelings and emotions. They are also interrelated. For example, discontent will usually lead to restlessness, which in turn will lead to anger and hate, which will lead to anxiety and fear, which will eventually lead to loss of clarity. On the other hand, contentment will lead to peace, which will lead to love and compassion, which will lead to courage, which will lead to clarity. So, in a sense, these opposites also represent a virtuous and a vicious cycle.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_part4c_img_94e36197be.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-03T06:35:10.399Z" alt="THN_part4c_img">In subsequent articles we’ll look at the thoughts and ideas in our heads, and how to manage these in order to be effective negotiators.<hr><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4><hr>

The heartful negotiator - part 4

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Influence minds and win hearts</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>In the last 2 articles, RAVI VENKATESAN has talked about the reasons public speakers fail, the 27 Cs of
 communication that will enable you to become an influential and effective speaker, and has taken a deeper look at
 body language. In part 3, he explores voice modulation.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Research shows that 38% of your communication is based on voice modulation, independent
 of the words. There are 5 areas within voice modulation that you may want to specifically improve:
<h4>CLEAR</h4>
The first requirement of being understood is to be clear. It is easier said than done.
 Many people tend to speak fast, mumble and not enunciate. They also do not project their voice. To overcome these
 issues practice speaking slowly and clearly. Two exercises that help a lot are as follows:
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px;">Voice projection</h5>
Ask a friend to stand about 6 feet from you. Say to them, “I hope you can understand me
 clearly.” Ask them to give you a thumbs up or a thumbs down, and then move 6 more feet back. Repeat the exercise
 with increasing distances. Speakers who project their voice will be heard at 200 to 300 feet. Remember not to shout
 or yell, but rather increase your volume by filling more air in your lungs, and letting your voice come all the way
 from the stomach and chest. The more you practice this, the better your voice will project.
<img class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Heartfulpresenter2part3_0ebe58b4ff.jpg">

<h5 style="padding-left: 60px;">Enunciation</h5>
To get your enunciation right, practice with a friend. Speak slowly
 and open your mouth so that your teeth are visible. Then say a few tongue twisters. For example: “High roller, low
 roller, lower roller,” “Peter Prangle, the prickly pear picker, picked three perfectly prickly pears.” Have your
 friend confirm that your teeth were visible and that you said every word clearly.
<h4>CRISP</h4>
Being crisp is all about making brief sentences with appropriate emphasis. Avoid filler
 words like “Uh,” “Um,” etc., and emphasize the right words.
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px;">Replacing fillers</h5>
Take a small paragraph with a couple of ideas that you want to
 convey. Say it once with a friend listening to you, or record it on your phone, and play it back. Now repeat it,
 consciously replacing all filler words like “Uh,” “Um,” etc., with simple pauses. Be uncomfortable, even if your
 pauses are long. Most speakers pause far less than they should.
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px;">Emphasis</h5>
Practice taking a sentence and emphasizing one word in it at a time.
 For example, the sentence, “I am feeling strangely sad today,” will feel completely different, based on which word
 you emphasize: ‘I’ or ‘am’ or ‘feeling’ or ‘strangely’ or ‘sad’ or ‘today’. Now decide the word you want to
 emphasize based on the meaning you want to convey, and dial up the emphasis to a point where it sounds dramatic and
 uncomfortable. Then dial it back down. This way you will become very clear in what you say.
The next three areas come to us from an article by Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh called
 ‘Principles of Conversation’:
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">CONTROLLED</h4>
Practice eliminating highs and lows from your voice to make it more controlled, and
 hence more impactful. This doesn’t mean being monotonous. Tone and pitch are two different things. Unless you are
 singing, you don’t need your pitch to go above or below a certain level. Keep it in a narrow zone, natural to your
 voice. This will make your voice more controlled.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">CIVIL</h4>
Consider situations where you get worked up, feel frustrated or angry. Purposefully work
 on toning down your voice to show restraint, and express your feelings and reactions in a civil tone. This will have
 an incredible benefit in allowing you to be assertive without being aggressive. You will find that people listen to
 you a lot more when you apply this principle. And your anger and frustration will diminish along with the balance in
 your voice.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">CHARGED</h4>
To accomplish this practice, think that the ideas you are conveying are touching the
 hearts of your listeners. You will find that inculcating softness and speaking in a gentle manner, along with this
 thought, will make your voice charged.
This is a lot to practice and master, but as Lao Tzu said, “A journey of a thousand
 miles begins with a single step.” So take that step, and good luck!
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful presenter - part 3

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;"> Mind – The Breeding Ground Of Thoughts</h3>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>In the previous 6 articles of this series RAVI VENKATESAN explored feelings and
 emotions in the heart, as well as the role played by our ego and intellect in negotiations. In this article we’ll
 learn the role our mind plays in negotiations, some of the distractions that are part of its nature, and how to
 focus it to achieve better outcomes.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
The mind has been a topic of study and curiosity for us since time immemorial. Wikipedia
 describes psychology as the science of behavior and mind, including conscious and unconscious phenomena, as well as
 feeling. The mind and heart are not two different things, but rather two ends of a spectrum. In the last article in
 this series, we discussed the mind as one of the non-physical or subtle things that are part of us nevertheless. The
 mind doesn’t have any kind of ‘moral compass’. This comes from the ‘heart’. For example, your mind can help you plan
 a heinous crime, including every step and scenario, just as well as it will help you plan how to build an orphanage.
 This is why heartful negotiators always use the heart to direct or lead the mind.
In modern times, the conscious portion of our minds is often in a distracted and
 non-focused state, operating at a very low rate efficiency rate. This is because of multiple causes, such as cell
 phones, televisions, desires for all kinds of things, stress levels, anxieties etc. For many of us the normal state
 of mind is one of unregulated wandering, with ad hoc ideas and thoughts coming up all the time. Many of us blame our
 minds for lack of peace and calm. I have heard many people even say, “If I could only stop my mind for a few minutes
 I would feel much better, but it keeps churning constantly.” Many can’t sleep at night because of a hyperactive
 mind, causing health issues as well.
<div style="text-align: justify;">When it comes to negotiations, a negotiator with a wandering mind will receive inputs
 from inside themselves through ad hoc thoughts and ideas. These inputs cause them to miss important details, and
 also to make decisions based on thoughts that have distorted reality for them. To understand this better, consider
 the following scenario of negotiation between Chris, a young pianist, and Joseph, an artist and repertoire manager
 at CoolRecords, a well-known record company. Chris has the opportunity to record his first album with CoolRecords,
 and is negotiating the makeup of this album with Joseph.</div>
<div></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
 <hr class="vertical-space1">
</div>
JOSEPH: That is great to hear,
 it will make the whole process easier. We have a few suggestions on the content of the album first.
[Chris is still distracted with thoughts about being taken advantage
 of, and misses the first part of what Joseph said. He only hears the second sentence.]
CHRIS: Suggestions – what for?
 I am pretty happy with the content as is and don’t want any creative interference.
JOSEPH: Chris, I don’t
 appreciate your approach. We have a right to suggest changes to the content to improve marketability, keeping in
 mind that this is your first album.
[Chris now starts getting afraid of losing his contract and thinks that he needs to
 totally change his approach.]
CHRIS: I am sorry. Just let me
 know whatever you need me to change.
JOSEPH: There is no need for an
 apology, but just understand what we are trying to do here. You will be fine.
What happened here is very common. Chris’s mind created several illusions within this
 simple negotiation. Joseph never even intended to discuss royalty or commercial aspects, but Chris assumed he would.
 Joseph never intended to take advantage of this being Chris’s first album, even though Chris assumed he did. Chris
 couldn’t pay enough attention to what Joseph was saying because of all these thoughts floating around in his own
 mind.
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">Tips to manage your mind:</h5>
<h5 style="padding-left: 30px;">Be alert to the ideas and thoughts that pop up. Are they real? Or are they made up?</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;">Clear your mind before any negotiation. The Heartfulness Meditation
 process can help with this tremendously. Even 15 minutes of meditation can clear your mind and put you in a very
 calm state.</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;">Focus your mind on the present. The mind has a tendency to wander
 into the past and the future. Bringing it to the present can let you absorb all the relevant information and make
 the best decisions and negotiate effectively.</h5>
<h5 style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 30px;">Refer to the heart whenever you are in doubt. The mind has no moral
 compass, but the heart will always give you the right signal, the right answer. The way to do this is simply to
 pause, go deeper into yourself, and let an answer emerge naturally.</h5>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

<a href="https://www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-6/">Read previous article</a>


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center; padding-left: 30px;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful negotiator - part 7

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Influence minds and win hearts</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h5 style="text-align: justify;">In the last 3 articles, RAVI VENKATESAN has talked about the reasons public speakers
 fail, the 27 Cs of good communication, and he has taken a deeper look at body language and voice modulation. In this
 article, he explores the ‘power of pause’.</h5>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
The tips and tricks provided in this article of the series have consistently been rated
 as the most valuable by the hundreds who have participated in our Heartful Presenter training. Let’s look at why the
 art of pause is so important, and how to pause.
<h4>PAUSE TO ENGAGE THE AUDIENCE IN CONVERSATION</h4>
As it turns out, we speak much slower than we can listen. The average person speaks at
 125 words per minute, and can listen to 400 words per minute or even more. So what happens with the 75% mental
 capacity that is not used in listening?
There is a natural tendency for the mind of your listener to wander, even if the subject
 matter is interesting. By structuring your content to have logical points of reflection, you can draw in your
 audience’s attention. For example, if you make a point, you could follow it by saying, “Consider that for a moment,”
 and pause. Now your audience is thinking about the point you made, instead of their mind wandering. You have moved
 them from ‘disengaged’ to ‘participating’; passive to active.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4><img decoding="async" alt="" width="604"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_presenter_4a74dfeee1.jpg"></h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

<h4>COMBINE PAUSE &amp; RETENTON TECHNIQUES</h4>
The research about how much of a talk people retain varies wildly, however everyone
 agrees that a lot of what is said is forgotten. Providing spaced repetitions and context, are great ways to improve
 retention. All these rely on pause:
<h4 style="padding-left: 60px;">Spaced repetition</h4>
Here is an example: at the beginning of a talk you say, “The West
 faces a severe demographic challenge, with the average age in most countries being well in the forties.” After
 talking about a few other things, you could say, “Remember I said that most countries in the West have populations
 with an average age in the forties,” and then pause. This lets the audience connect your previous statement with the
 current one and absorb the information better.
<h4 style="padding-left: 60px;">Context</h4>
Make a point, and then provide context around that point. Pause to
 let your audience understand your point in that context. For example, you might say, “Close to 2% of people in China
 live on less than two dollars a day.” Consider, however, that this number used to be almost 20% just ten years ago.”
 Pause to let them assimilate your point in the context you just provided.
<h4>ELIMINATE FILLER WORDS</h4>
Filler words such as “Uh”, “Um”, or “Like”, which is common with teenagers and young
 adults, are extremely distracting; the speaker comes across as unprepared. Fillers completely take away the
 effectiveness of the point being made. They occur because we are thinking and speaking at the same time, and
 sometimes lose our train of thought. Instead of using filler words, pause. This is a much more elegant way of
 getting back your train of thought.
<h4>DEMONSTRATE CONFIDENCE AND CONTROL</h4>
Speakers who speak fast and don’t pause come across as nervous and lacking in
 confidence. By pausing and making purposeful eye contact in silence with your audience you will demonstrate
 confidence and balance. This in turn helps them feel secure and reassured that you know what you are doing, and they
 will derive more value from your session.
Let’s now discuss how you can practice and develop pausing. Here are a couple of exercises:
1) Pause based on
 punctuation – Write out a few ideas on a sheet of paper. Now record them in a
 short 5-minute talk. Listen to the recording of yourself and mark the places where you did not adequately pause
 where there was a comma, a semicolon, or a full stop. Repeat this exercise until you are satisfied that you are
 pausing adequately.
2) Pause longer to
 emphasize – Ask a friend to listen as you go through 2 to 3 short sentences. For example,
 “Hi, I am John. I am here to discuss the importance of recycling with you.” Pick a word that you really want to
 emphasize. For example, “I am here to discuss the importance of recycling.” Pause much longer after
 this word than you consider adequate. Ask your friend if your pause felt uncomfortably long. Keep increasing the
 duration of your pause until she says “Yes,” and then dial it back just a little.
You can also watch videos of accomplished speakers to see how effective this technique
 can be.
May the Pause be with you!
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful presenter - part 4

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Intellect – Logic &amp; Reason</h3>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">In the previous 5 articles of this series, RAVI
 VENKATESAN explored feelings and emotions of the heart, as well as the role played by our ego in
 negotiations. We learnt ways to observe ourselves better and manage these aspects so as to improve our heartful
 negotiation skills. In part 6, we learn the role our intellect plays in negotiations, and how to manage this
 faculty.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Intellect – our mind’s tool for analysis and decision-making</h4>
To understand the functioning of our intellect better, we need a conceptual model of how
 it works with the rest of our heart-mind vibrational field. We have thoughts, feelings and emotions. These are not
 physical things, but they are part of us. Since they are not part of our body but are part of us, we say in a broad
 sense that they are part of our mind. However, as we get more granular, we realize that the mind functions when we
 are conscious, so we have something called consciousness. We also see that while our mind produces thoughts, some
 part of us evaluates people, situations, ideas etc., performs analysis, applies reasoning and makes decisions. We
 call this the intellect. We also know that we have an ego, which maintains a mental model of ourselves, which it is
 constantly updating, based on interactions with the external world and based on internal inspirations. We therefore
 end up with four main things: mind, intellect, consciousness and ego, which work together to accomplish what we may
 call mental processes.
<img decoding="async" 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_5_2_1_d08f51a5f6.jpg">
The intellect is that part of us which is most similar to a computer. It receives
 inputs, performs computations based on logic and reason, by using these inputs and a database of past knowledge and
 experience. It does not however possess a moral compass, and many times the struggle in negotiations is not when and
 how to use the intellect, but rather when and how not to use it. To understand the role played by the intellect n
 negotiation, consider a scenario where Karen, Pooja and Clark, board members of a homeowners association (HOA), are
 debating whether or not to increase the monthly fees.
KAREN: We have kept the monthly
 HOA fee the same for the last three years, so we have to increase it at least 10% this year.
POOJA: Our fees are already
 higher than other HOAs in this area. If we are able to manage our costs, why burden our homeowners with higher fees?

CLARK: I think Pooja’s point is
 logical. Why should we increase fees if we are already higher than most? It will only upset our residents, and we
 may not get elected next time.
KAREN: I agree with your logic,
 but we provide more services than other HOAs. Our landscaping is much better than others, and we provide plumbing
 services without extra cost. The cost for these vendors is going up, so is it not reasonable for us to charge more?
 Also, if we keep the fees the same, then we will have to drop some services, and this may also upset our residents.

POOJA: I still think that a
 cost increase will be difficult for our residents to accept.
CLARK: We have a lot more
 elderly residents in our neighborhood than others. They will not be able to pitch in with landscaping and plumbing
 like residents in other neighborhoods. I feel that if we explain this to them then they will probably understand the
 increase in costs. Would that not be the right thing to do?
POOJA: That does feel like the
 right thing to do.
What you see in this negotiation is that for both Pooja and Clark the intellect takes
 over early. This is also fed by Karen opening the negotiation with a fact that is naturally evaluated by both Pooja
 and Clark. Later, though, Karen blends this fact-based, logic- and reason-based intellectual approach with empathy.
 By putting herself in the shoes of older residents, she strikes a chord with the others. The key is not to avoid
 intellect-based reasoning and logic, but rather to complement it with intuition, inspiration, empathy and
 conscience. In simpler words, refer to the heart for guidance on what is the ‘right thing to do’ in any situation
 versus the convenient or the logical thing. The intellect is no doubt useful for understanding and analyzing all the
 facts, but a purely intellectual argument will seldom be as effective as one complemented with a heart-based
 decision, which also feels right.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h5>Tips for managing the intellect:</h5>
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;">In your next interaction or negotiation, as your intellect
 automatically kicks in, observe in order to evaluate facts, and then apply logic and reason.</h5>
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;">Purposefully add empathy and put yourself in the shoes of whomever
 you are negotiating with, or key stakeholders who may not be directly part of the negotiation but will be impacted
 by the outcome.</h5>
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;">Be alert to whenever you are coming across as too intellectual, too
 cold or too unfeeling.</h5>
<h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify;">Complement your intellectual reasons with a heartful approach. For
 example, “We should give in on this, in the interest of building goodwill,” “Adding this one additional benefit will
 ensure that our customers are not just satisfied but delighted,” and my favorite, “This feels like the right thing
 to do.” Observe the power of using these types of statements. Note: you have to mean them! Faking doesn’t work with
 heartful negotiating.</h5>

<hr class="vertical-space1">

<img decoding="async"
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heart_mind_ec05ae694e.jpg">
There are many clever and intelligent negotiators who use their intellect to make
 excellent arguments and points, and often think that they win negotiations. In reality they leave a lot of value on
 the table and fail to build longterm relationships that can lead to longer term success with high stakes
 negotiations. They don’t balance the intellect with guidance from the heart. Practice the above suggestions and see
 how these improve our effectiveness in negotiations. In Star Trek terms, be Kirk not Spock!
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<a style="color: #000080;"
 href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-5/">Read previous article</a>
<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful negotiator - part 6

<h3 style="text-align: center">
 Clarity, Thoughts and Ideas – Mind Games
 </h3>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 In the previous four articles of this series
 RAVI VENKATESAN reviewed a conceptual
 framework of the heart-mind vibrational field, and explored the four main
 emotional dualities that exist within the field of the heart, and how to
 manage these during negotiations. In this article he will expand on the
 fifth duality, Clarity versus Doubt, and explore thoughts and ideas in
 more depth.
 </h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 &nbsp;
 <h4 style="text-align: center">
 <img
 alt="THN_part5b"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_part5b_c23fcb6a93.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T09:51:49.339Z"
 />
 </h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Clarity versus Doubt
 </h4>
 
 We often hear comments like, “His judgment was clouded,” “She wasn’t
 thinking clearly,” etc. In negotiations more than anywhere else, we
 sometimes feel a block in being able to perceive things clearly. This is
 all around clarity versus doubt or confusion. This duality is right at the
 intersection of the heart and mind and decides how effective the processes
 of the mind will be.
 
 
 To understand the dynamics of clarity versus doubt, consider a simple
 negotiation between a parent, Janet, and her son Jason’s teacher, Joshua.
 Joshua wants to retain Jason for an extra year in the 1st grade, as he
 believes he is not keeping up. Janet believes that she can provide him a
 little help and he will do fine, and that Joshua is way overreacting to
 some minor challenges with Jason’s assignments.
 
 
 Janet: Hi Joshua, I got your email
 recommending that Jason be retained an extra year in the 1st grade. I know
 he had challenges with a couple of assignments, but this sounds like an
 overreaction. I can help him keep up. Please consider letting him progress
 to the 2nd grade.
 
 
 Joshua: Janet, I know you have a hard
 time as a single parent in looking after your son. We have to be objective
 though; Jason will have to repeat the year.
 
 
 Janet: First of all, this has nothing
 to do with my marital status. I know what I am doing as a parent. I also
 know that when the same thing happens with other kids, they are not asked
 to repeat the year. You just seem to be biased against my son and me.
 
 
 Joshua: I apologize if I offended you.
 My intent wasn’t to be insensitive. I only want to support all parents the
 best way possible. My concern is that if we let Jason go to the second
 grade, in spite of the challenges he had this year, he might struggle even
 more and get demoralized. If he repeats a year now, he may become more
 confident for life.
 
 
 Janet: I am sorry I reacted that way.
 It has been hard to juggle my job, Jason’s needs and the rest of my life.
 I see your point. I am just worried about being seen as a failure as a
 parent.
 
 
 Joshua: I understand, but let’s put
 Jason first. I am open to him progressing, if you feel you can truly
 support him more next year. Will you please take a day to relax, and with
 a calm mind consider my recommendation.
 
 
 Janet comes back the next day with the following message: “You are right.
 I wasn’t thinking clearly. I cannot let my fears about how I will be
 perceived impact my judgment in doing the best for Jason. When I calmed
 myself down and tried to listen to my heart in terms of the best decision
 to make, it was clear that your recommendation is the right one. Thank you
 very much for being patient.”
 
 
 This short scenario is loaded with insights for us. Remember the vicious
 and virtuous cycles of opposites we discussed in the last article.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <img
 alt="THN_part4c_img"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_part4c_img_1_573ecb80e8.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T09:53:22.292Z"
 />
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 In this scenario, we saw both of these cycles. Initially Joshua’s comments
 about being a single parent, and seemingly hard line on having Jason
 repeat the year, threw Janet into a negative spiral. She wanted Jason to
 progress (discontent) -&gt; She became restless as the conversation wasn’t
 going how she wanted -&gt; She got angry at the “single parent” comment
 -&gt; She was afraid that she would be perceived as a bad mom -&gt; Her
 judgement was completely clouded -&gt; She lashed out!
 
 
 Later as Joshua apologized and articulated his perspective more carefully,
 she felt more content with his apology -&gt; She calmed down -&gt; She
 felt more positively towards him -&gt; She felt like she could muster
 courage to make the right decision -&gt; A timeout let her listen to her
 heart and decide with a clear vision.
 
 
 What is fascinating is that both the vicious and virtuous cycles in this
 case were each triggered by one single comment on Joshua’s part.
 
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <h5 style="text-align: justify">
 Tips to manage Clarity versus Doubt:
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 Frequently check internally, asking yourself, “Am I thinking and
 perceiving clearly?” Be alert to the downward spiral of discontent -&gt;
 restlessness -&gt; anger -&gt; fear -&gt; doubt.
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 If you feel emotions are clouding your judgment, or the other person’s,
 then take time out.
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 Try and listen to your heart. The best clarity comes from a clear heart.
 This voice gets stronger as you listen to it more.
 </h5>
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 Thoughts and Ideas
 </h4>
 
 Now let’s explore the thoughts and ideas in the mind. Remember that
 learning how to manage feelings and emotions in the heart is foundational
 to being able to manage thoughts and ideas in the mind. Consider the
 statement that, “We feel way before we think.”
 
 
 Let’s explore the more important idea in the mind, our ego, which simply
 put is our mental model of ourselves. This model is constantly updating
 and going through micro refinements, though it has a long-term state,
 which manifests as our perception of ‘Myself versus Others’, in other
 words, the ‘Me versus We’ mode of operation. I deliberately use ‘Me versus
 We’, but let’s begin by first understanding the ‘Me versus You’ perception
 that we carry.
 
 
 Almost always, we consider ourselves to be right and the other person
 wrong, ourselves to be good the other person bad. We also often consider
 ourselves weak and the other person strong, or vice versa. Thomas A.
 Harris postulates in his bestseller I’m OK – You’re OK that we
 stay in 4 ego states:
 
 <h5 style="text-align: center">
 I’m not OK, you’re OK 
 I’m not OK, you’re not OK 
 I’m OK, you’re not OK 
 I’m OK, you’re OK
 </h5>
 
 Rarely do we stay in the 4th ego state of ‘I’m OK, you’re OK’, which is
 exactly where we need to be for Heartful negotiation.
 
 
 Let’s consider a short scenario to understand the impact of ‘Me versus We’
 in negotiation.
 
 
 Colin is the founder of SmartOffers, an exciting software startup that
 presents shopping suggestions and offers to users on their mobile phones,
 based on their locations. He is meeting with Kim, who runs the merchant
 offers business for a very large multinational corporation. If the meeting
 is successful then Kim’s company could acquire Colin’s startup, which
 would provide significant financial benefit to him.
 
 
 Kim: Colin, it is exciting to meet
 with the founder of such an exciting new startup. Congratulations on the
 idea and getting this far.
 
 
 Colin: Kim, great to meet you as well.
 Not sure what you mean by getting this far, though. We have multiple
 pilots with real customers, and everyone likes our product.
 
 
 Kim: Of course, great work. I meant
 that you did great getting it to some free pilots, but it will take a lot
 more experience and support to get customers to pay real money for a
 product like this.
 
 
 Colin: I do have a lot of experience
 in this space, and two patents as well. I feel like we’re getting off on
 the wrong foot here. Let’s get something straight first, you are meeting
 with me because I have built something innovative that larger companies
 like yours struggle to build.
 
 
 Kim: That may be true, but coming up
 with a good idea and scaling it are two different things. I have decades
 of experience with taking startups and making something real out of them.
 Frankly, we get approached by dozens of companies pitching their
 innovations.
 
 
 Colin: Let’s not do business together.
 I find your approach arrogant and not appreciative of what I have
 accomplished.
 
 
 Kim: I am sorry you feel that way, but
 my time is limited, and I get a lot of these ideas coming my way.
 
 
 This is a classic case of a negotiation dying even before it has a chance
 to get started, because of ego. Not everyone in business operates this
 way, but this happens way more than any of us would like to believe.
 Arrogance and egotistic behaviors kill more deals than anything else. The
 consequences are unfathomable. A poor country doesn’t get the aid it needs
 because the Prime Minister who went to negotiate with a rich neighbor felt
 like she wasn’t treated as an equal. Millions suffer because of one
 person’s ego. Two countries go to war because one leader insults the other
 publicly. In this case thousands die because of one person’s ego. Hostages
 are killed because one negotiator wanted to be tough, and let his ego get
 in the way of continuing dialogue. A disease assumes epidemic proportions
 because the leader of the militia in control of an area will not provide
 access to humanitarian aid, as it may make him appear weak.
 
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <h5 style="text-align: justify">
 Tips to manage the Ego in negotiations:
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 Leave it off the table – the other party praising you and inflating your
 ego should not be a prerequisite or a factor of negotiation.
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 Shift yourself from the ‘me’ mode to the ‘we’ mode. Don’t just think from
 the other person’s perspective, but truly approach the negotiation as a
 team trying to solve a problem collaboratively.
 </h5>
 <h5 style="padding-left: 60px; text-align: justify">
 Be alert to the mode you are in, if you find yourself slipping into ‘I’m
 OK, you’re not OK’, or ‘I’m not OK, you’re OK’, or “I’m not OK, you’re not
 OK’ ego states, gently center yourself with a pause, and come back to ‘I’m
 OK, you’re OK’ mode.
 </h5>
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 
 We’ll continue to refine our techniques of managing the ego in subsequent
 articles where we understand other mental processes and how to manage
 them. Till then, observe the ego state you are in, even in day-to-day
 interactions, not just high stakes negotiations.
 
 <hr class="vertical-space1" />
 
 <a href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-4/"
 >Read previous article</a
 >
 
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 
 <hr />

The heartful negotiator - part 5

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>In the previous articles of this series, RAVI VENKATESAN explored factors that
 influence the outcomes of our negotiations. Many times, we are not even aware of these. We discussed how prior
 disposition comes into play, coloring our approach even before we begin. We reviewed how feelings and emotions in
 the heart vacillate between opposites, making us take positions that are not in our best interest. We also looked at
 how our ego, intellect and mind create their own distractions. In this final article, we’ll bring it all together
 and evolve a simple and comprehensive checklist that you can use for your negotiations.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>PRIOR DISPOSITION</h4>
<img decoding="async" alt="" width="290" class="lazyload img-float-right has-img-center-in-mobile"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THN_2_2afe9434d5.jpg">Before any negotiation, take a
 snapshot of your prior disposition using the
 following steps:
Gently close your eyes.
Bring your attention to the lower left side of your chest (approximately where you feel
 your heartbeat). There is no need to pinpoint an exact location.
Ask yourself the following questions and spend a couple of minutes in introspection:
What are my strongest likes and dislikes?
What are my strongest desires and aspirations?
What am I worried or concerned about?
What do I feel guilty about or regret?
What do I want more of?
What is making me restless?
What is creating anger, irritation, frustration or annoyance in me?
What makes me feel afraid or anxious?
It’s okay if you don’t have answers to all these questions. Just jot down whatever comes
 to your mind in a couple of minutes.
Your prior disposition will bring to your awareness what is important for you. It will
 also alert you to what may color your judgment, as you get into this negotiation. As you start working through your
 negotiation, to manage your emotions effectively, and understand and work with the emotions of your counterparts,
 keep the following brief checklist in your mind:
Am I being greedy or overreaching? Is my counterpart doing this?
Am I getting restless and distracted? Is my counterpart doing this?
Am I getting irritated, frustrated, annoyed or angry? Is my counterpart doing this?
Am I getting anxious? Is my counterpart doing this?
 Do I feel confused or unclear? Does my counterpart seem confused?
Just by keeping these 5 simple things in mind, you will become more effective at
 managing emotions as you negotiate. Also, keep in mind the core concerns from Beyond Reason by Daniel
 Shapiro and Roger Fisher: appreciation, affiliation, autonomy, role and status. These are common concerns for
 everyone and impact negotiations at a non-rational level.
As you move into your head, remember that your intellect is a wonderful tool at
 analyzing information and making decisions, but it has no moral compass. Make sure that you filter what your
 intellect evaluates by using your heart.
Your ego is constantly updating your mental model of yourself versus others. Ensure that
 you don’t fall into the traps of arrogance, excessive feelings of self-importance, or for that matter the opposite,
 a feeling of inferiority. Finally, be alert to the wanderings of the mind. Refocus by taking a minute if needed. You
 can also use techniques like meditation to ensure that your mind will always be focused and attentive, as it should
 be.
As with anything else, practice makes perfect. Enjoy the journey as you incorporate
 these concepts and become a truly Heartful Negotiator, who develops trust, builds relationships and generates
 win-win outcomes. After any negotiation, reflect and see if that win-win feeling was created.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<a style="color: #ff0000; text-decoration: underline;"
 href="//www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-7/" target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer">Read previous article</a>


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartfulness negotiator – part 8

<h3 style="text-align:center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3><h4>In this new series,&nbsp;RAVI VENKATESAN&nbsp;provides practical guidance on how to be a Heartful Leader. In an era where emotional intelligence is valued in leadership, the role of the heart has never been more important in the corporate and business sectors.</h4>There are many leadership models that have evolved over time. People talk about autocratic leaders, transformational leaders, servant leaders, situational leaders, consensus driven leaders … I can go on and on.Broadly, I have observed only two types of leaders:<ul><li>Those who need authority and control to do anything, and</li><li>Those who are able to get things done through inspiration and influence.</li></ul>There are several paradigm shifts in <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/effective-delegation-accountability-in-the-workplace" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leadership</a> that that have occurred over the last few decades. Some of the key shifts are:<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/from_to_1_1ad13b2f66.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T11:52:11.527Z" alt="from-to-1">In summary, contemporary leadership has shifted from an authority-based model to an influence-based model, however leaders still struggle to achieve great results without authority and direct control.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_leader12_c1781b5cb7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T11:52:42.294Z" alt="heartful-leader12">The key to this puzzle is in understanding what creates ‘influence’ and soft power. This series of articles will outline a framework of leading from the heart so as to solve this puzzle. We will walk through how to manage behaviors, alter perceptions, build great relationships and generate exceptional outcomes through influence.The ideas and concepts behind <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/navigating-corporate-politics-with-inner-stability-and-strategic-awareness" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heartful Leadership</a> are grounded in the best of eastern and western leadership philosophies. In practice, however, we will take the radically new approach of managing one’s inner condition – the state of heart and mind – and use it to create long term influence and consequently great outcomes.This figure shows ‘The Heartful Leader’ framework. Our inner condition results in outer behaviors, the perception of these behaviors results in good or bad relationships, as well as trust or mistrust. Relationships and trust result in a reputation over the medium to long term, which in turn leads to influence and consequently outcomes.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_leader3_515f5581af.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T11:53:39.565Z" alt="heartful-leader3">As a self-evaluation exercise take a few minutes, introspect on the following, and write down your observations:What outcomes have I generated as a leader in the last year? Do I view them as doing justice to my leadership potential, or do I believe I can achieve a lot more?How did I generate these outcomes? In other words, where did I need authority versus where did I lean on influence?How much could I have accomplished if I had no control or authority and had to lean only on influence?What do I believe is my reputation within the organization or organizations that I am associated with?How much trust have I built among the people with whom I am associated?How can I describe the relationships I have with my professional and personal network?How is my behavior perceived by others?Over the next several articles, we will explore each part of this leadership framework in detail and provide a toolkit to get really good at using the heart to lead with inspiration and influence.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4><hr>

The heartful leader - part 1

<h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Leader framework
 and explored Reputation, Trust &amp; Relationships and Outer Behavior. He then explored how we can manage our inner
 state to create specific behavior shifts, and how to consistently build trust and relationships by doing this. In
 this article he looks at leveraging the trust and relationships that we’ve built through consistent positive
 behavior shifts, which are a result of managing our inner state more effectively.</h4>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3>
<h4 style="color: #363795; text-align: center;">LEVERAGING TRUST AND RELATIONSHIPS 
 TO CREATE A REPUTATION AND INFLUENCE</h4>
Reputation and influence are where “rubber meets the road.” They give us the ability to
 generate outcomes needed for the organizations we serve.
In part 2 of this series we discussed the components of reputation and also discussed
 strategies to manage these, and how to rebuild reputations when needed. Here are the key components:
<img alt="the-heartful-leader-part-9"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Leader_part9_2_c519f1e480.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T12:29:03.542Z">Now
 let’s look at a scenario where inside-out Heartful Leadership can create a different kind of reputation and,
 consequently, Influence.
Jonathan worked at a medical equipment manufacturer as the General Manager over the
 Diagnostic Equipment business division. He had a reputation within the organization for being a no-nonsense hard
 driving leader, who would achieve results at all costs: a strict disciplinarian with staunch loyalists, who got rid
 of everyone else from his management team. Most of the line managers and staff seldom heard from him, except when
 something went wrong, and he was known to fire people quickly if they did not get him expected results.
Jonathan was recently assigned to run a new software division for his company. Kumar,
 the VP of Engineering at the software division candidly expressed his concerns to Sheila, the company Chief HR
 Officer. He said, “Jonathan is a great leader and has achieved wonderful results for the company, but he will be a
 disaster running the software business. He has an old school leadership approach that is suitable for manufacturing
 but not for software. Our engineers work flexible hours, expect a lot of perks, are used to taking breaks and
 playing games at the workplace, and also stay late and meet deadlines when needed. It is a different culture, and
 unfortunately Jonathan’s reputation precedes him.”
After much consideration and discussions with the CEO, Sheila had Jonathan go through a
 crash course on Heartful Leadership, especially “inside-out management,” to create a new reputation for himself as
 he approached his new role. Instead of straightaway bringing him on board as the GM of this business, he was brought
 on in an advisory capacity, and introduced to the team as someone who will be a consultant on improving
 profitability and market position. Kumar was taken into confidence to help rebuild Jonathan’s reputation. He
 personally empowered Kumar to provide him very candid feedback if he saw him demonstrate controlling or dictatorial
 behavior in any meeting or interaction. Jonathan spent the next 12 weeks interacting with most of the managers,
 engineers and leaders of the software business without exercising any authority or control.
<img alt="The Heartful Leader"
 class=" has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Leader_part9_3_1a9acaee01.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-04T12:30:13.405Z">

At times he caught himself feeling angry at how “democratic” and hence slow the
 decision-making process was. He was also frustrated with the work culture of remote work, which he felt led to a
 sense of entitlement. However, he managed his inner state effectively to keep coming back to neutral. He
 demonstrated extremely collaborative behavior, and quickly established a solid level of trust with most of the
 leaders. He also developed a great personal rapport with Kumar, who was actually surprised at how differently he
 felt about Jonathan after getting to know him as a person.
The combination of trust and relationships led to Jonathan’s reputation at the software
 division being that of someone who is open-minded, always listens keenly, assumes positive intent, and builds
 consensus. When his new role as GM of this division was announced, the team was completely energized, and welcomed
 the decision. He had also built enough influence with the team by this time, which made his job easier, when making
 much needed changes.
This sort of rebuilding of a reputation is hard and takes consistent work over a period
 of time. It requires a disciplined approach of managing one’s inner state and hence outer behavior. This builds
 trust and relationships that lead to the desired reputation, and consequently influence, without even the need for
 authority.
What sort of reputation would you like to develop over the next 60 to 90 days? Are you
 happy with your current reputation? Explore how a process of inside-out Heartful Leadership can result in a positive
 shift for you.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful leader – part 9

<h4>In part 1 of the Heartful Strategist, RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the following
 framework to map how our consciousness manifests into strategies that have consequences and interact with our
 ecosystem. In this second article, we will explore three cases of strategic choices that illustrate this framework.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1"> 

 <img class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_2_2_f665de7b6e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T04:48:17.112Z" />


Let us take three cases of strategic choices made by leaders:
The first one is a strategic choice made by Pope Benedict XVI. He resigned in 2013,
 becoming the first pope in modern times to do so. The last pope who resigned on his own initiative was Celestine V in
 1294. Many things were surprising about his decision. He gave up one of the most powerful positions available to
 humanity. He resigned knowing that he would likely be succeeded by Pope Francis, a man who had views opposed to his
 own in many areas. He resigned knowing that the church would go through significant reforms and transformation. His
 choice had significant positive consequences for a large portion of the world’s population.
The second one is a strategic choice made by Henry Ford. In 1914 Ford decided to more
 than double the basic wage for workers. This decision was unprecedented and shocking. The trend in capitalist America
 had been the rich getting richer, and the lot of workers staying the same. Ford also reduced the price of his Model T
 car from $800 to $350, so that many of his workers could afford a car. 
 Ford said, “We believe in making 20,000 men prosperous and contented rather than follow the plan of making a few slave
 drivers in our establishment millionaires.” 
 His decision had significant positive consequences for many, and also made him a billionaire.
The third decision is a strategic choice made by Captain Hernan Cortes. He landed in
 Vera Cruz in 1519 to begin a conquest and his first order was to his crew to burn their own ships. Two years later he
 conquered the Aztec empire. His decision was not just surprising, it was one that took significant courage.
These were all big decisions, courageous decisions, decisions that had significant
 consequences for a large number of people, consequences that led to outcomes that impacted history, outcomes that
 changed ecosystems forever. What were the levels of consciousness that allowed these men to make these decisions? Were
 they the same as the average person? They all achieved significant outcomes, but they were driven by different
 motivations, and operated with different levels of consciousness.
Pope Benedict’s choice was most noble, it reflected sacrifice, altruism and courage. The
 level of consciousness to make such a choice takes a lot of refinement.
Henry Ford was after all a businessman, and no doubt he sought ways to grow his wealth.
 However, he made a choice that combined his interests with the interest of his workers and ended up making car
 ownership in America affordable for common people, thereby changing his ecosystem forever.
Hernan Cortes was motivated by conquest. His consciousness was at a different level. His
 decision forced his troops to do or die in their battles. The consequences were again significant.
These examples illustrate the relationship between the consciousness level of one
 individual and how it flows out in terms of strategic choice, that leads to consequences, that lead to outcomes, that
 can change a whole ecosystem. In subsequent articles we will explore how a Heartful Strategist can work on refining
 their consciousness level to make strategic choices that not only benefit them, but also deliver the best possible
 benefits to the broadest possible set of inter-related ecosystems.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 2

<h4>In the first two articles of the series, RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Strategist framework and explored 3 examples that illustrate how consciousness levels of individuals flowed out into choices that had consequences. We saw how these led to outcomes that impacted a broad ecosystem. Here, he starts exploring how a Heartful Strategist works on consciousness in order to make the best choices.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
There are many definitions of consciousness, the simplest one being “the state of being awake and aware of one’s surroundings.” Another one I like is, “the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.”
While these definitions provide a starting point, consciousness is much more nuanced and has many states. Some of these are within the limits of awareness and some are beyond. At a simple level we use the general term “unconscious” for anything that is not conscious. Subconsciousness is the term used for states of consciousness that are below the conscious level, and superconsciousness is used for states that are above active consciousness.
Another way to present it is that the state of consciousness we are aware of is “active consciousness” and states beyond awareness are sub- and superconsciousness. Though consciousness belongs to the mental and not the physical plane, at a physical level we can measure brain activity related to states of consciousness. For example, Delta waves (0.5 to 3 Hz) are associated with subconscious functions like regulating heart rate and digestion, whereas Gamma waves (25 to 100 Hz) are associated with active consciousness and high-level cognitive tasks.
<img class="w-100 lazyload" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_3_2_b8d54bb51e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T06:51:47.798Z"/>
There is also an aspect of the unconscious mind from where intuition and inspiration originate. We can think of this as super-unconsciousness or simply superconsciousness.
Swami Vivekananda, a 19th century mystic who spoke a lot about consciousness, said that active consciousness was like a thin film, sandwiched between an ocean of superconsciousness and an ocean of subconsciousness. The measurement of brainwave frequencies has now scientifically established this. More than 80% of our brain activity is associated with activities that are unconscious, not our active consciousness. You can also think of active consciousness as just the tip of the iceberg. In fact, how our active consciousness works is also influenced, to a very large extent, by what lies beneath.
As we go through life, we continuously gather impressions through our conscious and unconscious interactions with the world, as well as the multifarious thoughts that are part of our minds. These impressions sink into our subconscious and start collecting and forming a residue. This residue creates patterns in how we think, react, analyze, and feel. It prevents our consciousness from being free and expansive.
As an experiment, you can take a “consciousness snapshot” by answering the following questions for yourself:
What are your strongest likes and dislikes? 
What is your strongest desire? 
What do you feel guilty about or regret? 
What do you want more of? 
What is making you restless? 
What is creating anger in you? 
What are you afraid of?
The answers will give you insights into the effect of past impressions on your psyche. They limit our consciousness, and hence limit the choices we make. Note that the answers to these questions give you insights into what is lurking at a subconscious level.
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_3_3_d92c68ecaa.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T06:52:56.188Z" />

When we make a strategic choice, we often have a perspective that is either broad or narrow. This is based on our consciousness level. For example, we might be thinking of just ourselves, or of our team, our organization, our community, our country, or maybe the entire humanity! We saw in the previous article in this series how Pope Benedict made a choice that reflected a very broad consciousness level.
So, what is it that limits our consciousness? The main factors are Fear, Desires, and Selfishness.
What is it that can broaden and allow our consciousness to expand? The main factors are Contentment, Selflessness and Generosity.
In subsequent articles we’ll explore those practices that eliminate the factors that limit our consciousness and develop those factors that allow it to expand.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 3

<h3 style="text-align: center">
 Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration
 </h3>
 <h3 style="text-align: center">
 UNPACKING REPUTATION
 </h3>
 <h4>
 RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the
 Heartful Leader framework shown below In part 1 of this series. He also
 established paradigm shifts that require leaders of the future to get
 more done with influence versus control. They need to navigate
 situations where they don’t have authority but rather need to
 collaborate. They develop and use ‘soft power’ to accomplish what is
 needed. He discussed how our inner state reflects in outer behavior,
 which either does or doesn’t create trust &amp; relationships, which
 over time create reputations. The combination of trust, relationships
 and reputations results in the influence that we have. In this article
 he looks at reputation more closely.
 </h4>
 
 The word ‘reputation’ comes from the Latin reputare, which
 means ‘to think over’. The thinking over happens over time. It is
 defined as “beliefs and opinions generally held about someone or
 something”. It is also defined as “a widespread belief that someone has
 a particular characteristic”. Some examples from day-to day-life are:
 
 
 A person in your family circle who has a reputation of being helpful to
 everyone.
 
 
 A manager at your workplace who has a reputation of getting things done
 at all costs.
 
 
 A politician who has a reputation of not being trustworthy.
 
 
 A neighbor who has a reputation of being a naysayer to all new ideas
 that are brought up in your Home Owner’s Association meetings.
 
 
 The CEO of a non-profit organization who has a reputation of high
 integrity.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart2a_ad723e37bc.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:19:36.029Z"
 alt="THLpart2a"
 />
 
 
 Reputations can be good or bad, like being viewed as an expert in a
 certain field, or not being trustworthy. They can also be good or bad
 based on context. For example, a leader who has a great reputation for
 being a visionary may not wield enough influence to lead the execution
 of a new initiative. On the other hand, a leader who has a reputation of
 being very good at getting things done, but not at vision and strategy,
 may not be taken seriously if he tries to rally a team behind a new
 strategy.
 
 
 Most of us don’t think about our reputation. There are a couple of
 reasons for this. We rely on authority or influence through direct
 relationships to get things done. This works well up to a certain
 extent, but it doesn’t scale. Sooner or later in our leadership journey
 we arrive at a point where someone will, or will not do something based
 on our reputation, and we don’t have a direct relationship with them.
 Most people cannot have a direct meaningful relationship with more than
 a couple of hundred people, even in this hyper-connected age of social
 media. So how else will you influence beyond these people, except to
 consciously build and manage your reputation?
 
 
 Let’s look at three components that make up a reputation and some of the
 ways to develop and manage these more consciously. Towards the end we
 will also discuss a 3-step approach to rebuilding a damaged reputation.
 
 <h4 class="text-center">
 <img
 alt="THLd"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Ld_799a24bb2d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:20:23.894Z"
 />
 </h4>
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 1. AWARENESS
 </h4>
 
 If people are not aware of you, you don’t have a reputation. So the
 first step is to find ways to create awareness about yourself as a
 leader. When I became a manager at Accenture, as part of new manager
 training we were taught to develop one or two things that, over time, we
 would be known for. This can be “Very good at data analysis,” or “Great
 at developing people,” or simply “Rock solid reliable in getting things
 done.” It applies even in a family situation. Think about a girl that
 married your cousin and has a reputation for being tough to get along
 with, or the aunt who will go all out to help everyone.
 
 Strategies to spread awareness include:
 
 Highlight what you want to be known about yourself in a natural and
 subtle way in conversations. Keep in mind that being very explicit or
 overt with this doesn’t work and will come across as inauthentic.
 
 
 Seek feedback when you make a presentation on some topic or express an
 opinion about what to do in a situation etc. People ‘think over’ more
 when asked for feedback.
 
 
 Remember the word reputation comes from ‘think over’.
 
 
 Publish blog posts, articles or white papers in whatever forums you can
 access.
 
 
 Expressing your opinions in a structured manner is a great way to spread
 awareness.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 2. VALUES
 </h4>
 
 What values do you embody on a day-to-day basis, and how do you express
 them? For example, if one of your key values is respect for everyone, do
 you visibly treat people that report to you the same way you treat your
 boss? The old recommendation of treat the janitor like your CEO is very
 true. Many times, how you treat people that you perceive as lower in
 socio-economic status is noticed by others consciously or subconsciously
 and forms an impression in them about you.
 
 Strategies to managing this:
 
 Find words and ways to express the values that you stand for, e.g.
 respect, honesty, truth, integrity, courage, or any others.
 
 
 Keep in mind that you cannot fake this, so if you are unsure of your
 values then you will have to first do the inner work to find them within
 yourself, and then apply approaches to project and express them. For
 most people, fortunately, they have the values, and just haven’t figured
 out how to project them.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart2c_105d27e2ad.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T11:21:05.020Z"
 alt="THLpart2c"
 />
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 3. EXPERTISE
 </h4>
 
 What are your areas of expertise that are relevant to the context of
 your workplace, family or circle of friends? Do your friends know you as
 a financial wizard and hence connect you with someone who needs advice
 on retirement planning? Do people in your organization recognize you as
 a big thinker and come to you for new product ideas? Does your extended
 family believe you are a great ‘fixer’ of relationship problems and
 bring you in to counsel the couple that are working through challenges?
 
 Strategies to manage this:
 
 Pick only one or two things that you are really good at, and start
 finding opportunities to showcase them. Let the word spread organically
 and naturally. You cannot explicitly advertise your skills to build a
 reputation.
 
 
 Find ways to use your expertise to help others, especially when you
 don’t have to do this. People always talk about unexpected help or out
 of the way help that they received.
 
 
 In most cases we are not starting from scratch. We have a reputation
 that unfortunately may be tarnished. We may have changed, but people
 still perceive us based on past behavior. The way to rebuild a
 reputation is through a three-step process: Acknowledge, Act and
 Reinforce.
 
 
 For example, let’s say that you are a manager in building construction
 with a reputation of not being transparent when things are going wrong,
 and telling people with little notice that deadlines will be missed.
 Over the years, you have suffered because of this reputation and haven’t
 progressed through your organization as well as you could have. You have
 recently made changes and are starting to tell people early if things
 are getting delayed, but they still have the perception of the old you.
 Your steps for rebuilding would be:
 
 
 1. ACKNOWLEDGE
 
 
 First of all acknowledge that in the past you have not been transparent
 with delays and have made changes to correct the way you operate.
 
 
 2. ACT
 
 
 Let the actions speak for themselves. Make sure you provide information
 early and often regarding delays.
 
 
 3. REINFORCE
 
 
 Articulate the changes made to ensure that perceptions change. Find
 opportunities to create a summary of how you have changed your approach.
 Great opportunities are ‘Project reviews’, ‘Executive summary meetings’,
 ‘Transition meetings’ etc. Make sure you highlight the fact that based
 on past feedback you made a change, and here are the results.
 
 
 Rebuilding reputations can take a long time but following this 3-step
 process will help you make a big difference fairly quickly.
 
 
 In subsequent articles we’ll look at trust &amp; relationships,
 behaviors and inner state (of our hearts and minds). We’ll then work
 inside out to create the right state, behavior, trust &amp;
 relationships and bring this together with reputation to create
 influence and great leadership outcomes.
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 <hr />

The heartful leader - part 2

<h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Leader framework
 and explored Reputation, Trust &amp; Relationships and Outer Behavior. He explored how to manage our inner state to
 create specific behavioral shifts, and how to consistently build trust and relationships by doing this. He also
 explored how reputations are formed through trust and relationships, and eventually create influence that lets us
 generate required outcomes. In this final article on the series we will cover some practical pointers on how to
 apply this framework and evolve with it. After all, Heartful Leadership is not a one and done thing, but rather a
 lifelong pursuit.</h4>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3>
<h4 style="color: #363795; text-align: center;">INFLUENCE AND OUTCOMES</h4>
Let’s remind ourselves of the framework again:
<h4><img alt="the-heartful-leader-part-10" 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_leader_part10_1_2ac56c7138.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T16:26:26.683Z">
</h4>
<h4>Dig deeper when things are tough </h4>
Almost anyone can be on their best behavior when things are going great. Business is
 rolling in, promotions are easy, your boss is happy with you, and your colleagues think you walk on water. The “real
 person” shows up when the going gets tough. This is when observing your inner state, making shifts that reflect in a
 positive outer behavior, become most important.
<h4>Trust is earned in two ways </h4>
The obvious way is by doing what we say we will do. The less obvious one is by taking
 responsibility for mistakes and failures.
<h4>Relationships are already there </h4>
A lot of times we put significant effort in building relationships and look at the world
 as divided into people we know and those who are strangers to us. The founder of Heartfulness, Ram Chandra, says,
 “We are all connected intellectually and morally.” This is a simple sentence but loaded with meaning.
I have often observed that when I feel someone is not a stranger, their behavior towards
 me becomes familiar, cordial, and, more often than not, amicable. Negotiations become easy, an understanding
 develops, which might usually take much longer. Next time you head into a meeting with people you think you don’t
 know, have this idea of being connected in mind and see what happens.
<h4><img alt="the-heartful-leader-part-10" 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_leader_part10_2_f960575ffd.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T16:28:32.367Z">
</h4>
<h4>Value your reputation </h4>
I cannot stress enough how precious reputations are. Even the best of us will always be
 targets for criticism and slander. Sometimes our reputation can be sullied maliciously without us being at fault.
 These are things we can’t control, however, it behooves us to be alert to what we can control. Most of this is our
 conversation. Can we always be polite, civil, respectful and balanced? This is key to building and maintaining a
 reputation.
<h4>Watch for the reverse effects</h4>
Just as inner state impacts outer behavior, which impacts trust and relationships, which
 impacts reputations, which impacts influence, which leads to outcomes, there is a reverse cycle. Misuse of influence
 and creating negative outcomes can harm reputations, which can damage trust and relationships, which can create bad
 behaviors. This can penetrate and spoil our inner state creating excessive ambition, restlessness, anger, anxiety
 and lack of clarity. If we let our inner state be spoiled, then we are lost.
<h4>Use feedback to review and refine </h4>
Pick any aspect of this framework you would like to work on. For example, you might pick
 an outer behavior, like the tendency to interrupt when someone else is speaking, or the tendency to put down ideas
 from someone else. As you go on a journey to correct this outer behavior, by adjusting your inner state, ask a
 colleague to observe you in meetings and give you candid feedback. Are you making the required shift or not? This
 can be very valuable in holding you accountable to the change you desire.
<h4>It starts with contentment </h4>
Contentment is a rare quality in corporate life. It is almost viewed as weak and the
 opposite of ambition. Corporate leaders are now trained to develop “killer instinct” and high ambition. People give
 talks about how if it doesn’t hurt then you don’t have ambition. What are we really trying to achieve? There is a
 huge difference between aspiration and ambition. Aspiration is the desire to achieve excellence. It is beyond the
 individual self, it is noble, and it is without compromising on achievement orientation. Ambition on the other hand
 tends to be about “me and mine.” If we can shift from ambition to aspiration by sowing the seeds of contentment in
 our heart, then we will trigger the positive cycle discussed in the 7th article of this series:
<div class="text-center">
 <img alt="the-heartful-leader-part-10" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_leader_part10_4_f5ea3e5a38.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T16:30:05.508Z">
</div>
This will lead to the right behaviors, and eventually the best outcomes.
I wish you all the best in practicing these principles of Heartful Leadership and look
 forward to times when we see more and more heartful leaders in our corporate lives.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful leader - part 10

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>In the last three articles of this series, RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the
 Heartful Strategist framework and walked through factors that limit our consciousness versus allowing it to expand. He
 explored the vicious and virtuous cycles of emotions that we struggle with, and also looked at how developing positive
 qualities of the heart and finding the right balance between opposites is the key to this expansion of consciousness.
 In this article we’ll dive deeper into how the same person at different stages in life seems to have made very
 different choices. We’ll explore what is behind the shift and what lessons we can draw from it.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Let’s take an example of choices made by one person at different stages in their life.
 Bill Gates is the founder of Microsoft, and is well known as one of the best business strategists. In his younger days
 he developed the reputation for being brilliant, but ruthless. Some of his brilliant strategic decisions included
 moving aggressively to become the operating system provider for IBM in the ’80s, with a non-exclusive agreement that
 allowed Microsoft to sell the operating system to other PC manufacturers. There was a dark side, though; his
 co-founder Paul Allen describes Gates as a ruthless schemer, in his memoirs, who demeaned employees and schemed to
 reduce his co-founder’s share in the company.
There are many other stories about how he stifled competition for Windows, to the extent
 that initially when the open source software movement came about, Gates and Microsoft were considered everything that
 this community was fighting against. So, what was the consequence? For years Microsoft Windows, and Microsoft Office
 became the default computing environment for everyone, blocking innovation that could have come from many sources.
Fast forward to recent years, Gates is one of the most renowned philanthropists and his
 foundation has tackled some of the most challenging problems in the world. He has also been an influential figure in
 convincing other billionaires to make generous contributions. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he is making
 a real difference to humanity at a global scale.
What changed? Some might argue that he got wiser as he got older, but there are plenty
 of examples of people staying ruthless, holding on to power, chasing money, well into their later years. Some say it
 was his marriage to Melinda Gates that brought a very different perspective to him. There is some truth to this if we
 study when his approach started changing. What was the real shift though?
In the last article we talked about opposite qualities of the heart and how they put us
 into circles of vicious and virtuous cycles. When we study an example like Bill Gates, we can see these operating. His
 early years had plenty of episodes where the drivers seemed to be Greed =&gt; Restlessness =&gt; Anger =&gt; Fear etc.
 His recent years have plenty of episodes where the drivers are the opposite. This can naturally happen when we open
 our hearts and listen to what signals we receive from within. However, is there a less abstract way to understand this
 and act on it? There is. And based on how it is applied, a seemingly negative quality can become positive and vice
 versa.
Envision your circle of influence. It includes you, your family, your friends, your
 colleagues, your community and all of humanity (See figure below).
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_2b_7c57b4c19a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T13:00:32.837Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Let’s now take those opposites that are qualities of the Heart. We can start with
 seemingly negative qualities like greed or desire. If you take desire, and apply it outwards – desiring more for your
 family instead of yourself, desiring more for your friends and colleagues – and you keep going till your desire is
 “wanting more for humanity,” this is now no longer a negative quality. Similarly, let’s take the other qualities one
 by one and apply the same approach:
Restlessness – be restless for
 improving the lot of humanity; 
 Anger – Be angry at all the unfairness and injustice in this world and use it as
 a constructive force to drive improvements; and 
 Fear– Use fear to be cautious to protect the interests of others.

Try to apply these ideas consciously over the next few weeks and see if they can shift
 your consciousness, your choices, the consequences, and the outcomes for your circle of influence.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


 <img class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_3_08a6d33d57.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T13:02:06.573Z" />


<hr class="vertical-space1">


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>


<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 4

<h3 style="text-align:center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3><h3 style="text-align:center;">SUCCEED THROUGH RELATIONSHIPS</h3><h4>In previous articles, RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Leader framework and took a deeper look at Reputation and Trust. In this article he explores the topic of Relationships.</h4><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart3_4_236278177f.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-05T15:04:05.692Z">Building great relationships is core to Heartful leadership. There are no doubt great things that can be accomplished individually, but when it comes to leadership, it is all about accomplishing great things collectively, and this requires building and managing relationships. Relationships are fluid and have a certain lifecycle. Awareness of vaccines, diseases and cures for relationships can help tremendously in managing them the right way.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_leader_part4_2_0436dabcb1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T15:05:23.707Z"><h4>DISEASES</h4>There are many diseases that erode relationships. Here are the main ones:1. Misunderstanding:We all run stories in our minds constantly. More often than not, our minds are wired to think through negative scenarios. Call it our inherent survival instinct. For example, observe your thoughts before going to an important business meeting or even a parent teacher meeting at your child’s school. You will notice that you are thinking through points and counterpoints that assume the worst from the person with whom you will interact. After this, observe the actual meeting and check how many of the things you anticipated actually came true. Were you negatively biased? While there are some who train themselves to be overly optimistic and positive all the time, most of us suffer from this tendency to think negatively. This predisposition on the part of both parties leads to misunderstanding, which causes poor interactions and eventually damages relationships.2. Lack of Responsiveness:Many times we don’t respond because we don’t have a positive response. We don’t realize that a polite and appropriately contextualized negative response is much better than no response. Think of the times when a friend approached you for donating to a cause and you just avoided her, or when a co-worker asked for some information on something that wasn’t a top priority for you and took a long time to collect it. How did you respond, if at all? Many of us take the convenient option of ignoring. Nothing damages a relationship as quickly as non-responsiveness.3. Contempt:The old adage “Familiarity breeds contempt” has stood the test of time. It is inevitable and happens with professional as well as personal relationships. It is another major cause of relationship damage.4. Lack of Respect:Many times we inadvertently fall into the trap of thinking that as long as we like someone, and have affection for them, respect is optional. It is not! Nothing betrays a lack of respect more than criticism. Observe a person’s expressions the next time you criticize an idea or a suggestion from them. You will realize that you just dug a deep relationship hole that you will now have to climb out of.<h4>VACCINES</h4>Here are some vaccines to prevent these diseases:1. Empathy:There is no better relationship vaccine than putting yourself in the other person’s shoes. It is one thing to feel empathetic and another to express it. Make sure you do both.2. Humility:One of the founders of Heartfulness Meditation, Shri Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, said that no concept of high and low should be there. Someone who treats the janitor the same as the chairman of the board will always be respectful and respected.3. Interest:The power of taking genuine interest in people cannot be appreciated enough. In the human condition, we all crave for social connection and affection, and nothing expresses this in a genuine and natural way more than simple interest. Try to notice on Monday morning when someone asks you about your weekend. Mostly this is done in a perfunctory manner with no interest, but some leaders will give your response their full attention and demonstrate real interest in you as a person. This is worth emulating.4. Engagement:Relationships are nurtured by investing time. Make it a discipline to meaningfully engage with everyone with whom you want to grow your relationships. Frequency matters more than duration. A 5-minute hallway chat every week is better than a lunch once every 6 months.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_leader_part4_3_1c2c89a757.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T15:06:35.830Z"><hr><h4>CURES</h4>Relationships once damaged, are hard to mend, but not impossible. Here are some cures:1. Sincere apology followed by action:This is self-explanatory. Often a damaged relationship carries a sense of blame with it. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was. Even if you don’t accept responsibility for what went wrong, you can always accept <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/effective-delegation-accountability-in-the-workplace" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">responsibility</a> for letting the relationship suffer. Start there and see what magic can happen.2. Create opportunities to collaborate:Especially when a relationship has gone cold due to lack of engagement, it can be re-energized by working together on something. Moving past likes and dislikes is also critical to making this fruitful.3. Do a favor without expecting anything in return:It often just takes one little gesture of goodwill, a small favor, a token of appreciation, and the relationship blossoms like a plant that has been ignored for a few days and suddenly received some much-needed water.4. Ask for help:Amazingly enough, when a relationship has been damaged, especially due to ego issues, asking the other person for help can often quickly mend it. Doing this automatically raises the other person and they will meet you in the middle.<h4>EXERCISE</h4>Create a list of your two most important professional and personal relationships. Are any of these suffering from the diseases outlined above? If not, apply the vaccines recommended, and if so, apply the cures.In subsequent articles we will look at how our behaviors lead to trust and relationships. We will also explore how, by managing our inner state, we can work inside out to effortlessly manage the cause and effect chain that leads to great influence and outcomes.<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_leader_part4_4_0d525effee.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T15:07:17.007Z"><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4><hr>

The heartful leader – part 4

<h4>In this series, RAVI VENKATESAN has shared tips on how to fine tune our “inner state” to become Heartful Innovators. He has also addressed ways to overcome barriers to innovation like stress and fear, discussed enablers of innovation, like imagination and courage, and described how we can articulate ideas and influence others effectively. In this final article of the series, he summarizes the 10 key ideas introduced in this series, so that we can use them as a toolkit to innovate. You can refer back to the earlier articles for more details on each of these.</h4><hr><h1>The Heartful Innovator – part 10</h1><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/toolkit_infographic_700x1325_9b890be916.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-26T06:36:21.651Z" alt="toolkit-infographic"><hr>

A toolkit for innovation

<h3 style="text-align:center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3><h3 style="text-align:center;">INNER STATE – THE ICEBERG BENEATH</h3><h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Leader framework and explored reputation, trust, relationships and outer behavior. In this article, he explores the <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/from-inner-stillness-to-outer-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inner state</a> that results in this outer behavior and helps us understand how to manage it.</h4><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thl_part7_1_6c3c598c5f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:49:24.880Z">We can broadly categorize inner state into what goes on in the heart and mind. In reality, they are not distinct, but rather two parts of a whole, and together they constitute the vibrational field within us. The state of this field is what we refer to as our inner state. It can also be understood as the conglomeration of all our feelings, emotions, thoughts and ideas. The above picture shows a framework for the inner state that was introduced in “The Heartful Negotiator”<a href="https://www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-1/"> [https://www.heartfulnessmagazine.com/heartful-negotiator-part-1/]</a>.As an exercise, take a moment to write down the following. It is okay if you don’t have answers for all of these questions:1. WHAT ARE YOUR STRONGEST LIKES AND DISLIKES?2. WHAT IS YOUR STRONGEST DESIRE?3. WHAT ARE YOU WORRIED OR CONCERNED ABOUT?4. WHAT DO YOU REGRET THE MOST OR FEEL GUILTY ABOUT?5. WHAT DO YOU WANT MORE OF?6. WHAT IS MAKING YOU RESTLESS?7. WHAT CREATES ANGER IN YOU?8. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF?9. WHAT CONFUSES YOU OR LEADS TO INDECISIVENESS?You have just taken a snapshot of your inner state.Most of the time, we float through our days, unaware of what is going on inside us. After doing this snapshot, reflect on your behavior in the past 24 hours. Were you rude to someone? Did you feel impatient in a conversation with someone? Can you trace this back to anger inside you, or restlessness inside you? Outer behavior is always linked to the inner state.Sometimes situations we encounter trigger a change in our inner state that in turn reflects in behaviors that we regret. I remember an email from an executive at a partner company after we had a failed launch of a joint solution. This executive placed the entire blame on our company without taking any responsibility for their mistakes, and even demanded financial compensation beyond anything covered by our contractual relationship. I was already not a big fan of this executive, and this email increased that personal dislike even more. It triggered all kinds of emotions all at once.I was angry at how unfair his position was, worried that we would now waste energy on legal proceedings, restless to get out of the situation, and fearful of the eventual consequences. I walked into a meeting with all these feelings and thoughts around how to respond. Needless to say, I was unable to focus on the issues that were discussed at the meeting and came across as lacking clarity of thought. There was a vicious cycle at play here:<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thl_part7_3_7817410257.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:51:18.887Z">This cycle can be reversed though. It all starts with adopting a “neutral” position in terms of likes and dislikes. We can use our own willpower to resist the inclination to like or dislike anything, whether it is a person, a situation, an object, or anything else. This gives us the opportunity to adjust ourselves to a neutral state, irrespective of the situation. This in turn leads to peace of mind, a general feeling of love or compassion, courage to tackle whatever is in front of us, and clarity of mind.<h5 style="text-align:center;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/thl_part7_4_97c93afb94.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T12:52:29.945Z"></h5>In subsequent articles we will look at how shifting this inner state, starting with bringing ourselves to a neutral position with respect to likes and dislikes. This will lead to better outer behaviors, and eventually to great influence and outcomes.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4><hr>

The heartful leader – part 6

<h3 style="text-align: center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h3>
<h3 style="text-align: center;">BEHAVIOR – IT’S NOT WHAT YOU SAY BUT WHAT YOU DO
</h3>
&nbsp;
<h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the Heartful Leader framework
 and took a deeper look at Reputation, Trust &amp; Relationships. Now he explores the behaviors that lead to all
 this, how easy it is to be unaware of our behaviors and how powerful it is to become aware.</h4>
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THL_5_1_min_4370c64ba4.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T13:04:43.441Z">

Let’s look at some typical behavioral patterns of leaders.
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THL_5_2_min_2647acc493.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T13:06:32.253Z">

At the simplest level, leaders fall into the trap of weighing their time, priorities and
 results as more valuable than providing direction and support to their team members. This reflects in poor outer
 behavior that damages trust and relationships.
Here are some ways that the imbalance shown above manifests in their behavior:
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">1. I AM MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOU</h4>
Leaders start expressing that they are more important, without even realizing it. Call
 it a result of eons of developing hierarchies. The ironic thing is that many times we are unaware of this. Let me
 share a couple of personal examples:
I once received feedback that I was showing up late to meetings. I reflected on my
 recent meetings and realized that I was 3 to 5 minutes late. I considered this quite acceptable, as sometimes it
 takes a few minutes to get from one conference room to another. When I thought deeper, I realized that it wasn’t a
 matter of how late I was. By making someone wait for me, I was expressing that I valued my time more than theirs.

In another recent example, I developed a habit of going to someone’s office if I needed
 something, and if they were in the middle of a meeting I would say, “Can I interrupt for just 30 seconds?” Sometimes
 the interruption ended up being 2 to 3 minutes. The underlying theme is the same. At some level, although
 unintentionally, I expressed that I am more important. These habits creep up on us without us being aware, and
 unless a colleague or friend is kind enough to point them out, or a moment of reflection allows them to come into
 consciousness, we can fall into the pattern for years.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">2. BEING HARD ON THE PEOPLE AND SOFT ON PROBLEMS
</h4>
A leadership maxim is to always be soft on people and hard on problems, but often we do
 the exact opposite. We end up berating people when something went wrong, and don’t put measures in place to prevent
 similar problems from repeating. This is because as leaders we always believe that we have to express passion and
 sometimes emotion to hold people accountable. However, when this ends up taking the form of disrespect, we will not
 get what we want.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">3. DIRECTING VERSUS NEGOTIATING</h4>

<img decoding="async" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THL_5_4_min_f8b5cc56ac.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T13:08:59.422Z">


I had a boss early in my career who prided himself on a technique he used for
 prioritization: If you went to him and asked him to prioritize between two things that you had on your plate, you
 would go back with three things! You can imagine the result of this approach. He never realized the flip side
 though. Many times, leaders don’t like to go through a negotiation process to establish and rationalize priorities.
 Make goals realistic, while creating enough stretch to compete. Not doing this simply leads to reluctant compliance
 instead of enthusiastic cooperation.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">4. DEFLECTING VERSUS OWNING</h4>
Another leadership maxim is to always assume blame and pass on credit. How many leaders
 actually do this though? This also applies to peers and not just to subordinates. Many times deflecting happens
 especially with peers and breaks down relationships for the long term.
<h4 style="text-align: justify;">5. DEMONSTRATING NEGATIVITY</h4>
Any time a leader starts getting anxious or fearful, it has a ripple effect on their
 team and the organization. There are 5 key emotions that bubble up into negativity at a behavioral level. These are:

a.
 Dissatisfaction: Some leaders come across as always unhappy with the results. They think
 that they are setting a high bar, but this discourages people and eventually leads to what is called sandbagging,
 where people steer towards lower goals.
b.
 Restlessness: Leaders who appear unfocused, fidgety and unable to be calm, can create a
 downward spiral in confidence with their teams. This especially surfaces in times of higher stress.
c.
 Anger: There is nothing worse than a leader who is known to be prone to outbursts. There
 is a reason why emotional quotient (EQ) is now the most important leadership skill. Organizations cannot afford
 leaders who are unable to manage their own emotions.
d.
 Fear: Leaders often exhibit anxiety and fear, especially when stakes are high. In any
 and every situation, a leader’s role is to provide confidence. This doesn’t mean lying and not being transparent
 about problems or challenges. Rather, it means demonstrating courage under all circumstances, which can inspire
 teams to rise up to any challenges.
e.
 Doubt: Along with fear and uncertainty, doubt can have a totally debilitating effect on
 a team, when demonstrated by a leader. Leaders need to be especially careful to ensure that they express clarity in
 their thought process.
These negatives don’t just show up during times of stress, many times they can also show
 up during what seem like great times.
<img decoding="async" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THL_5_5_min_d93beab2d1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T13:10:39.609Z">

<h4 style="text-align: justify;">EXERCISE</h4>
Reflect on your recent interactions with people with whom you work. Do you
 unintentionally exhibit behaviors of being more important than them? Can you make a shift to deal with people in a
 manner that doesn’t get in the way of sincere mutual respect?
In subsequent articles we will look at our inner state, and how managing our inner state
 works inside out to impact behavior, and consequently builds greater influence.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful leader – part 5

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >In previous articles,
 RAVI VENKATESAN outlined 4 key aspects
 of the “inner state” that we want to fine tune to become Heartful
 Innovators. He explored the role of the intellect and the ego, and their
 transformation in enabling innovation. In this article he explores the
 role our awareness plays in innovation.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 class="has-img-center"
 srcset="
 https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part4_2_ed57e4595d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T03:37:20.195Z
 "
 alt="heartful innovator"
 width="300"
 height="300"
/>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 <spanundefined
 >I’ve always been fascinated by how the cameras in the latest smartphones
 are able to capture videos and take pictures that are way better than even
 professional cameras from a few years ago. The “secret sauce” of course is
 the software running on these phones, and not the hardware. This software
 powered by what is called machine learning (a sub-category of artificial
 intelligence) is able to make adjustments to what is captured and improve
 it in many ways.


 <spanundefined
 >What is interesting is that we have similar processes that operate within
 the human being. Let’s take just one of our senses, for example. Our
 vision actually is much poorer than we perceive it to be. The fovea, which
 is 1% of our visual field at the very center, has high resolution and can
 resolve several thousand dots in this area. This is very high resolution,
 but the area is very small. If you hold out your thumb and stretch your
 arm, the area of your thumbnail is about your fovea. Even though this
 fovea is only 1%, our brain’s visual cortex devotes 50% to inputs from
 this area. So why don’t we see everything except this small area in a
 blurry manner?


 <spanundefined
 >What happens is that just as the software on our smartphone is enhancing
 the images in real time, based on artificial intelligence, our mind
 enhances the images coming from our peripheral vision. For example, as you
 come to a room for the first time, your eyes scan various parts of the
 room. Your mind builds a mental model rapidly. Once this is done, even
 though your eyes are seeing a very small portion of the room clearly, and
 the rest of it fuzzily through your peripheral vision, your mind creates
 the impression that you are seeing the entire room clearly. In a way what
 you see is an illusion!
 


 <spanundefined
 >Surprising, isn’t it! The observation that our mind is able to enhance
 our senses and perception in this manner opens up many other possibilities
 for us.
 


<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 class="w-100"
 srcset="
 https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part4_3_c218a496ff.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T03:38:13.348Z
 "
 alt="THI-part4-3"
/>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 <spanundefined
 >The concepts of consciousness and levels of consciousness often appear
 elusive and esoteric. A simple way to look at it is simply as the degree
 of awareness. In other words, the higher the consciousness level, the more
 heightened the degree of awareness. And what is this awareness really? It
 is our perception of everything internal and external. The inputs can come
 from the senses for anything external, or from within the mind for
 anything internal. The perception of this input by the mind is what we
 refer to as awareness. Remember that this perception is not exactly the
 input, but an illusion created by the mind, based on that input. The word
 illusion can feel negative, but in this case it is positive. In fact, it
 helps us navigate the world effectively. For example, if the power goes
 out and you need to walk to the next room to grab a flashlight, you can
 envision the path from where you are to the next room, and carefully walk
 in the darkness avoiding obstacles. Your mind is creating an illusion that
 lets you see without light, and helps you navigate.
 


 <spanundefined
 >In a similar manner if we raise our level of consciousness, and achieve
 very heightened awareness, then we are able to perceive many things in a
 natural and sometimes magical manner. We “see” things that others don’t
 see, we “hear” things that others don’t hear, we “feel” things that others
 don’t feel. This ability of “super-sensing” becomes a strategic weapon for
 an innovator. So how can we develop it?


 <spanundefined
 >Inner practices that help us raise our level of consciousness are the
 most effective way to do this. In the next article we will explore this
 link between levels of consciousness and heightened awareness further,
 along with some concrete practices to achieve this.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article By
 <spanundefined
 >RAVI VENKATESAN
 
</h4>

<hr />

The heartful innovator – part 4

<h3 style="text-align: center">
 Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration
 </h3>
 <h3 style="text-align: center">
 TRUST IS EVERYTHING
 </h3>
 <h4 style="text-align: left">
 In previous articles,
 RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the
 Heartful Leader framework and took a deeper look at Reputation, and ways
 to manage it. Now he looks at Trust more closely.
 </h4>
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart3_4_b736f36123.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-07T05:13:40.077Z"
 alt="THLpart3"
 />
 
 
 Building trust is an essential part of Heartful leadership. Many times,
 people mix being trustworthy with other things. For example, being
 liked, being popular, being smart, being humorous etc. It is entirely
 possible to like someone, enjoy conversations with them, but not trust
 them at all. It is also possible, though less common, to trust someone
 but not like them at all.
 
 
 Trust, like Reputation, takes a lot to build and very little to lose.
 Once lost, it is also extremely difficult to rebuild. There are four key
 factors that create trust. If these are managed well, they go a long way
 in creating, maintaining and enhancing trust.
 
 <h4>
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart3_2_d73e4f2fae.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-07T05:14:30.027Z"
 alt="THLpart3"
 />
 </h4>
 <h4>1. AUTHENTICITY</h4>
 
 Many times leaders exaggerate or embellish what they are, or what they
 can do, or their backgrounds. Sometimes this is done without much
 thought or any kind of malicious intent. However, as soon as their
 subsequent actions don’t support how they initially came across, others
 lose trust in them, and then they struggle to get anything done.
 Authenticity also requires courage, because sometimes it means
 expressing what may not be palatable. Think about people with whom you
 interact. Is there someone you would describe as a ‘straight shooter’,
 or ‘what you see is what you get’? These are some of the ways in which
 we recognize authenticity.
 
 
 Tips to be authentic:
 
 
 Many times, leaders feel vulnerable in exposing themselves
 transparently, because they feel like they have to sugar coat or hide
 bad news. Try to take that leap and share some bad news transparently,
 you will find that people who receive it, actually react better than you
 expect, and appreciate your authenticity.
 
 
 Leaders often hesitate to admit their mistakes. Try to deliberately find
 a couple of opportunities at work or with the family to admit a mistake
 and share how you will fix it or prevent it in the future. You will be
 surprised that the reaction is not as negative as you expect, and you
 will find this extremely liberating.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 2. INTEGRITY
 </h4>
 
 Integrity simply put is ‘always doing the right thing, no matter what
 the cost’. If there is one thing where flexibility is bad, it is in the
 area of integrity. We unfortunately see many examples of seemingly
 successful leaders who do not have integrity and consider it okay. The
 reality is that any leader who may achieve results and seem to succeed
 without integrity, sooner or later loses that success. Even if we don’t
 lose it in a material sense, this thing within us called the conscience
 ends up inflicting punishment that no external agency can.
 
 
 Tips for developing integrity:
 
 
 The best tip for integrity is to stand tall and never compromise on
 ethics and morals.
 
 
 Daaji, the Heartfulness Guide, suggests that we may think occasionally
 that everyone is developing correct thinking, right understanding and an
 honest approach to life. I find that having this thought helps
 tremendously. After all, when we wish something good for others, we
 automatically feel inclined to apply it for ourselves.
 
 
 <img
 class="has-img-center lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart3_3_6b3baee9d9.jpeg?updated_at=2023-04-07T05:15:00.691Z"
 alt="THLpart3"
 />
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 3. CAPABILITY
 </h4>
 
 No matter how much integrity you have and how authentic you are, if you
 simply don’t have the capability for whatever role you are performing,
 you will be unable to earn trust. This applies as much to an accountant,
 as to a school teacher, as to a CEO, or a lawyer.
 
 
 Tip for developing capability:
 
 
 There are times when you are thrust into a role where you do not yet
 have the capability. In such cases, being transparent about it
 (authenticity) and building the capability quickly is a great way to
 earn trust over time.
 
 <h4 style="text-align: justify">
 4. RELATABILITY
 </h4>
 
 There is a natural tendency for human beings to trust their own kind.
 Unfortunately, many times this takes the form of bias and prejudice.
 Being perceived as ‘one of us’, however, significantly enhances trust.
 
 
 Tips to enhance relatability:
 
 
 We cannot change who we are in terms of our race, color, educational
 background etc., but we can find what we have in common with our circle
 of interaction and place emphasis on this. Highlighting what we share
 versus what is different about us is a great way to be relatable.
 
 
 Use language that creates the feeling of being one team or one family.
 Words are powerful in what they convey directly, but also what they
 convey subliminally. When you use words like ‘we’ and ‘us’ versus ‘you’
 and ‘me’, you create more relatability and hence trust.
 
 
 As an exercise, create a list of people you feel are supporters,
 neutrals and detractors at your workplace or even in your extended
 family. Against each name, rate on a scale of 1 (low) to 5 (high), how
 much you think each person trusts you. Do you see a correlation between
 trust and their support of you? Prioritize 2 or 3 individuals who you
 think have the most impact on your success. Write down what you can do
 to bring them from detractor to neutral, and neutral to supporter
 levels, by applying the above tips for enhancing trust.
 
 
 In subsequent articles we will look at relationships, dive into
 behaviors and our own inner state, and see how we can use Heartful
 leadership to work from the inside out to create better trust,
 relationships, reputation and, as a result, influence and outcomes.
 
 <hr />
 <h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 <hr />

The heartful leader - part 3

<hr><h4>In the previous articles, RAVI VENKATESAN outlined 4 key aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine tune to become Heartful Innovators. He explored the role of the intellect, ego and awareness, and their transformation in enabling innovation. Here he explores the role our mind plays in innovation.</h4><hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part5_2_1_0fe37f17ce.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T06:11:21.632Z" alt="heartful innovator">I always find it interesting that whenever someone talks about their thoughts, they point to their head.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part5_3_1_3aac97e330.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T06:12:36.315Z" alt="heartful innovator">On the other hand, when they talk about their feelings, they point to their heart.Is a thought really in our head (brain) and a feeling in our heart? No, because thought is not a physical thing. Yes, when we have certain thoughts and feelings, we can see their physical manifestation in brain activity or heart rate, but that is just a manifestation. So where are our thoughts and feelings?Thoughts form in what we call the mind, which is not the same as the brain. The mind is a non-physical vibrational field, which has two ends of a spectrum – what we commonly call the mind (not the brain) and what we commonly call the heart (not the physical heart). To understand this better, let’s take a couple of examples.As Sally goes to bed, she has an uncomfortable feeling that she forgot to do something. While falling asleep, she wakes up suddenly, remembering that she forgot to lock the main door after guests had left that evening. The feeling has generated a thought.&nbsp;Jake has an unexpected surprise when his boss tells him he will receive a very nice bonus and appreciates what Jake has done. As he heads home, the thought of the bonus is no longer in his conscious mind, but he still feels great through the day and carries that feeling with him. In this case, the thought has generated a feeling.&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part5_4_59f233d113.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T06:14:11.988Z" alt="heartful innovator"> &nbsp;&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;If you observe closely, you will find that when a thought slips from conscious levels to subconscious levels of awareness, it becomes a feeling. And when a feeling comes up from subconscious levels to conscious levels of awareness it becomes a thought. So, thoughts and feelings live at two ends of a spectrum that we call the mind and heart. Since it is a spectrum, there is no such thing as a pure thought or a pure feeling. A thought always carries the shadow of a feeling and vice versa.There is a level in between, which we might call sensing. The easiest way to understand this is when we are looking at a problem and thinking about various solutions. If we step back, we often “sense” the right solution. We can even practice this as a creative <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-sacred-necessity-of-presence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">problem-solving</a> technique. It is interesting that the Merriam-Webster dictionary defines sensing as “to have a vague awareness of ” and also “to have a clear idea of.”&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<h5 style="text-align:center;">Thoughts and feelings live at two ends of a spectrum that we call the mind and heart. Since it is a spectrum, there is no such thing as a pure thought or a pure feeling. A thought always carries the shadow of a feeling and vice versa.</h5>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr>For an innovator, this ability to step back, “sense” and eventually “feel” or intuit solutions to problems is one of the most useful abilities. So why utilize the “feeling” side? Consider this: According to Dr. Bruce Lipton in The Biology of Belief, the subconscious mind can process 20,000,000 bits of information per second, whereas the conscious mind can only process 40 bits of information per second. So, the subconscious mind can process 500,000 times more than the conscious mind.&nbsp;&nbsp;<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part5_5_59804bc120.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T06:15:42.234Z" alt="heartful innovator">&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;Here are a few simple exercises to develop the sensing and feeling side of the heart-mind spectrum:1. Do 20 minutes of meditation every day. <a href="https://heartfulness.org/us/">Heartfulness Meditation</a> is a great practice to rapidly expand our awareness from the thinking to the feeling level.2. Practice pausing during meetings or conversations, and pay attention to your feelings. Try to “sense” what is going on versus thinking it through all the time.3. Develop the habit of paying attention to signals from your body, which can often take you away from the world of thoughts to the world of sensing and later feeling. For example, when you are about to have a conversation with a colleague and feel a knot in your stomach, explore that feeling a little more to see if there is a signal to heed.In the next few articles, we will explore more practices that help make the shift to becoming a Heartful Innovator.<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;<hr>

The heartful innovator - part 5

< <h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN has introduced the Heartful Leader
 framework and explored Reputation, Trust &amp; Relationships, and Outer Behavior. He also explored what constitutes
 our Inner State and how to manage it by reversing negative cycles and triggering positive cycles. In this article he
 dives deeper into specific shifts that we can make to our behavior, and also learn a simple 3-step process that we
 can use for this.</h4>
 One of the most important shifts we can make is to not imagine things going wrong in
 our heads. Too many times we tend to make up stories in our minds about how an upcoming meeting or interaction
 will go negatively, and our mind will exaggerate this over multiple cycles of repeating the same thoughts.
 Take the example of Pooja, an accountant at a consulting company. She always dreads
 her conversations with John, the head of client services. John tends to be dismissive of Pooja’s concerns about
 how the company invoices customers. Pooja wants to ensure that everything is done by the book, so that the
 company doesn’t get into trouble with audits. John is always in the mode of being “flexible” for clients and
 believes that Pooja should handle the details later without bothering him. Pooja has an upcoming meeting to
 discuss the way invoices for one of the company’s largest clients have been pre-paid, even before services have
 been rendered. The proper way to do this would have been to bill after services were rendered. At the very least
 the revenue should be amortized over a longer period, but John always tends to want to recognize the revenue
 sooner.
 Even ahead of the meeting, Pooja starts building up anger about how John will be
 dismissive of her concerns. She feels unfairly treated, and falls into the negative cycle of discontent,
 restlessness, anger, fear and lack of clarity. The anxiety of this upcoming meeting disturbs her to such an
 extent that she loses sleep over it.
 <img decoding="async" alt="" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart7_4_34d85c7f0f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T10:37:07.117Z">
 
 She mentions the situation casually to Sylvie, the HR head of the company. Sylvie
 realizes that she is falling into a trap of assuming that things will go badly without giving them a fair chance
 to go well. She suggests that Pooja try to approach the conversation very positively, with a couple of options
 and assures her that if John is dismissive of her concerns then she will address it from an HR perspective.
 Pooja decides to approach the meeting with an open mind and prepares carefully. She
 creates a couple of options to deal with the situation.
 Her conversation with John ends up going very positively. Initially he comes across
 defensively, because he believes she is going to raise concerns and place roadblocks before him. However, once
 he realizes that Pooja has options for him and is trying to constructively address the situation, his tone
 changes, and he starts appreciating her help. In this case an external agency, Sylvie, intervened to shift
 Pooja’s inner state, and consequently her outer behavior. Instead of feeling angry and coming across frustrated,
 she came across as calm and constructive.
 This shift can also be self-triggered. All we need to do, is to follow a simple
 3-step process:
 <img decoding="async" alt="" class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/TH_Lpart7_1_ed15326119.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T10:37:36.671Z">
 
 Taking the same example as above, with the benefit of this process, Pooja would have
 noticed that she is assuming negative outcomes. She would have purposefully shifted herself to neutral by
 relaxing herself. She would have then put herself in a positive mindset, triggering the positive cycle of
 contentment -&gt; peace -&gt; love -&gt; courage -&gt; clarity.
 As an exercise, observe yourself for the next few days. Catch yourself falling into
 negative feelings and emotions and apply the above 3-step process. Over time, this will become a habit, and you
 will find your outer behavior reflects a positive inner state, which leads to positive interactions.
 <hr>
 <h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
 <hr>

The heartful leader - part 7

<hr><h4>In the previous articles, RAVI VENKATESAN outlined 4 key aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine tune to become Heartful Innovators. He explored the role of the intellect, ego, mind, and awareness, and their transformation in enabling innovation.&nbsp;</h4><h4>In this article, he focuses on the single biggest barrier to innovation – fear and it’s associates, uncertainty and doubt. Collectively known as FUD, these factors have prevented or killed more innovations than anything else.</h4><hr><h3 style="text-align:center;">Disruptive Innovation through Inner Transformation</h3><hr>Almost always, innovation requires taking risk to achieve rewards. We are all “wired” differently and have different attitudes towards risk. There are two statements that have held true through the years:<h4 style="text-align:justify;">1. “Where some see risk, others see opportunity.”&nbsp;</h4>I’ve studied carefully the attributes of some of the most successful business leaders, and consistently I’ve seen them spot opportunities where others around them were seeing risk. A great example of this is Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. Prior leadership at Microsoft viewed the open-source software movement, exemplified by the operating system Linux, as the biggest risk to their business. Satya, on the other hand, viewed it as an opportunity to develop Microsoft’s Cloud business. Fast forward a few years and Satya ended up growing Microsoft’s cloud business to be a market leader, only behind Amazon. The cloud business also ended up being over a third of Microsoft’s revenues.<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<h5 style="text-align:center;">We know that taking risks is essential for reward. We also see the best innovative leaders demonstrate the ability to take risks where others may advise against it, or the “wisdom of crowds” may be against it.&nbsp;</h5>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4>2. “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”&nbsp;</h4>This statement is actually from Alexander Pope’s 18th century poem, An Essay on Criticism. One of the areas I find successful entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs achieve great success is by betting on projects and initiatives that don’t pass muster based on rigorous analysis. They require a certain leap of faith. They require using intuition more than analysis and facts.&nbsp;While most people are risk averse beyond appropriate, there is also the opposite case of people who are “risk perverse.” Taking liberties with the English language, I define people who take uninformed and unreasonable risks that put their personal, family and business interests at risk as “risk perverse.” Gamblers are a great example. The classic case of a gambler who believes they need just one more bet to win back all their losses is well known.&nbsp;We know that taking risks is essential for reward. We also see the best innovative leaders demonstrate the ability to take risks where others may advise against it, or the “wisdom of crowds” may be against it. We also know that there is a dark side to risk, and we have to be careful not to gamble. How do we strike that balance and how can the principles we have learned in the previous articles help us with this?<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/T_Hi_part6_2_fe0d78a3aa.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-08T09:15:39.162Z" alt="THi-part6"><hr>The best way to understand if you are not doing something because it is excessive risk or because of FUD is as follows:1. Ensure that you are calm and centered. A disturbed mind will create a complex network of negative hypothetical scenarios that will never occur. One of the great ways to ensure you are centered is the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v40yh2YpDNg">Heartfulness practice of Cleaning.</a>&nbsp;2. Form a positive hypothesis about what could happen. For example, let’s say you are in a really good job but now a new opportunity has come up. The new job could really take your career to the next level, but you are concerned about losing your current good job and landing up in a job that you don’t like. Start with a hypothesis that this new job will take your career further and you will really enjoy it. Talk to multiple people you trust and get opinions, and then apply your intuition. This type of approach will lead you to identify and counter FUD.3. Make yourself a witness to your own mind’s working. This is a trick to raise the level of consciousness from which you operate. Of course, regular practice of meditation will help you do this more easily versus just attempting it when you need it. Doing this will provide you a clear view of whether you are letting yourself be a victim of FUD or getting ready to take the right level of risk to be innovative.Over the next few weeks try to observe yourself as you encounter decision points. Are you taking the right risks or are you being paralyzed by FUD? I wish you success in applying the principles of being a Heartful Innovator, to identify and move past FUD, to take the right risks and create great outcomes.<hr>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN&nbsp;</h4>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;

The heartful innovator – part 6

<h4 style="text-align: center;">Extraordinary outcomes through inspiration</h4>
<h4 style="color: #008dd0; text-align: center;">BUILDING TRUST AND RELATIONSHIPS THROUGH BEHAVIOR SHIFTS</h4>
<h4>In previous articles RAVI VENKATESAN &nbsp;introduced the Heartful Leader
 framework, and explored Reputation, Trust &amp; Relationships and Outer Behavior. He also explored what constitutes
 our Inner State and how to manage it by reversing negative cycles and triggering positive cycles. He then explored a
 3-step process to make shifts to our behavior. In this article, RAVI looks at
 managing the Inner State and creating better long-term relationships and trust.</h4>
<h4>In part 3 of this series he discussed the components of Trust: Authenticity, Integrity, Capability and Reliability.
 Let’s dive into how management of the Inner State leads to behavioral shifts, and can address each component.</h4>
<img decoding="async" alt=""
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/brain_night2_1_6848404905.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T04:30:17.356Z">

Take the example of Jennifer. She started as a Senior Leader with InnoComp, an HR
 consulting firm that designs compensation structures for large companies. She made some quick changes to the
 company’s go to market strategy and pricing structures in the first few months, and also laid off some of the staff
 that had been there for a long time but did not seem to have relevant skills. All these changes led to suspicion and
 mistrust. Now she feels like she is not able to get things done as effectively as she would like. She works with
 Tina, her executive coach on a strategy to address this situation.
Tina identifies Jennifer’s challenge squarely as a trust issue. She took actions that
 were necessary, but they resulted in collateral damage. She needs to quickly build trust and establish better
 relationships. Tina recommends the Heartful Leader inside-out approach. She also advises Jennifer to focus on 2 to 3
 key influencers on the team to begin with. Armed with this new knowledge, Jennifer gets to work.
She meets with 2 of the most influential team members, Tom and Susan, and initiates a
 candid conversation about how things have gone. Susan is a little hesitant with her response, but Tom openly shares
 that most of the team, including himself, view Jennifer as a threat and don’t believe she has their best interest at
 heart. Jennifer feels an immediate rush of anger. Her instinct is to tell Tom about how much pressure she has from
 her boss and the board. But she follows the 3-step process of noticing her inner state, getting to neutral, and
 shifting positive. Instead of her behavior being defensive, she addresses Tom’s comments directly: “I realize how
 you and the team feel. It is entirely on me to communicate better, not just about what is being done, but why it is
 being done. If I were in your shoes, I would have felt the same way. Do you think it would help if I provide more
 context around the actions we took?”
<img decoding="async" alt=""
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THL_part8_3_ba36131e6e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T04:31:43.368Z">

With this approach Jennifer immediately demonstrates authenticity and relatability. The
 rest of the conversation shifts to a constructive mode, and she gets a lot of great feedback from both Tom and
 Susan. She agrees to make some changes and sets expectations on some others that cannot be executed. Over time, as
 she does exactly what she says she will do, Tom and Susan become champions for her. Trust and relationships lead to
 a much more effective and enjoyable mode of working.
As a refresher, in part 4 of this series we talked about “cures” for relationships.
 Sincere apology, creating opportunities to collaborate, doing a favor without any expectation of one, and asking for
 help. By shifting herself from a negative inner state of anger to a positive inner state of compassion, reflecting
 outer behavior of collaboration instead of defensiveness, Jennifer was able to apply all these cures.
As an exercise, observe your inner state carefully in a work meeting where debates and
 heated discussions may occur. See if you can make a shift in your inner state and behavior when someone makes a
 negative comment or disagrees with you. Can you make this a habit? It is well worth it to build trust and great
 relationships.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful leader - part 8

<h4>RAVI VENKATESAN starts a new series for 2020, exploring the role of
 consciousness in developing strategy, and how to actively develop this potential through the expansion of
 consciousness.</h4>
&nbsp;
As a student at business school I found Strategy to be the subject fascinating beyond
 all others. It carried the potential to provide highly transformative skills. The study of strategies and
 strategists seemed to indicate that the major shifts and changes in human civilization were, in many cases, caused
 by those men and women who advised the kings, generals and leaders of their times.
These strategists were the best thinkers, the best analysts, the best visionaries, and
 the ones who had the highest intuitive capacity and access to inspiration. Though they came from various fields,
 most strategists were traditionally military and political advisors, like Sun Tzu, Kautilya and Machiavelli. In
 ancient traditions these strategists were thought to have mystical powers and access to sources beyond traditional
 knowledge, for example, the shamans of tribal cultures.
In modern times, strategists are also common in the business world, in addition to
 politics and the military, and the role of Chief Strategy Officer has assumed significance in the last three
 decades.
In a Harvard Business Review article, “What Makes a Great Chief Strategy
 Officer,” the authors describe a few archetypes of strategists. These provide a great perspective on the role:
 Architects
 look for industry shifts and understand their organization’s source of advantage.
Visionaries
 know how to forecast trends and innovate.
Surveyors look
 for trends for long-range planning and have their eyes on the horizon.
Mobilizers
 drive alignment across the organization.
Fund Managers
 optimize the organization’s investments.
What is common to all these archetypes is the concept of synthesizing available
 information and insights and making optimal choices.&nbsp;This raises a big question: For whom are these choices
 optimal?&nbsp;The traditional answer is: The organization or community or country that the strategist serves.
Strategy is all about synthesizing information and making
 choices. These choices have consequences that generate outcomes that impact our entire ecosystem.
As we look deeper into the lives of top strategists from the past, we find a mix of
 success and failure. We also find patterns that indicate that each of them made choices to optimize outcomes based
 on their consciousness about those whose interests they served. In many cases their perception of their
 ecosystem was narrower than what it could or should have been, which led to sub-optimal outcomes. Sometimes they
 made choices that were great for the short-term but not for the long-term. At other times their choices were great
 for one set of stakeholders but not for others. In many cases, even the best strategists reflected a lack of correct
 thinking and right understanding. Sometimes they lacked integrity and made unethical or immoral choices, which over
 time came back to bite them. The mindset of these strategists was dominated by a win-lose approach, where someone
 was winning and someone was losing. This was because of a misunderstanding of what they thought was their ecosystem
 of stakeholders.
At the end of the day, the strategist uses her mental faculties to develop strategies.
 Consciousness is the very basis of these faculties – mind, intellect and ego being the other major components.
So how can we refine these faculties to develop better strategies? 
 How can we establish a consciousness level that promotes correct thinking, right understanding, and an approach that
 reflects the highest ethical and moral standards? 
 Can we become strategists who will always develop strategies that generate the best outcomes for all in a
 consistent manner?
We will explore these ideas in this series of articles by developing the archetype of a
 Heartful Strategist – one who uses expansion of consciousness as a way to become the best strategist she can be.
The inputs from the external world feed our consciousness. The strategies we develop
 lead to the choices we make; these lead to consequences that create outcomes. These outcomes transform the ecosystem
 that we are part of. All these become inputs that modify our consciousness, and further influence our strategies.

<div class="text-center">
 <img decoding="async" alt="the-heartful-strategist-part-1" class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_part1_2_9018a86578.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T06:28:08.177Z">
</div>
In the next few articles we’ll explore how to understand and use consciousness as a way to develop the best
 strategies for all.
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 1

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h4>
 In the previous articles,
 RAVI VENKATESAN
 outlined 4 key aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine tune to
 become Heartful Innovators. He explored the roles of the Intellect, Ego,
 Mind, and Awareness, and their transformation in enabling innovation. He
 also explored ways to overcome fear, uncertainty, and doubt, collectively
 known as FUD, which form the main barriers to innovation. In this article
 we’ll explore stress, another major barrier to innovation, and methods to
 counter it.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<h2>
 Disruptive Innovation Through Inner Transformation
</h2>

Two key autonomic nervous systems in humans are important to understand:

<ol>
 <li>
 The Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) – This prepares the
 body for potential danger. It leads to a fight-or-flight response, and
 </li>
 <li>
 The Parasympathetic Nervous System (PNS) – This brings the
 body back to a relaxed state and calms down the mind. It leads to a
 rest-and-digest response.
 </li>
</ol>


 The process of innovation cannot even begin, let alone reach the peak of its
 potential, in an individual who is stressed out, with their SNS active.



 To understand why, let’s trace the stress response. Consider the example of
 Jake, a business executive. He was copied on a nasty complaint that went to
 his boss, right before he was about to have a 1×1 meeting with her to go over
 his strategy to enter a new market. Jake’s amygdala, the part of his brain
 that handles emotions, sends a signal to his hypothalamus (the command center
 of the brain), which results in his entire system being put on alert. In other
 words, fight-or-flight mode. As this happens there are several consequences.
 The hormone epinephrine (adrenalin) is pumped into his bloodstream. Pulse rate
 and blood pressure go up. Breathing becomes more rapid. Adrenal glands release
 cortisol. Tunnel vision and impairment of cognitive processes occurs. In this
 state, Jake cannot even “think straight,” let alone think innovatively. Jake
 goes into the meeting in a disoriented state of mind. He sounds incoherent and
 unclear and frustrates his boss even further. She asks him to calm himself
 down and come back with a clearer articulation of his strategy.



 The average adult goes through several such incidents a day, and over time
 they find themselves under chronic stress. They feel like they are running
 hard to stay in the same place, almost like a mouse on a flywheel.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="400"
 height="355"
 alt=""
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part7_2_d570c08ed2.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:33:09.586Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 How to break out of this trap? For anyone aspiring to be an innovator, it is
 essential to find ways to activate the PNS, which puts the body in
 rest-and-digest mode instead of fight-or-flight mode, and reverses the effects
 of activating the SNS. Here are three great methods to do this:


<ol>
 <li>
 Left nostril breathing.
 Pause and take 8 to 10 deep and long breaths with your left nostril by
 closing your right nostril using your thumb. Repeat this a couple of times
 if needed. You will find that it has an instant calming effect. It is a very
 simple tool; however, it is very powerful in activating the PNS.
 <a
 rel="noreferrer noopener"
 href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol8RPO27FkI"
 target="_blank"
 >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ol8RPO27FkI </a>
 </li>
 <li>
 Heartfulness Relaxation.
 This technique systematically lets you calm yourself down and unwind any
 stress that is present in your body and mind. You can access this practice
 here:
 <a
 rel="noreferrer noopener"
 href="https://youtu.be/rmwqL34FCjA."
 target="_blank"
 >https://youtu.be/rmwqL34FCjA.</a
 > 
 </li>
 <li>
 Heartfulness Meditation. This technique will put you in a much deeper state of calm and allow for
 insights and innovations to emerge naturally from within. You can access
 this practice here:
 <a
 rel="noreferrer noopener"
 href="https://youtu.be/gDClb-yjNdQ"
 target="_blank"
 >https://youtu.be/gDClb-yjNdQ</a
 >.
 </li>
</ol>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="400"
 height="355"
 alt=""
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THI_part7_3_3d71ddfb6e.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T11:35:03.166Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 The process of innovation cannot even begin, let alone reach the peak of its potential, in an individual who is stressed out, with their SNS active.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 Try these practices during the next week. You can use the left nostril
 breathing in any situation, at home or at work. It is essential to develop the
 ability to recognize when your SNS has been activated and to counter it by
 activating the PNS. This will not only help you become a Heartful Innovator,
 but also help with your mental and physical health by combating chronic
 stress.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

The heartful innovator - part 7

<h4 class="py-3">In the last 5 articles, RAVI VENKATESAN has shared ideas about the
 reasons public speakers fail, the 26 Cs of good communication, body language and voice modulation, the ‘power of
 pause’ and the need for presence. In part 6 he focuses on empathy.</h4>
Most of us believe that we are very empathetic, but when we are in real-life situations
 how many of us really shine in this essential human quality? In the context of public speaking, empathy can make the
 difference between good and great.
Empathy essentially involves putting yourself in the shoes of your audience: speaking
 directly to what is of interest to them, conveying what benefits them, and avoiding what is offensive to them. It is
 the heart of Heartful Presenting. Being empathetic as a speaker will ensure that you speak to the hearts of your
 audience, not just their brains.
&nbsp;

<img class="has-img-center py-3"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/6_Cs_92d7c0e7d6.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:59:02.663Z" />

Try the following exercises with a group of friends, to develop empathy while speaking to audiences:

<img class="has-img-center py-3"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/exercises_738eb22504.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:59:15.578Z" />

In each of these cases, don’t take more than 3 minutes. Refine and repeat as many times as needed after receiving
feedback from your friends on whether you came across as empathetic or not.


<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>

<hr>

The heartful presenter - part 6

<h4>In the previous articles, RAVI VENKATESAN outlined aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine tune to become Heartful Innovators. He covered ways to overcome barriers to innovation like stress and fear, and also enablers of innovation like imagination and courage. To be effective innovators, we need three skills: coming up with unique ideas, articulating them well, and influencing others to rally around the idea. In this article he looks at the best ways to articulate ideas and influence others to rally around the ideas.</h4><hr><h3>THE HEARTFUL INNOVATOR – PART 9</h3><hr>Some of the smartest people I know struggle to express their ideas. They have clarity of thought, can quickly identify solutions to problems, but are poor at expressing themselves. Often, they are frustrated that no one seems to listen to them, so poorer decisions are made by people who are not as smart but speak with a “louder voice.” The reality is that it is not just the “louder voice” that is heard. Let’s revisit some of the concepts around the subtle bodies of Mind, Intellect, Ego and Consciousness that we have discussed; in this case, we will consider them collectively instead of individuallyHow to articulate ideas to others in a way that they feel heard? Let’s go through the cycle of how your listener is processing what they hear from you: If you develop the habit of always placing your ideas in a simple and logical manner, you will go through the filter of their Intellect. This is the easy part.If you refer to something you heard earlier from them, or place your ideas in the context to conversations you’ve had with them, you will naturally go through their Ego filter. This is the hard part, but with practice it becomes second nature.As more of your conversations “feel” positive to them, their Consciousness will shift to be open to your ideas. This is not about being devious or manipulative. Instead, it is simply following the principle that we all appreciate being listened to, and when your conversation reflects that you have listened, then your ideas are more likely to be accepted.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_part9_2_e8012b9228.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T10:46:06.487Z" alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-part9-2"><hr>To encourage people to rally behind your ideas, try to create a shared vision of what they can accomplish. The three steps I recommend for a Heartful Innovator are these:1. Tell a story to articulate the problem you are solving. For example, when pitching the idea for a bookmark you could tell the story of your favorite book that was ruined by dogears on multiple pages. This is a simple example, but it highlights the importance of storytelling.2. Paint a picture of the future. For example, when pitching the benefit of a high-speed subway for a city with heavy traffic congestion, you might share something like, “Imagine if all our daily commuters went from the current average commute of an hour to 30 minutes. We could give them all the gift of an hour a day.” This is also like the habit, “Begin with the end in mind,” Stephen Covey describes in his famous book, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.3. Express optimism in the possibility of what you are proposing. Most innovations would never happen if every idea were analyzed objectively for the probability of success. There is need for optimism, at times even irrational optimism. Optimism toward the possible achievement of challenging goals always inspires people to do more than they thought possible.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_part9_3_e4f9051ef5.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-06T10:47:26.236Z
 " alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-part9-3"><hr>EXERCISE&nbsp;Maintain a personal influence journal over the next few weeks. Every time you share an idea with anyone at work, or even with family members, observe their reaction and assign yourself a score as follows:1 if they immediately appreciate the idea and agree 0 if they seem neutral&nbsp; –1 if they clearly oppose your ideaReflect on your score after a couple of weeks. You will improve your ability to articulate ideas and influence people if you apply the principles of Heartful Innovation that we’ve covered in this article. After all, what use is it if you come up with the best ideas but are not able to convince anyone to support them!<hr>

Engaging others

<div class="container">
 <h4>Influence minds and win hearts</h4>
 <hr class="vertical-space1">
 <h5 style="text-align: justify;">Have you ever walked out of a lecture feeling like you wish you had not attended?
 How many times have you felt bored, dissatisfied, and underwhelmed with the whole experience? Sometimes, this
 happens even with seasoned and high profile speakers. In this new series RAVI VENKATESAN starts by sharing his
 experience of why this happens. Where do the speakers fail?</h5>
</div>
<div class="row">
 <h3 style="text-align: center;"></h3>
 <div class="col-md">
 <img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/fear_642fad0fd5.jpg" class="has-img-center">
 </div>
 <div class="col-md-8">
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">FEAR</h4>
 Most people fear public speaking, which is known as glossophobia. In fact, it
 affects 3 out of 4 people. More people are victims of this fear than fear of death, spiders, darkness and
 claustrophobia put together. Fear is also the basis for negative emotions like anxiety, nervousness,
 despondency and even anger.
 
 </div>
</div>

<div class="row">
 <div class="col-md-8">
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">PREPARATION</h4>
 Many times people show up without adequately preparing. This leads to a vicious
 cycle of making mistakes, trying to cover them up, talking in circles, and leaving the audience feeling
 cheated.
 </div>
 <div class="col-md">
 <img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/preperation_f61740793e.jpg"
 class="has-img-center">
 </div>
</div>
<div class="row">
 <div class="col-md">
 <img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/connection_2403c9ce77.jpg"
 class="has-img-center">
 </div>
 <div class="col-md-8">
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">CONNECTION</h4>
 Even the most polished, well-prepared presenters, fail to make an impact if
 they don’t connect with their audience. Intellectualism and lack of vulnerability often prevents such a
 connection.
 </div>
 <div class="row">
 <div class="col-md-8">
 <h4 style="text-align: justify;">PRESENCE</h4>
 We all bring a certain presence to every situation. This is felt
 subconsciously in the form of vibrations by everyone that interacts with us. Our self-image often
 dilutes the presence that we could bring to public speaking.
 </div>
 <div class="col-md">
 <img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/presence_582fad4cd6.jpg"
 class="has-img-center">
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

The good news is that everyone can be great at public speaking. It takes
 understanding and applying the five most important aspects of presenting, and mastering them over a
 period of time with practice and diligent effort. These five are:
BODY LANGUAGE 
 VOICE MODULATION 
 PRESENCE 
 EMPATHY 
 IMPACT



<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">“A polished tongue 
 in discourse or conversation 
 influences humanity 
 and reigns supreme.” 
 – Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh</h5>


<hr>
There are 27 Cs of communication under these five areas. By practicing these
 Cs you can also become a heartful presenter, so that whatever you speak will touch the hearts of your
 audience. You will win minds and influence hearts. In the next few articles we’ll dive deeper into each
 of these areas.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>


<h5 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h5>


<hr>

The heartful presenter

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 <spanundefined
 >In his previous article,
 RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the concept
 of changing the “observer” or the innovator, in order to get exponential
 shifts in results. He also outlined 4 key aspects of the “inner state”
 that we want to fine-tune. In this article, he explores the role of the
 intellect and how it plays into innovation.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 decoding="async"
 alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-Part2-2"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_Part2_2_237858fd10.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T12:24:51.419Z"
/>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 <spanundefined
 >Let’s take an example of a specific innovation: Portraying 3-dimensional
 imagery in 2-dimensional media. This is what makes amazing visual feasts
 like the Avengers movies or Star Wars come alive. If we trace the origins
 of this innovation, it leads us to the discovery and mastery of what is
 called “linear perspective” by a famous architect of the Renaissance
 period, Filippo Brunelleschi. He systematically studied exactly how and
 why objects, buildings, and landscapes change and lines appear to change
 shape when seen from a distance or from different angles. He then used
 this to develop a system of depicting them in paintings with striking
 similarity. The application of the intellect is obvious in this example.
 What is more interesting is how he came upon this idea to begin with. He
 seems to have not only applied his intellect in an intelligent manner, but
 also intuitively understood the impact his hypothesis could have.


 <spanundefined
 >Let’s take some other examples. Archimedes observed the level of water in
 a tub rising as he got in, and converted this observation to experiments
 that became the foundations of many innovations, like the Archimedes
 screw, still used for pumping liquids. Newton’s innovation of using
 reflecting mirrors rather than refracting lenses led to smaller telescopes
 and clearer images. Marie Curie’s innovation in using mobile X-ray
 machines during World War I saved many lives.


 <spanundefined
 >In all of these cases, there was a shift in the intellect, somehow
 leading it to a refined or developed state. There is no doubt that these
 were intelligent women and men, but what drove them to be able to “sense”
 something that others could not? What led to that “eureka” or “aha” moment
 for them? In some cases, many of these moments?


 <spanundefined
 >If we study some of their habits, a few clues emerge. Einstein would
 sleep for 10 hours a day (1.5 times the average person today). Newton
 would isolate himself in retreats, including one where he discovered
 gravity.
 


 <spanundefined
 >Somehow, allowing a state of deep relaxation to set in seems to allow the
 intellect to shift into intelligence, and open to become intuition. In
 modern times, many companies have started meditation programs to allow
 employees to combat stress and relax. An interesting side effect is that
 the companies like Google, Microsoft, Salesforce etc., which have such
 programs, seem to also be some of the most innovative companies. Is this a
 coincidence, or is there more to it?

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined style="color: #de4747"
 >Allowing a state of deep relaxation to set in seems to allow the
 intellect to shift into intelligence, and open to become intuition.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <spanundefined
 >The proof of the pudding is always in the eating. So, let’s try this
 experiment. Over the next few days, reserve five to ten minutes every
 evening to simply relax. You can use a routine like the Heartfulness
 Relaxation, available on the
 <a
 style="color: #de4747"
 href="http://heartfulness.org"
 target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 >heartfulness.org</a
 >
 website to guide you through this. Recall and park any problems you have
 prior to starting this. At the end of the relaxation see if any new,
 innovative ideas emerge. You will start developing the habit of refining
 your intellect and allowing intuition to emerge more effortlessly.
 


 <spanundefined
 >The big prize in refining the intellect is beyond intuition. It is
 “wisdom,” which allows not just clever innovations to emerge, but
 innovations that are beneficial to humanity. This state comes through the
 repeated practice of refining the intellect through meditative practices
 like Heartfulness. The transformation of the intellect into wisdom is one
 of the natural results of such a practice. Intelligence and intuition are
 shifts that happen along the way.


 <spanundefined
 >In subsequent articles we’ll explore shifts in other key aspects of our
 inner state that contribute to innovation.
 


<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<img
 decoding="async"
 alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-Part2-3"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_Part2_3_8bbabc09e1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T12:24:51.312Z"
/>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">
 <spanundefined
 >Article by RAVI VENKATESAN
</h4>

<hr />

The heartful innovator – part 2

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>RAVI VENKATESAN provides practical tips on negotiation in business relationships and
 in life.</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Beyond the head</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
The very word ‘negotiation’ evokes an allergic reaction in most of us. It brings up
 ideas of confrontation, argument and debate. We often fear loss while going into a negotiation, and feel anger at
 being taken advantage of while coming out of a negotiation.
Some of us are on the other side of the spectrum: we love to debate and argue. We
 believe we win every negotiation, and get the best outcomes. On both sides of this spectrum, we feel that negotiations
 are like a tug of war. There is always a winner and a loser.
We mostly think about negotiations as high stakes exercises, like countries at war
 negotiating terms of peace or companies negotiating terms of a merger. In reality, we are all negotiating all the
 time. We may be negotiating with a co-worker on where to eat lunch, or negotiating with our spouse on what movie to
 watch, or negotiating with the kids on how much television they are allowed to watch.
As a young executive out of business school, I used to enjoy hard negotiations. I would
 use every tactic in the book to eke out an advantage. My favorite techniques came from books like The Art of
 War by Sun Tzu, The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli, The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene etc.
 These books taught me to play games, hide information, hide my real intentions, and be devious in gaining an
 advantage.
A few years in the business world taught me that winning one-off negotiations at the
 cost of relationships was not smart. I needed to negotiate win-win outcomes for both parties. I needed a way to turn
 an adversary into a partner. I started reading a new set of books, and my favorites now came from the Harvard
 Negotiation Project: Getting to Yes by Roger Fisher and Willam Ury, Beyond Reason by Roger Fisher
 and Daniel Shapiro, and Getting Together by Roger Fisher and Scott Brown. These books taught me how to
 negotiate win-win outcomes while building relationships.
As I continued my search for the ideal way to negotiate, I realized that we focus mostly
 on the head, which is the seat of logic and reason, and not enough on
 the heart, which is the seat of feelings and emotions. We also don’t pay
 attention to what our egos are doing in spite of ourselves. My learnings from Heartfulness led me to a different
 approach. This was to go beyond the head and use the heart. The head still plays a role with logic and reason, but the
 heart leads with what is right, ethical and sustainable. It is a natural and simple approach, and yet generates the
 best outcomes for all parties involved. It also eliminated the need to play games, indulge in deception, hide my real
 agenda, and instead let me be courageously authentic through the entire process.
I would like to share this approach with you through this series of articles. Practicing
 these will make you a Heartful Negotiator. If you are looking for techniques that let you gain advantage at the cost
 of others, then this series is not for you, but if you would like to negotiate a win for you and others, then read on.

The first step towards being a Heartful Negotiator is to develop 360-degree awareness of
 the subtle aspects of our heads and hearts, which are at play when two individuals negotiate. These are aspects
 beneath the ‘surface’ that influence the way negotiations flow. In later articles, we’ll expand on each of these
 aspects and how to manage them. As with learning any new skill, such as riding a bike or driving a car, you will
 initially feel that there are many things to keep track of, however, as you practice, these things will become second
 nature to you, and will come into play naturally and effortlessly.
Let us take the heart and mind as a vibrational field (see the figure) where feelings
 and emotions on one hand, and thoughts and ideas on the other hand, are constantly surfacing. Let’s look at these in
 three buckets:
Prior disposition 
 Feelings &amp; emotions in the heart 
 Thoughts &amp; ideas in the head

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator2_img_93e168ed84.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:50:43.076Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Prior disposition:</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Likes and dislikes – Each
 person has their set of likes and dislikes that influence the negotiation. For example, I may like pizza, and having
 pizza for lunch puts me in a more amicable frame of mind. You may dislike formal settings, so a business conference
 room full of people in suits may make you close up and be inflexible.
Worries and concerns – Each
 person has their own set of things they are concerned or worried about. Not being able to get a raise may mean that I
 lose face with my peers. Not getting the new house within our budget may leave us with no money to furnish it for a
 couple of years.
Desires – Each person’s desires
 are constantly informing and influencing their posture. I may desire the social status that a promotion brings more
 than a raise. This makes me willing to negotiate a lower raise to get a promotion.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator3_img_acd992a398.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:52:04.278Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>Feelings and emotions in the heart:</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
There are opposing feelings and emotions at play in the heart. Throughout the
 negotiation process, the balance between these keeps shifting. Managing this can unlock a tremendous ability to
 navigate to the best outcomes. These oppositions include:
Greed versus Contentment 
 Peace and Relaxation versus Restlessness 
 Empathy, Love and Compassion versus Anger, Hate and Disgust 
 Fear, Anxiety and Nervousness versus Courage and Confidence 
 Feeling of clarity versus Feeling of doubt and uncertainty
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>&nbsp;Thoughts and ideas in the head:</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Just as our heart cannot stop feeling, our mind cannot stop thinking. The thoughts and
 ideas that fill it up are equally important to understand and manage.
Ego perception – my perception
 of me versus you. 
 Intellect – logic and reason driven thoughts
 based on applying my intellect. 
 Mind wanderings – ad hoc ideas that are generated by my mind, and other mental
 distractions.

To understand the interplay of all these, try the following role play with a friend:
<h4>Scenario</h4>
You and your friend meet for lunch to discuss a joint
 family vacation. You generally like going to the mountains, and your friend always goes to the beach, so you know
 that the destination is going to be a point of debate. She also has a tendency to say, “My spouse would prefer to do
 ______,” and deflect the conversation. You intend to counter this by calling her out, and getting to a
 decision.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<img class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_negotiator5_img_41cc272c0c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T07:53:17.719Z" />

<hr class="vertical-space1">
Before the role play, both of you should spend some time in writing down a few bullets
 about your prior disposition based on the list above. As you start discussing ideas about where you could go for a
 join family vacation, pay attention to the feelings and emotions in your heart based on the list above. Also note the
 ego perception you have about yourself versus your friend. Note any logical reasoning you adopt to make points and
 counter points. Note cases where your mind is distracted or wanders, or generates other relevant or irrelevant ideas
 as you go through this conversation.
After the role play, share your notes and observations with each other. This will
 provide you insight into how much is happening beneath the surface, for even a simple negotiation like this. In
 subsequent articles, we will take a look at how to manage each of these aspects, and become a Heartful Negotiator. Our
 goal is to let our heart lead our head, and have both work together to generate the best outcomes.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>
<hr>

The heartful negotiator - part 1

<hr class="vertical-space1">
<h4>So far in this series, RAVI VENKATESAN has introduced the Heartful Strategist framework, and explored how our consciousness results in the strategies we adopt, the choices we make, which in turn have consequences that impact the ecosystem of which we are a part. He has also explored the concept of thought patterns, and learnt how past impressions create these tendencies or thought patterns in us. He reviewed the Heartfulness technique of Cleaning, which uses the power of auto-suggestion or self-suggestion to introduce positive shifts in our subconscious and thought patterns. In the last article we specifically explored Turiya, the level of consciousness that we would consider the ideal for a Heartful Strategist.</h4>
<img class="has-img-center lazyload" src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_part7_1_9be337ee3d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:23:55.892Z" />

In this article we’ll spend some time on practices that can help with the development of this state of consciousness.
This is a good way to understand consciousness at a basic level. However, just as physics evolved from Newtonian to Relativity to Quantum theories, our understanding of consciousness needs to go deeper. The generalizations we adopted earlier will need to be left behind.
The simple <a href="https://heartfulness.org/in/">Heartfulness practices</a> of Relaxation, Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer, complemented with practices to detox anger, fear, passion and stress, can lead one to this ideal consciousness level of Turiya in an effective and efficient manner. You can refer to <a href="http://www.heartfulness.org">www.heartfulness.org</a> for more information on these practices. 
Let’s see how this happens. The practices of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmwqL34FCjA&amp;width=640&amp;height=480">Heartfulness Relaxation</a> and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDClb-yjNdQ&amp;width=640&amp;height=480">Meditation</a> lead one to a state of deep absorption that is akin to deep sleep based on brain wave patterns. This has been proven by TerraBlue XT’s studies using a wearable medical detection device. Deep sleep brain waves are indicative of deep physical relaxation. While in this state of deep absorption, which is the Turiya state, an adept meditator is able to retain awareness and seek guidance and inspiration from within. The answers seem to come in a magical manner from a place within ourselves, yet a source beyond ourselves with which we are connected.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v40yh2YpDNg&amp;width=640&amp;height=480">Heartfulness Cleaning</a>, when done regularly, starts to free us of the thought patterns that limit us, and opens up our hearts and minds to receive and act on the guidance that meditation can offer us. It also performs the vital function of removing the impressions gathered during our waking hours, before they sink from our active consciousness to subconsciousness when we sleep.
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVNB6yrriuc&amp;width=640&amp;height=480">Heartfulness Prayer</a> allows us to connect to a source beyond ourselves. Carl Jung called this the Collective Unconscious. Whatever label we ascribe to it, the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The best way to experience the power of connecting to a Source beyond us, is simply to try it!
Here is an experiment to try. Over the next few weeks try these freely available practices, and observe your experiences during meditation. Hold any important questions or choices in your mind before you start meditation and see what emerges from within. Don’t throw logical reasoning and analysis out the window, but try to balance the results of analysis with the inspirations from within. This will lead to a different level of decision making and choice, and your own experience will show you the proof points for it. 
<hr class="vertical-space1">

<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>

<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 7

<hr class="vertical-space1">[distance2]
<h4>In the series so far, RAVI VENKATESAN has introduced the Heartful Strategist
 framework, and explored how our consciousness results in the strategies we adopt and the choices we make, which in
 turn have consequences that impact our ecosystem. He has also explored the concept of thought patterns, and how past
 impressions create these patterns. He has also reviewed a number of Heartfulness methods that lead to positive
 shifts in our thought patterns, and the development of the Turiya level of consciousness, which he
 considers to be the ideal for a Heartful Strategist.</h4>
<h4>Here he evolves a specific set of steps to access deeper levels of consciousness, in order to adopt the best
 strategies. In everyday terms, we can consider this as ensuring that we “see the forest and the trees.”
</h4>

When we encounter most situations or problems, the best first step is to
 pause. This doesn’t mean that we don’t respond with urgency when needed. In our modern lives, we
 are not running away from lions and tigers in the jungle, but the primitive instincts are still present in us. In
 many cases the first step to access deeper levels of our consciousness is simply to pause.
The second step is to make a fundamental shift from a reactive to creative
 mode. By pausing and shifting to a creative mode, we naturally prevent an emotional reaction, and
 instead allow space for inspiration to emerge from deeper within.
As we practice the methods outlined in the previous articles, we achieve two things
 simultaneously. We eliminate past impressions that have created set thought patterns. We also become more aware of
 our reactive tendencies. This awareness helps us to pause and shift to a creative mode. One way to understand
 consciousness is also as the “degree of awareness” (Daaji, 2019). With practice, our awareness becomes sharper, and
 we are able to operate from higher levels of consciousness.
The third step is to evaluate the situation or problem as objectively as possible, by
 adopting a witness attitude. This is a powerful concept. It allows you to be impartial. See part 5
 of this series for an exercise to develop this attitude.
The fourth step is to intentionally broaden the term and scope of
 impact of any strategies you might adopt and choices you might make.
And the fifth and final step is to allow multiple choices to emerge from the
 heart space versus going with the first or the most obvious option that comes from your
 head space. When you shift your focus from mental analysis to feeling, you will balance your head
 and heart, and tap into higher levels of consciousness in a natural manner. Challenge yourself not to accept the
 most convenient choice, but rather get to the optimal one for the broadest possible set of people. In other words,
 think in terms of your ecosystem.
Let’s take an example of this approach in action. Eva, who is a consulting manager, is
 considering laying off three team members due to adverse financial circumstances. Initially, she considers the
 financial targets she needs to hit and calculates how many people to lay off to reach her target. She then pauses
 and starts thinking about these individuals and their lives. She considers the impact on their families. She thinks
 about the circle of their friends and relatives. The impact on their landlord of them not paying rent. The impact of
 their landlord not paying the mortgage.
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h5 style="text-align: center;">Challenge yourself not to 
 accept the most convenient choice, 
 but rather get to the optimal one 
 for the broadest possible set of people.</h5>
<hr>
<hr class="vertical-space1">
Eventually, Eva’s own retirement account that has money invested in this mortgage
 company may suffer a reduction due to many similar decisions to the one Eva is about to make. The chain goes on. Eva
 knows that there are far reaching consequences of her decision beyond the individuals she is impacting. So she
 starts considering other alternatives.
She looks at the option of pay cuts for a larger number of
 people to get closer to the target. She advocates assertively for this option with her boss and convinces him.
 She also brings all the impacted people to a meeting, and explains how their temporary pay cut is saving the
 jobs of some of them. Eva’s boss feels inspired and decides to apply this solution to other teams in the
 company, resulting in many jobs being saved. 
Though the story is modified, it is inspired by what
 recently happened at a mid-sized consulting company in Atlanta that went through tough times during the COVID-19
 crisis. The employees appreciated the decision so much that they resolved to stay with the company even if they
 are paid lower than market rates. Their motivation to help the company get back to positive financial
 circumstances has risen manifold based on how they saw the partners behave and make choices.
The leaders took a longer term and broader view of the
 impacts of their strategy to deal with this crisis.
In summary, use this checklist to ensure that you develop
 strategies by accessing higher levels of consciousness. The choices made will have the best consequences and
 outcomes for your entire ecosystem.
<hr class="vertical-space1">


 <img class="has-img-center lazyload" alt="the-heartful-strategist-part-8"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_part8_2_img_ddbeb35406.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T12:29:01.178Z" />


<hr class="vertical-space1">
Adopt this checklist for the next strategy you develop and
 see what shifts in the choices you make. The outcomes will be those of a Heartful Strategist! 
<hr class="vertical-space1">
<hr>
<h4 style="text-align: center;">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN 
 Illustrations by RAHUL SINGH PARMUR</h4>
<hr>

The heartful strategist - part 8

<h4>In his previous articles, RAVI VENKATESAN outlined four key aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine-tune to become Heartful Innovators. He explored the role of the Intellect, Ego, Mind, and Awareness, and their transformation in enabling innovation. He also covered ways to overcome barriers to innovation, like stress, fear, uncertainty, and doubt, collectively known as FUD. In this article, he explores the role of a couple of key enablers of innovation – imagination and courage.</h4><hr><h3>3 Ways to Overcome Mental Obstacles</h3><hr>In his series on Yogic Psychology, Daaji describes imagination as follows: “Imagination is a very important mental faculty with which we form and create new ideas, images and concepts that cannot always be verified by pramana. It is necessary for creativity, innovation and discovery, but it can also lead us into a spiral of delusion.”The Sanskrit word “pramana” means proof. So, in essence, imagination gives us access to envision something that doesn’t yet exist and cannot be proven or verified.I have always found it very interesting that many innovations seem to appear first in science fiction before making their appearance in real life. For example, an iPad-like device was shown in Star Trek decades before such devices became a reality. Ironically, we make it up first, and then we make it a reality.Like many of our capacities, imagination can be a double-edged sword. As a kid I used to have the bad habit of compulsively making up things and lying. I remember telling a grand-aunt an elaborate tale about a machine that would automatically make all kinds of food and serve it. All of it was made up. This caused my parents a lot of worry and they tried correcting me through various means. Eventually, someone advised them that I may just have a hyper-imaginative mind and they should encourage me to write stories to channel this. That idea helped a lot. Later I started composing music, and this was another channel.The point is, especially for innovation, this mental faculty of imagination can be very useful, however, it can also go wrong. As with most things, to use it effectively we need to regulate the mind so that capacities can be channeled in the right direction.Heartfulness Meditation is a wonderful tool to accomplish this.Describing the importance of imagination, Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.”<hr><hr><h5>Describing the importance of imagination,&nbsp; Einstein said, “Imagination is&nbsp; more important than knowledge.&nbsp; For knowledge is limited,&nbsp; whereas imagination embraces the entire world,&nbsp; stimulating progress,&nbsp; giving birth to evolution.”</h5><hr><hr>Courage is another aspect to explore. Courage builds the bridge from idea to execution. If we have a sufficiently-evolved imagination, then ideas will come. To take the next step from idea to execution requires courage. Again, just like imagination, courage has a dark side, which is recklessness. When courage is not refined and regulated, it can lead a person to take excessive risks, to gamble, or worse, to do things that have negative consequences for society at large. Think about every dictator and conqueror in history. They were no doubt courageous, but their courage unchecked led to horrific actions.<hr><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Heartful_Innovator_part8_2_4d1a1d64e0.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T02:25:28.462Z" alt=""><hr>It would not be an exaggeration to say that almost every significant innovation has required a lot of courage on the part of the innovator. Think about Ford deciding to build the Model T in 1909, making cars commonplace. Think about Elon Musk wanting to send humans to Mars, creating a company that could lead the market for space transportation, something only large government-sponsored organizations had done before.The most important role courage plays in innovation is not overcoming the fear of failure, which of course it does, but overcoming the fear of criticism, which in many cases is a greater fear.To make this real, try the following:<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Heartful_Innovator_part8_3_107f98efd9.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T02:27:16.840Z" alt="">If you can develop this muscle, you have taken another important step toward becoming a Heartful Innovator!<hr><hr><h5>Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h5><hr>

The heartful innovator – part 8

<h4>
 In the earlier articles of this series,
 RAVI VENKATESAN
 introduced the Heartful Strategist framework. He covered how consciousness
 is limited by certain vicious cycles of negative emotions. He also looked at
 examples of shifts that can be made to allow consciousness to expand through
 broadening our perspective and “thinking” for the benefit of broader and
 broader circles of influence. In this article he explores tendencies and
 thought patterns, and how specific practices can help with shifting these.
 As background, you can read parts 3 and 4 of this series again.
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 In part 3, we looked at how consciousness has an active part and an
 unconscious part, that in turn can be viewed as two parts, subconsciousness
 and superconsciousness. What is interesting is that while we focus on the
 active consciousness, a lot of what influences us is in the
 subconsciousness. To understand this better, think about the tendencies that
 we observe in ourselves, our family, our colleagues etc. Given the same
 situation and inputs, people respond very differently.
 


 Take, for example, the current COVID-19 crisis, and the responses of world
 and regional leaders. They range from leaders who are optimistic and do not
 take extreme measures to lock things down, to leaders that are locking
 everything down for as long as they can. The decisions made by these
 leaders, given the same inputs, should not be puzzling. Whether it is the
 CEO of a company or a parent, everyone responds to situations based on their
 tendencies. These tendencies have their source in our thought patterns. Here
 is an exercise to assess your own thought patterns:

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 At the end of the day,
 sit calmly in a quiet location with your eyes closed. Let the day replay in
 front of you, from morning till now. Make yourself an “outside” impartial
 witness of your own reactions and responses through the day, not in terms of
 actions you took, but in terms of the thoughts that you had, which in many
 cases would have preceded your actions.
 


 Check if these thoughts
 were driven by fear, envy, anger, compassion, altruism, ambition, love etc.
 Also assess if your mind generated a multiplicity of thoughts that built one
 on top of the other, creating stories about what might happen, and
 eventually none of those imagined events actually happened.
 

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 The more hyperactive your mind, the more complex and interwoven the network
 of such thoughts. Some are responses to external stimuli, but many come from
 within. What is the source of how we respond to external stimuli, as well as
 these thoughts and ideas that come from within? What is the source of our
 thought patterns? Why do the tendencies of one person’s mind differ from
 another?

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 class="lazyload w-100"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_5_2_867c4ec485.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T09:52:40.214Z"
 alt="THS_5_2_867c4ec485"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 To understand the mystery of thought patterns, let’s take a day-in-the-life
 view. We wake up and start interacting with the world primarily through the
 five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We are like a video
 camera that is recording everything all the time, except that while a camera
 only records through sight and sound, we record through smell, taste, and
 touch as well. What happens to all this information? It is stored in us as
 memories and impressions. The difference is that memories are simply factual
 information. For example, if I have a meeting with my boss to discuss a
 promotion, the facts related to this meeting are recorded as a memory. This
 initially goes into my short-term memory and later moves to long-term
 memory. If I have an argument with my boss during this meeting, then it with
 leave a strong impression on me. This emotional aspect of the interaction is
 stored in my mind, or more precisely my heart-mind vibrational field as an
 impression. You can think of these impressions literally like impressions in
 the sand. Look at the two pictures below. One shows a beach with a lot of
 impressions made on the sand, and another that has been combed clean.
 

<hr />
<h5 style="text-align: center">
 The more hyperactive your mind, the more complex 
 and interwoven the network of such thoughts.
</h5>
<hr />

 Over time these impressions become heavier and sink into the subconscious.
 The store of these past impressions is the source of our thought patterns,
 emotional reactions, and behavioral tendencies. So, to change our thought
 patterns, we need to eliminate these past impressions and feed positive
 suggestions to our subconscious mind that can shift these patterns.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_5_3_ac3ab43979.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-07T09:55:09.823Z"
 alt="THS_5_3_ac3ab43979"
 />

<div class="row" style="border: 2px solid #c6ecd7; border-radius: 5px">
 
 <div class="col-md-12">
 
 Deep within our subconscious is a store of all past impressions
 
 
 When conducive circumstances arise, these impressions lead to thought
 patterns that precede actions
 
 
 
 To make a shift in our thought patterns we can feed suggestions to our
 subconscious
 
 </div>
</div>

 &nbsp; 
 There is a very powerful Heartfulness meditative technique that is
 specifically geared towards removing these past impressions. It is called
 <a
 href="http://www.heartfulness.org/"
 target="_blank"
 rel="noopener noreferrer"
 >Heartfulness Cleaning</a
 >, and you can learn how to do it by listening to the guided practice and
 following along.For the next few weeks, try doing this practice every evening.
 Also, repeat the exercise in this article to observe your thought patterns
 every night. Observe any changes and note them down. In subsequent articles
 we’ll introduce a couple of other practices that are specifically geared
 towards expansion of consciousness. Over time, these practices can create a
 powerful shift in thought patterns and our overall consciousness.

<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>

<hr />

The heartful strategist - part 5

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 In the previous five articles of this series,
 RAVI VENKATESAN introduced the
 Heartful Strategist framework, how our consciousness results in the
 strategies we adopt, and the choices we make, which in turn have
 consequences that impact the ecosystem in which we exist. He also explored
 the concept of thought patterns, and in the last article how past
 impressions create these tendencies or thought patterns in us, and how to
 use the power of self-suggestion to clear past impressions and make
 positive shifts in our thought patterns. In this article he dives
 specifically into the ideal level of consciousness for a Heartful
 Strategist.
</h4>
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 In the third article in this series we talked about active consciousness
 and subconsciousness, distinguishing between functions that are carried
 out by us through these states of consciousness. This is a good way to
 understand consciousness at a basic level. However, just as physics has
 evolved from Newtonian to Relativity to Quantum theories, our
 understanding of consciousness needs to go deeper. The generalizations
 that we adopted earlier will need to be left behind.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_6_2_52a78aedf1.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:25:17.966Z"
 alt="THS_6_2_52a78aedf1"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 We now look at consciousness from the lens of an ancient Indian scripture
 called the Mandukya Upanishad. It is of unknown authorship and an
 unknown timeline, but was passed on through generations, initially by
 memorizing, and later through written text.
 


 This Upanishad describes states of consciousness in four parts: Waking,
 dreaming, deep sleep and turiya (which means “fourth” in
 Sanskrit). Sleep studies and medical research have made great progress in
 understanding that the dream state and deep sleep states are meaningful in
 our existence, and that vital functions related to immunity, memory etc.,
 are performed during these states. However, we find no descriptions in
 scientific literature about this fourth state. So, what is it, and how do
 we understand it, let alone reach it?

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<hr />
<h5 style="text-align: center">
 Just as physics has evolved from 
 Newtonian to Relativity to Quantum theories, 
 our understanding of consciousness needs to go deeper.
</h5>
<hr />
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 If we think of the waking state as our interactions with the physical and
 manifest world, and the dream state as our interactions with the
 non-physical, subtle world of our own creation, we can say that both these
 states have objective consciousness. In the deep sleep state, we don’t
 have this objective consciousness, however the seed of it is there, which
 is why deep sleep terminates and we go back to the dream state or the
 waking state. These three states are therefore temporary, starting and
 ending, and cannot be the foundation of whatever is
 essential consciousness. This essential consciousness is
 what we refer to as turiya. It can also be considered as
 transcendental consciousness, since it integrates and transcends the other
 three states. Hence, it can span the subconscious, superconscious, and
 waking conscious states, offering both inspiration and intuition, which we
 sometimes call the sixth sense.
 


 Gaudapada, a medieval philosopher, wrote in more specific terms that a
 state of consciousness where the mind is withdrawn from both external and
 internal objects, and also becomes one with its source is known as
 turiya. This state of consciousness being the essential state,
 and the underlying state, is also what illuminates all other states.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_6_3_d96441c70d.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:26:25.330Z"
 alt="THS_6_3_d96441c70d"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 Turiya is present in all of us, but it is not developed in a
 manner where it is without defect. Ram Chandra of Fatehgarh, the first
 teacher of Heartfulness, describes some examples of how this
 turiya condition manifests. Children sometimes understand certain
 things that even grown-ups cannot understand after much effort.
 Unsophisticated village folk sometimes demonstrate extraordinary wisdom.
 He provides us with Heartfulness practices that can lead to permanent
 awakening of this state where it is continuous in its flow. Strategies
 that we adopt while abiding in this state of turiya will be the
 best, not just for us as individuals but for our entire ecosystem. In
 subsequent articles we’ll look at the practices that help us to reach this
 level of consciousness.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <img
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/THS_6_4_c773773249.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-10T05:27:52.407Z"
 alt="THS_6_4_c773773249"
 />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">
 Article by
 RAVI VENKATESAN 
</h4>
<hr />

The heartful strategist - part 6

<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h4>
 In this new series, regular contributor
 RAVI VENKATESAN helps us understand what
 innovation is, how it differs from creativity, and what we can focus upon to
 become more innovative.
</h4>
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 There are many ways people have defined innovation. One of the most
 accepted is by Baragheh et al (2009)¹: “A multi-stage process whereby organizations transform ideas into
 new/improved products, service or processes, in order to advance, compete
 and differentiate themselves successfully in their marketplace.”Like many
 academic definitions, this is hard to digest. A simpler definition is, “An
 idea or set of ideas that, when implemented, are perceived as new and
 transformative.”


 In modern times, startups are considered to be some of the most innovative
 organizations, especially those in the field of technology. Only a few of
 these innovative companies make it to what is called Unicorn status, the
 term coined by Aileen Lee in 2013 to describe companies that achieve a
 valuation of a billion dollars. The chances of a company achieving this
 status are 0.00006%. I lead the portfolio of Innovation for one of these
 rare companies and have spent 20 years of my career in roles leading
 Innovation of one kind or another at various organizations. I would like to
 share some of the best ideas I have collected over the years in this series
 of articles with you.
 


 As we dive into innovation, it is important to consider how it is different
 from creativity. An artist who creates a wonderful painting is very creative
 and gives expression to her creativity, but she is not necessarily
 innovative. Whereas a person who discovers coloring glass with metallic
 oxide powders, which leads to stained glass, may not be creative, but is
 definitely innovative. Innovation leads to new ways in which things are
 done, leads to new products and services, and even leads to new aspects
 being added to our experience of this world as humans. The other distinction
 is that while creativity is an individual attribute, innovation usually happens as a result of collaboration and
 multiple ideas coming together.
 

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 <img
 alt="heartful-innovator-part1-2b"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_innovator_part1_2b_57ea5e1768.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:37:27.312Z"
 />

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 As technology and hyper connectivity continue to disrupt the world we live
 in at an accelerated pace, being an innovator offers tremendous
 opportunities. However, the same forces of rapid change also threaten our
 ability to be innovative, by exponentially increasing stress at the
 workplace as well as at home.

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<hr />
<h5 style="text-align: center">
 Innovation leads to new ways in which things are done, 
 leads to new products and services, 
 
 and even leads to new aspects being added to our 
 experience of this world as humans.
 
</h5>

<hr />
<hr class="vertical-space1" />

 How to be more innovative? As for many things, the answer lies
 within. The field of ontological coaching distinguishes
 between first order and second order learning. Think about the results we
 achieve as the observer (the person achieving the results,
 in this case us), the actions that are used to achieve the
 results, and the results themselves. First order learning
 involves changing the actions to change the results. This is what most of us
 normally do, and it leads to improvements, but not at extraordinary or
 exponential levels. For that we need to get into second order learning,
 which involves changing the observer. The key to changing
 the results is to change our own inner state.
 


 The diagram below shows four key aspects that we will focus on, along with
 the states they can be in. These are our Intellect, Mind, Ego and Awareness.
 When we make shifts to all these aspects, and put our inner state into what
 Dr. Alan Watkins calls Coherence or Flow or Stable Variability, we are able
 to come up with the best ideas and collaborate with others in best ways to
 innovate.


 In the next few articles, we will better understand the relevant aspects of
 our own inner state, and the shifts in this state that lead to being able to
 come up with great ideas and be innovative.
 

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 <img
 alt="heartful-innovator-part1-3b"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_innovator_part1_3b_9a4973e010.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T06:37:27.490Z"
 />


 ¹
 Baragheh, A. et al., 2009. ‘Towards a Multidisciplinary Definition of
 Innovation,’ Management Decision, Vol. 47, 8: pp. 1323-1339.

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<hr />
<h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>

<hr />

The heartful innovator – part 1

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<h4>
 In the previous articles,
 RAVI VENKATESAN shared the importance of
 innovation in current and future times. He dived into the concept of changing
 the “observer,” the innovator, to see exponential shifts in results. He also
 outlined four key aspects of the “inner state” that we want to fine-tune, and
 explored the role of the intellect and its transformation in enabling
 innovation. In this article, he explores the role the ego plays in Innovation.
</h4>

 <img
 alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-part3-2"
 class="w-100 lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_part3_2_7803a1d44b.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T16:12:32.735Z"
 />

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 In the book,&nbsp;Where Good Ideas Come From: A Natural History of Innovation, author Steven Johnson says, “Innovation thrives in collaborative networks
 where opportunities for serendipitous connections exist.” He extensively
 describes how the best innovations are based on people from different
 disciplines meeting. He also talks about this concept of “slow hunches” that
 mature over time and connect to other ideas, leading to breakthrough
 innovations.


 His book provides a lot of ideas on how to set up an external environment and
 a platform to accelerate innovation. For example, Google’s cafeteria is
 purposefully designed to facilitate people meeting and talking with others
 from different functional areas. As more ideas collide, innovation starts to
 happen naturally.


 I have setup “innovation cafés” at the last three companies where I’ve worked.
 Each one was designed to facilitate people being able to hang around, have
 relaxed conversations, whiteboard ideas, and come up with innovative solutions
 to problems.


 While this addresses the external environment, is it enough? Does it work to
 have wonderful collaborative spaces if people don’t get along with each other?
 Can an egotistic and self-centered team member collaborate effectively with
 others, even if the external environment is setup for them to do so? Certainly
 not!


 So, we turn our focus to the internal environment and how to tune it. This is
 much more potent and powerful. When we can address our internal environment,
 then we see exponential results with these conducive external environments
 complementing it.


 The biggest internal barrier to innovation is the “know-it-all” attitude. This
 comes from having an ego that is unrefined. It leads us to not listen to
 others, and prevents the collision of ideas and hunches that could lead to
 great innovation. To understand why this happens, and how to change it, let’s
 explore the role of the ego a little further.


 Unlike popular perception, the ego is not our enemy. It is a mental model of
 ourselves that keeps updating dynamically as we go through our interactions in
 this world. It is our perception of ourselves – how we define our identity in
 the world. Consider the following scenarios:


 Alice goes to an art gallery and admires a Van Gogh painting. She really likes
 it, and simultaneously her mental model of herself is updated to include, “Has
 fine taste in post-impressionist art.” Sometimes the ego is exaggerated and
 creates a self-perception that is superior to reality, and sometimes it goes
 in the other direction, creating a self-perception that is inferior to
 reality. At these extremes, these are categorized as superiority and
 inferiority complexes. However, even people who don’t suffer these extremes
 often suffer some level of distortion. Another way to say this is that most of
 us don’t see ourselves exactly as we are! Here lies the main challenge with
 the ego.

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<hr />

<h5 style="text-align: center">
 If we can shift our inner state to think about
 collective humanity as part of one family,
 and think of other people as our brothers and sisters,
 it will naturally create a softness of heart,
 and that will lead to the ego’s refinement.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr />
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<h2 class="text-center">
 <img
 alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-part3-3"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_part3_3_8e7a0a102a.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T16:12:32.687Z"
 />
</h2>
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 We cannot do away with the ego, because it is also what tells us what we are
 capable of. Without the ego, we wouldn’t be able to do anything! We couldn’t
 walk from one place to another, or lift a certain amount of weight, or solve a
 math problem. However, when the ego is exaggerated, it blocks our ability to
 collaborate and innovate. So, how can we solve this?


 If we can shift our inner state to think about collective humanity as part of
 one family, and think of other people as our brothers and sisters, it will
 naturally create a softness of heart, and that will lead to the ego’s
 refinement. We will value others without devaluing ourselves. We will respect
 their opinions without losing our self-respect. Eventually, our perception of
 ourselves, our sense of identity, will become a part of a broader whole. This
 state of ego will lead to openness and an optimal inner environment to
 accelerate Innovation.

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<h4 style="text-align: justify; padding-left: 80px">
 EXPERIMENT
</h4>

 Observe your interactions at work and with the family over the next week.
 Maintain notes of how you perceive yourself, and how you perceive those you
 interacted with. This will give you clues to the state of your ego.


 During the following week, try the following practice before bedtime: With
 your attention on your heart, affirm to yourself that all men and women are
 your brothers and sisters. Maintain this thought for five to ten minutes.
 See if this practice creates a shift in your interactions and the state of
 your ego.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />
<h2 class="text-center">
 <img
 alt="The-Heartful-Innovator-part3-4"
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/The_Heartful_Innovator_part3_4_41c9e2b24c.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-12T16:12:32.663Z"
 />
</h2>
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 The best part is that when the ego is truly refined it leads to sincere (not
 false) humility. This quality creates charisma in a person, as others want to
 interact with them and collaborate with them. I find this worth aspiring for,
 and wish you the best in experiencing this wonderful state.

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 style="text-align: center">Article by RAVI VENKATESAN</h4>

<hr />

The heartful innovator – part 3

<h4>RAVI VENKATESAN takes us on a journey through the world of Artificial Intelligence, charting its history and developments, and also exploring where we are headed.</h4>Part of my job as the CEO of a technology company is to keep track of trends and technologies that could be incredibly transformational. This knowledge is critical to formulate strategies for our business. To use a hockey analogy from Wayne Gretzky, it is to “stake to where the puck is going.” &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Artificial Intelligence (AI) is definitely a major trend today and has probably had more historical cycles of being sold as transformational and not living up to its promise than any technology in the last century. It all started with early neural networks in the 1940s and 50s that looked to make a computer mimic a human brain and its mental functions. In other words, the endeavor was to construct an electronic brain. The benchmark for success was established by Alan Turing in a 1950 landmark paper with what is now popularly known as the Turing test. In simple terms, if you interact (perhaps chat) with a computer, but are unable to tell the difference between this experience and chatting with a real human being, then the electronic brain has passed the Turing test.So, what is AI? The fundamental building block of AI, or an “electronic brain,” is a neural network that mimics the kinds of neural networks our brains have, and in essence has a “learning mechanism.” I remember writing neural networks in languages like Prolog and C as a student. The fundamental difference between this type of computer program and other purely computational programs or software, was the aspect of being able to learn, potentially predict, and come to conclusions.&nbsp;There was a lot of hype at that time about how AI would change the world and dominate fields as diverse as predicting the weather, to picking winning stocks, to automating architecture and design for buildings. However, very little of this came to pass. Funding dried up when people realized that too much expensive computing power was needed and the economics just did not work out.The next generation of AI came in the late nineties when IBM developed Deep Blue, which beat the reigning world champion Garry Kasparov at chess. In 2005, a Stanford robot drove autonomously for 131 miles in the desert. These developments revived interest and funding again. So far, AI still needed very large-scale computing power and bespoke computing equipment – translation, a lot of money. This generation of AI can be called purpose-built AI. It was still in the domain of large companies or governments.The next big move was Google’s DeepMind, which beat the reigning world champion at the GO game, much more complex than chess, and used “deep learning” techniques such as deep neural networks. This generation of AI can be called “deep learning general AI.”The current generation of AI, with ChatGPT as a prominent example, is way more general purpose or multi-purpose and is called <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/virtual-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">generative AI</a>. It has the quality of not just arriving upon a result but also explaining the derivation of the result. It is thus far the closest to human intelligence that AI has reached. Carrying out a conversation with ChatGPT feels like talking to a very intelligent and articulate human being. With computing costs continuously decreasing, and “big data sets” to train the AI becoming more easily available, the improvement in AI with ChatGPT has been accelerated.&nbsp;To summarize these generations, look at the graph below that plots Purpose and Cost:<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:57.49%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chatgpt_gamechanger3updated_4d03a5ff84.jpg"></figure>So, is the promise of AI finally being delivered? It is safe to say that AI has finally reached a point where many applications have become economically feasible and hence will scale. Autonomous driving, facial recognition, improved customer service by scanning knowledge bases and using chatbots, authoring marketing content, writing code for software programs, etc., are some of the applications that <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/virtual-intelligence-part2" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ChatGPT</a> is already doing successfully. It is the only technology that has been adopted by 100 million users in just two months after launch.<figure class="image image_resized image-style-align-center" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/chatgpt_gamechanger4_d4468f9f6b.jpg"></figure>However, ChatGPT still does not conclusively pass the Turing test, so there is still a long way to go. A bigger question, often raised, is if AI is conscious. To answer this, let’s look at the various mental functions of a human being:<ol><li>Intellect – this is where logic and reason live. Prior to ChatGPT, AI had already developed logic, now reason has been incorporated as well.</li><li>Ego – this is the sense of self, and while it can be programmed artificially, the way it develops in a human being has not been mimicked in AI.</li><li>Mind – this is broader than just the brain, it includes the ability to process inputs from multiples senses (sight, sound, touch, taste, and smell) and also from internal sources (contemplation and thoughts). It includes the ability to imagine and create.&nbsp; AI is starting to mimic some of these functions. ChatGPT is the first AI that also “hallucinates” and can undertake creative processes such as authoring a poem, creating music, etc. However, the evolution of this aspect is at a very rudimentary stage.</li><li>Consciousness – what forms the base for everything else in a human being’s mental functions can be described as consciousness. There are various levels of consciousness based on the sophistication of the being – humans, plants, or even stones, all have consciousness but of different levels. In that sense AI does have consciousness, but it is of a different kind than human beings. It is based on the programming and inputs provided to the AI and can of course evolve over time.</li></ol>In summary, there have been multiple generations of AI going from very specific to very generic, and very expensive to very inexpensive. ChatGPT has been a giant leap from prior generations, and in some ways is democratizing the access to this technology by making it available to millions of regular people. AI has still not passed the Turing test and is not yet close to replicating all of our human mental functions, however the technology will continue to evolve, creating both opportunities and threats for the human experience.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Illustrations by ANANYA PATEL</h4><hr>&nbsp;

ChatGPT – gamechanger or hype?

The superpower of listening

<h3 style="text-align:center;">THE HEARTFUL LISTENER SERIES</h3><h4 style="text-align:justify;">In a world filled with constant noise and distractions, true listening has become a rare and invaluable skill. RAVI VENKATESAN introduces a framework for being a Heartful Listener that will be elaborated in subsequent articles.</h4>&nbsp;The Heartful Listener Framework provides a structured approach to cultivating profound listening, integrating state of being, qualities, behaviors, and skills into a cohesive model.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/effective_listening2_fda7296164.webp" alt="effective-listening2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;At the heart of this framework lies State of Being, the foundation for all <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/listening-with-the-intent-to-understand" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">effective listening</a>. Surrounding this core are three essential dimensions—Qualities, Behaviors, and Skills—which work together to enhance our capacity to listen deeply, engage empathetically, and respond with awareness.The framework is simple but provides a way to systematically unlock the potential to be a great listener that all of us already have.State of Being: The foundation for effective listening is all about being centered in self-awareness and emotional regulation.Qualities: The key qualities that impact listening are empathy, open-mindedness, presence, and sincere interest.Behaviors: Developing <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/bringing-it-all-together" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">mindful attention</a>, reflective responses, ethical considerations, and cultural awareness are key to great listening.Skills: The skills to focus on include <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-superpower-of-listening" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">active listening</a>, deep listening, professional listening, and centering.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">State of Being: The core of Heartful Listening</h4>True listening starts within. Before we can fully engage with others, we must center ourselves, regulate our emotions, and cultivate focused attention. This state of being allows us to approach conversations with clarity and presence, rather than being reactive or distracted.To manage our State of Being and tune ourselves to listen better, we practice the following:Centering: Managing breath, calming the mind, and staying present.Listening to feelings, emotions, and thoughts: Developing self-awareness to avoid projecting biases onto conversations.Attention and focused awareness: Maintaining an open and receptive state rather than rushing to respond. Often our minds are already thinking about a response instead of listening. We can train our minds to not do this. While this seems like a small and simple thing to do, it can have a transformative impact on our listening.I have often noticed that in the corporate world there are some leaders who are always mindful and practice centering techniques before an important meeting. They tend to engage in more thoughtful, empathetic discussions, leading to better decision-making and stronger relationships.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Qualities: The inner attitude for deep listening</h4>Qualities shape the intention behind listening. Without the right inner disposition, even the best listening techniques can feel mechanical or insincere.Four core qualitiesEmpathy: The ability to feel and understand another person’s emotions, creating a safe and supportive space.Open-mindedness: Suspending judgment to allow diverse perspectives to emerge.Presence: Being fully engaged in the conversation, free from distractions.Sincere interest: A genuine positive curiosity to understand the speaker, beyond just hearing their words.A great example of these qualities is when you see a doctor who listens with empathy and sincere interest. They build stronger patient trust, leading to more accurate diagnoses and better treatment outcomes.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/effective_listening3_0941f47122.webp" alt="effective-listening3.webp"><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Behaviors: The external manifestation of deep listening</h4>Behaviors translate inner qualities into outward action, ensuring that the listener is engaged and respectful.Key behaviorsMindful attention: Giving full attention to the speaker, avoiding interruptions or distractions.Reflective responses: Paraphrasing and summarizing to confirm understanding.Ethical considerations: Ensuring confidentiality and respect for personal boundaries.Cultural awareness: Recognizing and respecting different communication styles and cultural backgrounds.For example, a team leader who demonstrates mindful attention and cultural awareness can foster an inclusive work environment, leading to better collaboration and innovation.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Skills: The structured approach to effective listening</h4>Listening is both an art and a skill. Developing strong listening techniques enhances our ability to comprehend, analyze, and respond effectively.Four key listening skillsActive listening: Engaging with the speaker through verbal affirmations, summarization, and non-verbal cues (e.g., nodding, eye contact).Deep listening: Moving beyond words to sense emotions and underlying concerns.Professional listening: Applying ethical, analytical, and strategic listening within professional contexts.Centering: The foundational skill that ensures presence and emotional balance in any conversation.For example, mediators practicing deep listening can identify underlying tensions and guide parties toward a mutually beneficial resolution.<h4><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/effective_listening4_5572d3a05d.webp" alt="effective-listening4.webp">Conclusion: The power of being a Heartful Listener</h4>The Heartful Listener framework offers a holistic approach to listening, blending inner awareness, emotional intelligence, and structured techniques. By cultivating our State of Being, embodying key Qualities, demonstrating mindful Behaviors, and honing essential Skills, we transform the way we engage with others.In an era where true listening is rare, mastering this framework can enhance leadership, deepen relationships, and foster a more compassionate community. Whether in healthcare, business, education, or personal life, the ability to listen well is a true superpower.In the next few articles, we will expand on each of the areas from this framework. Till then, just notice more carefully how people listen around you, as well as how you listen to others and yourself!&nbsp;

A framework for effective listening

<h2 style="text-align:center;">THE HEARTFUL LISTENER SERIES</h2><h4 style="text-align:justify;">RAVI VENKATESAN delves into the foundations of exceptional listening, by cultivating a strong State of Being, connecting with centeredness, calm, and presence through awareness, alertness, openness, and receptivity.</h4>The <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/bringing-it-all-together" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heartful Listener</a> Framework provides a structured approach to cultivating profound listening, integrating state of being, qualities, behaviors, and skills into a cohesive model.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Centering: Breath, Calmness, and Presence</h4>Centering involves intentionally managing our breath, calming our minds, and maintaining our presence. Oprah Winfrey, known for her extraordinary interviewing abilities, exemplifies this practice. Before any significant interview, Oprah takes a quiet moment to center herself through controlled breathing and mindfulness. During a particularly emotional conversation with author Maya Angelou, Oprah’s calm and centered presence created a safe and open space, allowing Angelou to share profoundly personal insights. Oprah’s centering practice highlights that intentional calmness isn’t merely relaxation—it actively cultivates an environment for deep, authentic connection.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/foundation_exceptional_listening2_bc907ba9c7.webp" alt="foundation-exceptional-listening2.webp"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Oprah’s centering practice highlights&nbsp; that intentional calmness isn’t merely relaxation —it actively cultivates an environment&nbsp; for deep, authentic connection. &nbsp;</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Listening to Our Own Feelings, Emotions, and Thoughts</h4><a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/4-pillars-of-self-development" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Self-awareness</a> is crucial in ensuring our own biases do not cloud our listening. Renowned psychologist and author Brené Brown often emphasizes how her own introspective practices have profoundly improved her listening skills. In one candid reflection, Brown shared how recognizing her anxiety and vulnerability before speaking engagements helped her listen more genuinely to audience interactions, enriching her responses and deepening the connection with her audience. Understanding our internal emotional landscape, we maintain clarity and neutrality in conversations.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/foundation_exceptional_listening3_e867d17101.webp" alt="foundation-exceptional-listening3.webp"></figure><hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Understanding our internal emotional landscape,&nbsp; we maintain clarity and neutrality in conversations.</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Attention and Focused Awareness</h4>Effective listening demands an open and receptive state rather than prematurely preparing responses. Former U.S. President Barack Obama is celebrated for his remarkable listening ability, frequently demonstrating this during town halls and interviews. Observers noted his deliberate pauses and focused attention when responding to questions. Rather than crafting responses while listening, Obama consistently remained fully present, absorbing the message completely before thoughtfully replying. This practice profoundly impacted interactions, enhancing mutual respect and understanding.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/foundation_exceptional_listening4_389a049722.webp" alt="foundation-exceptional-listening4.webp"></figure><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Bringing it All Together</h4>Integrating centering, <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/step-into-the-future-of-emotions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">self-awareness</a>, and focused attention cultivates an authentic State of Being, transforming our capacity to listen and connect. Exceptional listening rooted in genuine presence does more than improve communication—it builds relationships, fosters collaboration, and nurtures empathy.By embracing these foundational practices, inspired by figures like Oprah Winfrey, Brené Brown, and Barack Obama, we elevate our listening from good to extraordinary, becoming catalysts for meaningful connections and deeper understanding in all areas of our lives.In the next few articles we’ll dive deeper into the qualities, skills, and behaviors that we can develop to become exceptional and Heartful Listeners.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Exceptional listening rooted in genuine presence&nbsp; does more than improve communication— it builds relationships, fosters collaboration, and nurtures empathy.</h4><hr>

The foundation of exceptional listening: state of being

<h3 style="text-align:center;">THE HEARTFUL LISTENER SERIES</h3><h4 style="text-align:center;">RAVI VENKATESAN describes the four qualities of Heartful Listening.</h4>“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have rather talked.” &nbsp; —Mark Twain&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/qualities_listening2_02feec41d2.webp" alt="qualities-listening2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Listening, truly, deeply listening, is an act of love and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/excellence-in-leadership" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leadership</a>. It requires more than our ears; it calls upon the entire heart. In this chapter, we go deeper into the four transformative qualities that empower great listeners: Empathy, Open-Mindedness, Presence, and Sincere Interest. These are not just soft skills as contemporary management theory would have you believe, they are powerful levers for human connection.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Empathy—Feeling With, Not Just For</h4>Empathy is not sympathy. Where sympathy says, “I feel bad for you,” empathy says, “I’m here with you.”Practically, Empathy is often non-verbal—a warm glance, a nod, a silence that holds space.When President Obama met the families of Sandy Hook victims, he didn’t bring notes or talking points. He sat quietly, cried with them, hugged them. Later, he described the weight of simply listening to their pain without trying to explain or fix it. “Sometimes, all we can do is hold their grief with our own,” he said. His deep empathetic presence turned a tragedy into a moment that reflected true human connectedness.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Open-mindedness invites diverse perspectives&nbsp; without needing immediate resolution or agreement.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Open-<a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/do-you-forget-things" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mindedness</a>—Suspending Judgment</h4>Open-mindedness invites diverse perspectives without needing immediate resolution or agreement.Practically: It’s the pause before reacting. It’s the willingness to say, “Tell me more.”Despite being ideological opposites, US Supreme court judges, Justice Ginsburg and Justice Scalia maintained a famous friendship. They listened to one another’s arguments not to agree, but to understand. Ginsburg once remarked, “He made me better at my reasoning because I had to address his sharp mind.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Presence—The Power of Now</h4>Presence is attention. It says: You are the only thing that matters in this moment.Practically, put down the phone. Breathe. Make eye contact. Let go of the need to fix.Maya Angelou’s charisma came not from commanding a room, but from commanding the moment. Oprah described meeting Angelou for the first time: “She leaned in and said, ‘I’m here with you.’ I felt as if time stopped.”&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/qualities_listening3_0f076d3a6a.webp" alt="qualities-listening3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Presence is attention.&nbsp; It says: You are the only thing&nbsp; that matters in this moment.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<h4>Sincere Interest—Listening with the Soul</h4>Sincere interest asks nothing in return. It is a pure desire to know and connect.Practically, ask open-ended questions. Mirror back what they said. Say, “That’s interesting, go on.”Mr. Rogers, famous TV host, visited a young boy with cerebral palsy who had stopped eating, he didn’t give medical advice. He sang with him. And when the boy asked Mr. Rogers to pray for him, Rogers said, “I will, but will you pray for me too?”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Before and After Listening&nbsp;</h4><figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/qualities_listening4_0bfb174cb8.webp" alt="qualities-listening4.webp"></figure>There is a difference between advice and support. Many times we offer advice when the other person needs and seeks support. Being fully present, and listening with empathy, open mindedness and sincere interest, is one of the best ways to support someone. The world doesn’t lack great advisors, but it certainly lacks great listeners. When we bring these great qualities of listening, we don’t just connect more deeply, we transform each other.Practice these four qualities in at least one meaningful conversation this week. Describe what shifted in your journal. In subsequent articles we will explore listening behaviors that are important and skills that can be developed to listen better.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/qualities_listening5_1f5df327b4.webp" alt="qualities-listening5.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Being fully present, and listening with empathy,&nbsp; open mindedness and sincere interest,&nbsp; is one of the best ways to support someone.&nbsp; The world doesn’t lack great advisors,&nbsp; but it certainly lacks great listeners.&nbsp; When we bring these great qualities of listening,&nbsp; we don’t just connect more deeply,&nbsp; we transform each other.</h4><hr>&nbsp;

Four core qualities of listening

<h3 style="text-align:center;">THE HEARTFUL LISTENER</h3><h4 style="text-align:justify;">In part 5 of his series, The Heartful Listener, RAVI VENKATESAN shares how listening can shift our intention for empathy into action.&nbsp;</h4>The proof of the pudding is in the eating.Even with the best of intentions, things can go wrong. We may tune our inner state, develop empathy and sincere interest, but if we don’t manifest these qualities as behaviors, we cannot achieve the wonderful outcome of being a great listener.Listening is not just a state of mind or a heartful intention—it must be expressed in how we show up for others. This part of the Heartful Listener series explores the four critical behaviors that bring listening to life:- Mindful Attention - Reflective Responses - Ethical Considerations - Cultural Awareness<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener5_2_48976fccfd.webp" alt="heartful-listener5-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Each of these is a visible expression of the inner qualities we explored in Part 4 —Empathy, Open-Mindedness, Presence, and Sincere Interest.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Mindful Attention—the Discipline of Being Fully Present</h4><a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/love-and-surrender" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mindful Attention</a> is about giving someone your undivided attention—your mind, eyes, body language, and heart all attuned to the speaker.Practically: Turning off devices, maintaining gentle eye contact, and mentally shelving distractions.Nelson Mandela was legendary for the attention he gave to those around him, regardless of status. During peace negotiations in South Africa, he would make tea for his political adversaries and listen without interruption. “When you speak to Mandela,” one opponent noted, “you feel like you are the only person in the world.” His mindful presence diffused conflict, invited respect, and laid the foundation for national healing.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Reflective Responses—Showing You Listened, Not Just Heard</h4>Reflective Responses validate the speaker’s experience by paraphrasing or echoing their feelings—not to agree, but to affirm that they were heard.Practically: Phrases like “What I hear you saying is…” or “It sounds like you felt…” help create clarity and trust.The pioneering psychologist Carl Rogers revolutionized therapy with non-directive listening and reflective dialogue. One client, after a session, remarked, “I didn’t realize what I felt until I heard myself through your words.” Rogers’s ability to reflect helped people process their own truths.&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener5_3_8b06c69540.webp" alt="heartful-listener5-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Ethical Considerations – Listening with Integrity and Respect</h4>Being a heartful listener includes respecting confidentiality, consent, and boundaries. Without ethics, listening can feel like an intrusion.Practically: Avoid sharing someone’s story without permission. Don’t probe into trauma without invitation. As First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt privately visited wounded soldiers during World War II without photographers in tow. She held their hands, asked questions gently, and never quoted their stories publicly. Her ethical discretion made soldiers feel safe and dignified.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Being a heartful listener includes respecting confidentiality, consent, and boundaries. Without ethics, listening can feel like an intrusion.</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Cultural Awareness—Listening Across Differences with Sensitivity</h4><a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/third-culture-kid-identity-art-therapy" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Cultural Awareness</a> means recognizing different communication norms, emotional expressions, and cultural values.Practically: Be curious instead of assuming. Ask: “Is there a better way I could be receiving your story?” When Nadella became Microsoft’s CEO, he emphasized inclusive listening in a global company. At a company town hall in China, he paused to ask, “Are we interpreting this conversation correctly for the culture here?” His openness transformed Microsoft’s approach to international collaboration and product empathy.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Connecting the Dots – From Inner Qualities to Outward Behaviors</h4>If Qualities are the why behind great listening, Behaviors are the how. Together, they turn passive hearing into active connection.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener5_5_82a1314faf.png" alt="heartful-listener5-5.png"></figure><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Practice Prompt</h4>Think of a recent conversation. Reflect:<ol><li style="text-align:justify;">Did you give full mindful attention?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Did you reflect anything back to the speaker?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Did you honor their boundaries?</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Were you sensitive to their context or culture?</li></ol>Choose one of these behaviors to consciously practice in your next meaningful conversation. Journal what shifted in the interaction—and in you.<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener5_4_52661a713f.webp" alt="heartful-listener5-4.webp"></figure>

Transforming Intention into Action

<h3 style="text-align:center;">The Heartful Listener – Part Six</h3><h4 style="text-align:justify;">RAVI VENKATESAN continues his Heartful Listener series with part six, transforming listening from intention to skill and demonstrating that even with the best mindset, effective listening must be practiced, honed, and embodied.&nbsp;</h4>In the previous articles of this series, we explored the State of Being, the Qualities, and the Behaviors that elevate our capacity to listen. But even with the best mindset, heart, and intentions, listening remains a learned skill—one that must be practiced, honed, and embodied.This part focuses on the four essential skills that make listening truly effective:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Active Listening</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Deep Listening</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Professional Listening</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Centering</li></ul><figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_2_d579b022ce.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Active Listening – Engagement in the Moment</h4>Active listening involves giving full, engaged attention, providing verbal affirmation, and using body language cues that let the speaker know they are being heard, valued, and understood.Practices:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Maintain eye contact, nod occasionally.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Use brief verbal responses (“I see,” “Go on,” “That makes sense.”)</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Reflect and summarize what you heard.</li></ul>Princess Diana was often called “the people’s princess” not just for her causes, but because of the way she listened. In hospital visits, she would kneel to eye level, hold hands, and listen silently to patients’ stories. Her presence alone made people cry—not from grief, but from feeling heard.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_3_d283a4fc44.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Deep Listening – Hearing Beyond Words</h4>Deep listening is a contemplative and intuitive skill that involves listening for emotions, silences, body language, and what’s not said.Practices:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Observe tone, emotion, and energy shifts.</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Resist interrupting or “solving.”</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Pause after they speak, allowing them to go deeper.</li></ul>A great example of this is Jimmy Carter at the Camp David Accords: In 1978, U.S. President Jimmy Carter brokered peace between Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and Israel’s Menachem Begin. Carter’s approach was not tactical negotiation—it was deep, heartful listening. Sadat later said, “He did not lecture us. He let us be heard—and in being heard, we changed.”<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Deep listening is a contemplative and intuitive skill that involves listening for emotions, silences, body language, and what’s not said.</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Professional Listening – Strategic, Ethical, Impact-Oriented</h4>Professional listening involves ethical discernment, analytic clarity, and listening for patterns, gaps, or underlying challenges in high-stakes environments.Practices:<ul><li>Separate personal bias from strategic understanding.</li><li>Document carefully and confirm shared understanding.</li><li>Listen for solutions, but don’t jump to them too quickly.</li></ul>During the Eurozone crisis, Chancellor Angela Merkel was known for quietly listening in hours-long meetings. She would often summarize at the end, having absorbed and integrated every view.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Professional listening involves ethical discernment,&nbsp; analytic clarity, and listening for patterns, gaps,&nbsp; or underlying challenges in high-stakes environments.</h4><hr><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Centering – The Prerequisite for Any Real Listening</h4>Centering is the skill of stilling the mind, regulating emotion, and grounding awareness before and during a conversation.Practices:<ul><li>Use breath to center yourself before a conversation.</li><li>Practice micro-pauses between stimulus and response.</li><li>Notice when you’re triggered and bring yourself back to neutral.</li></ul>Thich Nhat Hanh is a great example of practicing this. Before meetings, he asked participants to pause and take three deep breaths in silence. “Only a calm, open heart can truly receive another’s pain.”<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Where to Begin? Skill Practice Ladder</h4>As with any new ability, practice begins with simpler settings and escalates with time. Use the ladder below to challenge your listening skills in various contexts progressively. &nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:50%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_5_705883487c.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-5.webp"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_6_6bd3e5cc53.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-6.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4>Self-Assessment Framework</h4>Over the next sixty-ninety days, do a weekly check-in to grade yourself from one to five on each skill. You can also use this after important interactions.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_7_93cbd0fe44.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-7.webp"></figure>&nbsp;In the next part of this series, we will examine how the concepts we have learned come together in tackling real-life situations.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:25%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/mastering_listening_skills_8_467bdd2f57.webp" alt="mastering-listening-skills-8.webp"></figure>&nbsp;

Mastering the Four Listening Skills

<h3 style="text-align:center;">The Heartful Listener – Part Seven</h3><h4>CEO and Heartfulness meditation trainer RAVI VENKATESAN continues his Heartful Listener series, weaving together the framework into a practical ninety-day transformation plan for developing listening as a lived practice.</h4>As with anything important, listening is meant to be lived—not theorized. You can cultivate presence, empathy, or reflective behaviors, but unless they are expressed consistently in the real world—in moments of tension, in diverse settings, with people who challenge you—the work remains incomplete.In this final part of the Heartful Listener series, we weave together States of Being, Core Qualities, Behavioral Expressions, and Learned Skills into a living practice, complete with practical tools and a ninety-day blueprint.Let’s review key elements that we learnt in the last six articles.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_2_6281b3aa4d.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Here is the framework we’ve learnt on being a <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-foundation-of-exceptional-listening-state-of-being" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Heartful Listener</a>: State of Being (inner state) &gt;&gt; Qualities &gt;&gt; Behaviors &gt;&gt; Skills&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_3_bed7c395bb.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;Here are lessons from the Case Studies we reviewed—Listening in Action<ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Jimmy Carter at Camp David—Deep + Professional + Centered.</li><li>Angela Merkel’s consensus craft—Professional + <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/a-framework-for-effective-listening" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Mindful Attention</a>.</li><li>Nelson Mandela’s dignity—Mindful Attention + Sincere Interest.</li><li>Mr. Rogers’ transformative empathy—Presence + Empathy.</li><li>Barack Obama in grief—Presence + Empathy + Ethics.</li><li>Satya Nadella’s global cue—Cultural Awareness + Open-Mindedness. &nbsp;</li></ol>Let’s translate all this into a thirty-sixty-ninety-day actionable Transformation Plan:<h4>Days one to thirty: Build Awareness &amp; Inner Calm</h4><ul><li>Practice one minute of centering before each conversation</li><li>Notice any urge to interrupt</li><li>Journal the qualities you engaged</li></ul><h4>Days thirty-one to sixty: Integrate Qualities &amp; Behaviors</h4><ul><li>Practice mindful attention daily</li><li>Reflective responses in journaling</li><li>Ask cultural check-in questions weekly</li></ul><h4>Days sixty-one to ninety: Hone Professional &amp; Deep Listening</h4><ul><li>Synthesize in meetings</li><li>Invite feedback on your listening</li><li>Apply the Self-Grading Grid weekly</li><li>Self-Assessment Framework</li></ul>Use this one–five grid weekly to rate your growth across dimensions. Ideally, log your progress every week as you track your ninety-day journey. &nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_4_e706bb6a8e.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_5_7fd3155022.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-5.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_6_50bd1473a2.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-6.webp"><figcaption>Deskside Reference Sheet—The Heartful Listener</figcaption></figure>&nbsp;<h4>Closing the Loop with Mark Milton</h4>In Part One, Mark Milton from education4peace reminded us: “Listening is a superpower. It heals, builds bridges, and transforms relationships. But we rarely teach it.” This series operationalizes his invitation: center the self, embody the qualities, enact the behaviors, train the skills. Let’s wrap up with a printable deskside reference sheet that you can use to become a Heartful Listener.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/heartful_listener_part7_7_ed7d3dc8da.webp" alt="heartful-listener-part7-7.webp"></figure>

Bringing It All Together

<h3 style="text-align:center;">How Heartfulness Builds an Internal Locus of Control and Workplace Success</h3><h4 style="text-align:center;">A practical case for Heartfulness as the engine of ownership, resilience, and performance from RAVI VENKATESAN.</h4><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Introduction</h4>In strategic execution and <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/leadership-from-the-heart-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leadership</a>, what separates resilient achievers from those overwhelmed by circumstances is not just skill—it is the lens through which we interpret events. Psychologist Julian Rotter referred to this lens as the locus of control (LoC). “Locus of control” refers to whether people believe that outcomes arise primarily from their own actions (internal locus of control) or from external factors, such as luck, fate, or the influence of powerful others (external locus of control). As I shared in my earlier series, The Heartful Strategist, our <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/the-heartful-leader-part-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">inner state</a> shapes the story we tell ourselves—and therefore the options we can perceive and pursue.Heart-centered meditation nurtures inner steadiness, clarity, and agency.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/inner_stillness_outer_agency2_1d975e3a5b.webp" alt="inner-stillness-outer-agency2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Destiny x Free Will: Daaji’s Practical Resolution</h4>Many leaders secretly wrestle with a fatalistic question: Is destiny fixed, or do we genuinely have free will? Daaji’s answer is both elegant and operational: Some elements are fixed, but practice expands freedom. Through daily Heartfulness—meditation, cleaning, and prayerful intention—we clear impressions, refine our attention, and align our values with action. In that process, we are no longer only the product of prior causes; we become designers of our destiny. This is the engineering of an internal locus of control.From external to internal locus of control: shifting from “why is this happening to me?” to “what can I influence now?”The history of leadership offers powerful illustrations of agency under constraint.Mahatma Gandhi’s method began with self-mastery. The spinning wheel symbolizes self-reliance and disciplined simplicity. His practice transformed inner steadiness into outer nonviolent power. That is internal locus of control writ large: Master the self, then choose aligned action.Across 27 years of imprisonment, Nelson Mandela cultivated dignity, forgiveness, and preparation. He chose his response when almost every other choice was removed. The essential act of leadership—owning one’s response—is the essence of an internal locus of control.&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Locus_of_Control3_d7f106052f.webp" alt="Locus_of_Control3.webp">&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">How Heartfulness Cultivates Internal Locus of Control</h4>Heartfulness practice changes the inner architecture that precedes every decision:<ul><li>Presence and Awareness: Meditation stabilizes attention, allowing us to observe default narratives of blame or helplessness.</li><li>Pause-and-Choose: Inner stillness creates a gap between stimulus and response; agency lives in this gap.</li><li>Value Alignment: The heart clarifies what matters; when choices align with values, we experience ownership rather than victimhood.</li><li>Resilience and Meaning: Cleaning and reflection reduce emotional reactivity; setbacks become data rather than destiny.</li><li>Habitual Rewiring: Repeated practice makes pausing-and-choosing our new default.</li></ul>&nbsp;<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/Locus_of_Control4_92105d47db.webp" alt="Locus_of_Control4.webp">&nbsp;<h4>Why This Wins at Work</h4>Internal locus of control is not a slogan; it’s a performance system:<ul><li>Initiative: Teams stop waiting and start experimenting.</li><li>Learning: Post-mortems focus on controllables and next actions, not blame.</li><li>Speed: Decisions unjam when energy shifts from “who caused this” to “what we will do now.”</li><li>Culture: A leader’s stance becomes the team’s stance—agency scales.</li></ul><h4>A Leader’s Playbook: Assess → Train → Design → Reinforce</h4><ol style="list-style-type:decimal;"><li>Assess: Use development tools to map team narratives of control. This is for coaching, not gatekeeping.</li><li>Train: Run attribution workshops to rewrite real setbacks into specific, controllable causes and next-step experiments. Build efficacy through progressive challenges and feedback that highlights behaviors that worked.</li><li>Design: Increase autonomy with clear guardrails, visible metrics, and rapid feedback loops. Make controllables explicit for every OKR (objective and key result).</li><li>Reinforce: Recognize preparation, iteration, and follow-through more than raw outcomes. You get the culture you reward.</li></ol>In The Heartful Strategist series, I proposed that consciousness flows outward: inner state → strategic choices → consequences → ecosystem. Locus of control is the psychological bridge that operationalizes this flow. When we refine our inner state through Heartfulness, we expand our free will within destiny, step into agency, and create cultures that take ownership.<h4>Conclusion</h4>Heartfulness provides the inner infrastructure for an internal locus of control. It clarifies attention, stabilizes emotion, aligns values, and builds the habit of choice. In a world of volatility, this becomes a durable advantage: leaders who govern their inner state govern their outcomes—and uplift the systems they touch.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/inner_stillness_outer_agency4_a4f9f883ee.webp" alt="inner-stillness-outer-agency4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;

From Inner Stillness to Outer Agency

<h4>RAVI VENKATESAN explores how inner stability and strategic awareness allow leaders to navigate corporate politics without losing clarity, authenticity, or influence.</h4>Corporate politics is one of the least discussed yet most influential forces shaping our daily work experience. This article builds on ideas about inner-state management and influence-based leadership introduced in the Heartful Leader and Heartful Strategist series to provide a toolkit for managing organizational politics.&nbsp;Even talented, motivated individuals often find themselves frustrated—not because of the job itself, but because of the invisible political currents around them. These forces can determine whether ideas are heard, whether contributions are recognized, and whether one feels inspired or drained.But understanding politics is not the same as playing politics. It is about perceiving your environment clearly and showing up in a way that is both wise and authentic.A powerful combination of inner emotional steadiness and external situational awareness allows leaders to navigate politics without losing themselves. This balance is foundational to heart-centered leadership—where clarity, equanimity, and empathy become strategic advantages.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">1. Corporate Politics Isn’t a Game—It’s a Field of Human Behavior</h4>Politics becomes toxic when we view it as a battle. It becomes navigable when we see it as a landscape of human emotions, motivations, fears, and aspirations.Former PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi once shared that her early belief—that great work alone would shine—quickly collided with reality. She learned that understanding people, timing, and influence was just as vital as one’s competence.Microsoft’s Satya Nadella also transformed his leadership approach by grounding it in empathy and perceptiveness rather than pure logic. He often notes that listening deeply—to individuals, teams, and the emotional tone of the organization—became a turning point in his career.Politics becomes less threatening when you see it not as manipulation but as human behavior.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/corporate_politics2_8fd8f6a463.webp" alt="corporate-politics2.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">2. The Inner State: Your Most Reliable Political Compass</h4>In leadership, your inner state is often the most decisive factor in how you handle political moments:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">A colleague undermines your idea</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A decision shifts without explanation</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A leader is inconsistent</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A peer becomes territorial</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A project suddenly loses support</li></ul>If your mind is agitated or reactive, politics feels overwhelming. If your inner state is steady, situations become clearer, calmer, and more solvable.Heartfulness Meditation supports this steadiness by creating space between stimulus and response. It helps leaders recognize emotional triggers early, regulate reactions, and approach situations with balance.A centered leader reads subtle cues others miss—tone, intent, interpersonal history, stress levels, and unspoken concerns. This capacity to perceive without emotional distortion is central to strategic thinking, and it is why Daaji, the leader of the Heartfulness movement, emphasizes correct thinking and right understanding.Former LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner often emphasized that compassionate management is not a moral stance—it is a strategic one. Calm, emotionally aware leaders make better decisions and inspire more trust.Inner stability is your most effective antidote to workplace politics.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Calm, emotionally aware leaders&nbsp; make better decisions and inspire more trust.&nbsp; Inner stability is your most effective antidote to workplace politics.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">3. Understanding Culture and Climate: Reading the Field Before You Act</h4>Every organization operates on two layers:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Culture: the long-standing values, identity, and norms</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Climate: the current emotional atmosphere and power dynamics</li></ul>Leaders who navigate politics well understand both. Climate is especially important because it changes quickly:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">During reorganizations</li><li style="text-align:justify;">When leadership shifts</li><li style="text-align:justify;">When resources tighten</li><li style="text-align:justify;">When major initiatives are underway</li><li style="text-align:justify;">When competition grows</li></ul>Former Xerox CEO Ursula Burns learned that her strong personality was misinterpreted in the early culture she entered.She adapted—not by losing her authenticity, but by understanding her environment more deeply. Her influence grew not because she changed who she was, but because she aligned her approach to fit the cultural and climatic realities.Reading culture and climate is not political maneuvering. It is strategic perception.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/corporate_politics3_1d57b70dd5.webp" alt="corporate-politics3.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">One of the most effective ways to navigate politics&nbsp; is to build broad, genuine relationships across the organization.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">4. Situational Intelligence: Seeing the Invisible Currents</h4>Political awareness includes understanding:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Who holds real influence</li><li style="text-align:justify;">How decisions actually get made</li><li style="text-align:justify;">What motivations drive key players</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Where resistance might come from</li><li style="text-align:justify;">What timing is optimal</li></ul>Sheryl Sandberg once said that the biggest mistake she made early in her career was pushing ideas without pre-alignment. She later learned to socialize ideas in advance, gather input quietly, and anticipate concerns before stepping into the room.This approach is <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/wild-intelligence" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">political intelligence</a>: the ability to navigate human systems with foresight rather than force.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">5. 360° Relationships: Your Natural Buffer Against Politics</h4>One of the most effective ways to navigate politics is to build broad, genuine relationships across the organization.<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">A leader with relationships across teams, levels, and functions has:</li><li style="text-align:justify;">More information</li><li style="text-align:justify;">More support</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Fewer blind spots</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Allies in critical moments</li><li style="text-align:justify;">A more accurate read on dynamics</li></ul>Tim Cook’s rise at Apple was built not on maneuvering but on relationships. Long before becoming CEO, he built trust across engineering, operations, finance, logistics, suppliers, and design. His <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/heartful-leader-part-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">leadership influence</a> grew because people trusted him everywhere.Relationship depth reduces political friction dramatically.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">6 Collaboration Multiplies Influence</h4>Politics often becomes difficult when leaders isolate themselves, defend turf, or operate solo. Collaboration changes the equation entirely.A collaborative leader:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Reduces resistance</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Diffuses tension</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Gathers diverse perspectives</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Earns credibility</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Builds goodwill</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Becomes part of networks rather than outside them</li></ul>Collaboration is not just a working style—it is a political strategy that operates through generosity rather than power.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">7. A Practical Framework: Inner → Outer → Impact</h4>A balanced political toolkit includes both inner and outer mastery:<h4 style="text-align:justify;">Inner Mastery</h4><ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Heartfulness Meditation</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Emotional self-regulation</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Clarity before action</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Pausing before reacting</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Anchoring decisions in values</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Perceiving others with empathy rather than judgment</li></ul><h4 style="text-align:justify;">Outer Mastery</h4><ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Reading culture and climate</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Mapping stakeholders</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Building early alignment</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Choosing timing wisely</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Understanding motivations</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Creating broad, authentic relationships</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Communicating with nuance and heart</li></ul>When these two dimensions are integrated, politics becomes manageable, even constructive.&nbsp;<figure class="image image_resized" style="width:75%;"><img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/corporate_politics4_f555728ada.webp" alt="corporate-politics4.webp"></figure>&nbsp;<h4 style="text-align:justify;">8. The Outcome: Impact without losing yourself</h4>When leaders combine inner steadiness with external awareness:<ul><li style="text-align:justify;">Politics loses its emotional sting</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Conflicts are easier to navigate</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Influence arises naturally</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Relationships deepen</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Decisions become wiser</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Well-being improves</li><li style="text-align:justify;">Work becomes more meaningful</li></ul>Together, these outcomes reflect heart-centered leadership in practice—a way of navigating complexity while remaining authentic, grounded, and deeply effective.You don’t avoid politics. You rise above it—through clarity of mind, steadiness of heart, and skillful, human-centered leadership.<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">You don’t avoid politics. You rise above it— through clarity of mind, steadiness of heart, and skillful, human-centered leadership.</h4><hr>&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">AI-generated images</h4><hr> &nbsp;

Navigating Corporate Politics with Inner Stability and Strategic Awareness

Ray Bradbury

The enemy of creativity

Rebecca holds degrees from Cornell (M.F.A., creative writing) and Princeton (Ph.D., philosophy) and works as a writer and researcher, with several books published, including two books on spiritual philosophy and practice: The Insights of Higher Awareness and Ego and the Spiritual Self. In addition, she has published several collections of Haiku.

rebecca-lilly.jpg

Rebecca Lilly

<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">Exploring untruth&nbsp; Isn’t enough; in truth, it&nbsp; Must be discovered</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">~</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">Questioning: a means&nbsp; To deliver you back to&nbsp; Yourself, to meaning</h5>~<h5 style="text-align:center;">Each thing once seen is&nbsp; Itself, without split image:&nbsp; That stillness perceived</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">~</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">Knowing, rather than&nbsp; Knowing about; listening&nbsp; To silence, not sound</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">~</h5><h5 style="text-align:center;">The awakened moves&nbsp; Towards the unawakened; light&nbsp; Illumines the shade</h5>&nbsp;<hr>&nbsp;<hr><h5>Haiku poetry by REBECCA LILLY</h5><hr>

In Truth - Haiku

Richie is a neuroscientist, speaker, meditator and author. He is the William James and Vilas Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the founder of the Center for Healthy Minds. His work is focused on the neurobiology of emotion and the effects of meditation on the human brain. He has numerous publications in leading scientific journals and is also the author of many best-selling books including his latest, Altered Traits, which provides us with a fascinating view of our ability as humans to shape our brains.

RichardDavidson.jpg

Richard Davidson

<h4
 class="has-text-color"
 id="h-dr-richard-davidson-is-a-prolific-and-well-known-neuroscientist-speaker-meditator-and-author-in-march-2021-richie-was-interviewed-by-thangam-venkatesan-professor-of-medicine-at-the-medical-college-of-wisconsin-and-anagha-matapurkar-ph-d-mba-about-his-life-s-journey-and-latest-initiatives-to-bring-well-being-to-humanity"
 style="color: #0063a3"
>
 DR. RICHARD DAVIDSON
 is a prolific and well-known neuroscientist, speaker, meditator and
 author. In March 2021, Richie was interviewed by
 THANGAM VENKATESAN, Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and ANAGHA MATAPURKAR, Ph.D. MBA, about his life’s journey and latest initiatives to bring
 well-being to humanity.
</h4>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 AM: Hi Richie, it’s wonderful to meet you. I have been very inspired and
 fascinated by your journey as a meditator and author, and the astounding
 body of work that you have as a researcher.
 



 TV: I completely echo Anagha’s sentiments, and your book
 Altered Traits is the first book I have read twice! It is really
 amazing. So, Richie, can you share some key aspects of your journey?
 Something that I find particularly interesting is your interaction with the
 Dalai Lama. How did you first meet him? Can you describe that inflection
 point for you as a person, a meditator and a researcher?



 RD: Thank you
 for asking. I first met His Holiness in 1992 in India and he learned about my
 interest in meditation, and also that I was a neuroscientist. He was really
 interested in encouraging serious neuroscientific research on meditation,
 which at that time really didn’t exist. I met him at his residence in
 Dharamsala, and it was a pivotal meeting. Up until that point in my career, I
 had been doing a lot of research on the brain and emotions, and I was focusing
 mostly on the negative side of things. I studied the brain mechanisms
 underlying vulnerability to depression, anxiety and stress. His Holiness
 challenged me. He said, “Why can’t you use the same tools of neuroscience to
 study kindness and compassion?” I did not have a very good answer for him, and
 it was a turning point.



 At that time I had been a meditation practitioner for decades. I went on my
 first meditation retreat in 1974 with Goenka when I was a graduate student.
 That was my first visit to India. Most of my professional colleagues at that
 time did not know of my interest in meditation, as I really kept it under the
 radar. So when I met His Holiness in 1992, it was very clear to me that I
 needed to come out of the closet and be much more public about my own
 practice. It was a really pivotal time, yes.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="606"
 height="759"
 alt=""
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/altered_traits2_103e6cf275.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:10:10.208Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 TV: In the Gastroenterology Department they think I am a little cuckoo, as
 I am a meditator. They just kind of accept it.



 RD: Keep
 cuckoo, it’s good. It’s very healthy.



 TV: Yes. So, talking about positive emotions, I know you are the founder of
 the Center for Healthy Minds. Can you tell us a little bit about its overall
 mission? What are the services it offers?



 RD: The Center
 for Healthy Minds was founded and inaugurated by the Dalai Lama in 2010, so we
 have been in existence for a little more than ten years. The mission of our
 center is to cultivate well-being and relieve suffering through a scientific
 understanding of the mind. And our vision is a kinder, wiser and more
 compassionate world. It is primarily an interdisciplinary research center,
 with faculty from many different departments. Currently, we have around 75
 people working in the center in one capacity or another.



 About four years ago, I founded an affiliated non-profit company called
 Healthy Minds Innovations, with a mission to take the insights from the
 science and turn them into tools that can be used to cultivate and measure
 well-being. So, the non-profit is much more externally focused, and it is
 really to get the insights out into the world in one way or another. The
 non-profit is located in the same university building as the Center for
 Healthy Minds, Madison, Wisconsin. We have an agreement with the university,
 and there are about 20 people working for the non-profit.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="700"
 height="469"
 alt=""
 class="lazyload w-100 h-auto"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/altered_traits3_ec5be6038f.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:12:03.931Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 TV: I did review your
 <a
 href="https://hminnovations.org/"
 target="_blank"
 rel="noreferrer noopener"
 >website </a
 >and there are some nice tools that people can use.



 RD: Yes, and
 we have an App that is freely available throughout the world, and it is based
 on our framework for cultivating well-being.



 TV: That’s great. I know we all talk about well-being, but we seem to live
 in a cocoon. When we look outside, we live in this highly polarized world.
 We seem to be caught up in these currents of social, cultural, and racial
 problems, the pandemic and so on. You have referred to innate human goodness
 several times. How do we cultivate this innate human goodness in people? How
 do we all come back together?



 RD: It’s a
 great question and I like the way you’re phrasing it. So, the scientific
 evidence really does show that we all come into the world with a propensity
 for goodness. Young infants exhibit that propensity, and more than 95% of
 six-month-old babies show prosocial orientation. So, it is very clear that
 this is how we come into the world.



 The fact today we see so much conflict, difficulties between in-groups and
 out-groups, and inequalities, is really a product of learning. This happens
 through forces in our culture, which, unfortunately, promote this kind of
 conflict, dichotomy, and suffering.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 Our true nature is basic goodness, and when people resonate with
 that, when they get back in tune with that, they feel it. It’s
 palpable and it is recognizable.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 The invitation in all this is that we can use the same mechanisms in our brain
 and our body, that have been hijacked by the media and the cultural artifacts
 around us, which promote these unfortunate views. We can train our mind to
 return to our true nature. Our true nature is basic goodness, and when people
 resonate with that, when they get back in tune with that, they feel it. It’s
 palpable and it is recognizable.



 It is something that is enjoyable, and they can sense that it is a very
 authentic way to be. And so, one of the things that we are trying to do is to
 promote strategies to cultivate these qualities in different sectors of
 society, in the education sector at many different levels, in the workplace,
 in the healthcare sector. All of these different sectors are ripe for this
 kind of training, and I think that one of the things the pandemic has done is
 – it has exposed this in a stark way, the fact that the trajectory that we
 were on is not a particularly healthier, sustainable one. And so, we need to
 come back to our senses, we need to come back to our nature and so we’re doing
 everything we possibly can to get this out into different sectors in the
 world.



 TV: That’s great. And then, alter traits, right?



 RD: Exactly,
 alter traits. Through that we can change the world.



 TV: That’s fantastic.



 AM: So building on this, I’m wondering if you have any thoughts on the
 power of the collective efforts of various meditation practices coming
 together for a common cause. Have you studied or plan to study this in the
 future?



 RD: I think a
 lot depends on exactly what you are referring to with collective efforts.
 Certainly, I think that there is power in the collective. There’s power in
 groups of people engaging in these practices. Doing it with others can be
 enormously helpful in supporting our practice. In the Buddhist view, we have
 the sangha, which is the community, and it is the group that supports
 us in the practice. And so, to the extent that we can encourage groups to take
 this on, I think it can be enormously valuable.



 We are trying to do that in the systems we work with. For example, we are
 doing a lot of work in the Madison public school system, as well as in other
 school systems including those outside the USA. And when more and more people
 are committed to doing these practices, it then takes on a sense of the
 collective and the entire organization really begins to embody this change. It
 can be very, very helpful.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="700"
 height="469"
 alt=""
 class="w-100 h-auto lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/altered_traits4_e5ab1932c7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:14:08.478Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 AM: You refer to the deep and wide paths in your book,
 Altered Traits, and it seems like only a small minority, who are
 already invested in some form of self-improvement or self-transformation,
 seek such practices. And well-being is a skill as you say. So how do you
 propose to encourage contemplative practices in a real-world setting, like
 you just talked about?



 RD: That’s a
 really important question. The way we promote it, first of all, is by
 encouraging people to take small realistic steps to do this. The second thing
 is in our App – you can engage in practices that are not formal meditation,
 but that are done during the activities of daily living. You don’t have to be
 sitting still. You can be walking, you can be commuting, you can be washing
 the dishes, or you can be doing your laundry. You can be engaged in any of
 these activities of daily living and also engage in practice in the
 background. We find this very, very valuable, and we have demonstrated that it
 doesn’t take much to begin to change.



 You can start with just five minutes a day, and that can actually produce
 discernible, measurable change after just one week. That’s a little more than
 30 minutes of practice a week. It is through this gradual step-by-step
 approach that I think people can incorporate this into their life.



 One of the things I frequently remind people is that when human beings first
 evolved none of us were brushing our teeth. Yet, today, virtually everyone on
 the planet brushes their teeth. When you reflect on that, it’s not part of our
 genome. It’s something we’ve all learned to do, because it is good for our
 physical hygiene. I think most people would agree that our minds are even more
 important than our teeth, yet most people don’t even take the small amount of
 time they spend brushing their teeth to nurture their minds. This is really a
 message that we want to convey to the world.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h5 class="has-text-align-center">
 I think that there is power in the collective. There’s power in
 groups of people engaging in these practices. Doing it with
 others can be enormously helpful in supporting our practice.
</h5>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />


 AM: Commuting and meditating is certainly something I can relate to,
 because I live in the city and have to take the subway. That’s how I cope
 with the commuting – by meditating.



 Our last question is regarding your personal journey and research, which we
 find remarkable to say the least. What do you envision next?



 RD: Well,
 whenever we are with the Dalai Lama, he reminds us that there are seven
 billion people, and we need to do everything we can to figure out strategies
 to scale these practices to nurture the minds and hearts of everyone. This is
 one of the reasons we developed the App, and we’re making it freely available
 to remove any kind of financial barrier so that anyone, anywhere, can use it.
 We are developing different versions of this App for different communities;
 more specialized content for college students, teachers, for example.



 Second, along with this, we need to develop better measures of well-being. You
 can’t really change something unless you can measure the change that you are
 promoting and measure sensitively. And we don’t have great measures that we
 can deploy on a large scale. This is something we are working on intensively.



 Then, we’re doing a lot of work internationally. We have a large collaborative
 effort in Mexico, where we are training a group of schoolteachers and
 principals, and examining the impact of training the staff on the students. We
 have recently worked with 1100 principals and teachers in elementary schools,
 who are responsible for teaching around 250,000 students, and we’re seeing the
 benefits to the students. So, this is a very strategic and cost-efficient way
 to benefit large numbers of students without having to work with each
 individual student. This is something we are exploring in different parts of
 the world.



 AM: That’s wonderful.



 TV: Thank you again for chatting with us. It was really a pleasure. We will
 send you our research on the effects of Heartfulness, and we hope to meet
 you in person soon.



 RD: That would
 be great. I’d be happy to. As soon as we can easily travel again, we’d love to
 have you visit our center.


<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<div>
 <figure>
 <img
 width="700"
 height="469"
 alt=""
 class="has-img-center lazyload"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/altered_traits5_f902e393f7.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-11T11:15:21.481Z"
 />
 </figure>
</div>

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

<hr />

<h4 class="has-text-align-center">
 Interviewed by THANGAM VENKATESAN and ANAGHA MATAPURKAR
</h4>

<hr />

<hr class="vertical-space1" />

Altered traits

Goodness

Well-being is a skill

Richard Freeman

Slowing down

The art of loving

Listening

Ricky is a 3-time Grammy award-winning composer, an environmentalist, UNESCO MGIEP Ambassador for Kindness, UNICEF Celebrity Supporter, UNCCD Land Ambassador, and an Ambassador for the Earth Day Network.

rickey-kej.jpg

Ricky Kej

<h4
 class="block-heading"
 id="h-ricky-kej-is-a-3-time-grammy-award-winning-composer-an-environmentalist-unesco-mgiep-ambassador-for-kindness-unicef-celebrity-supporter-unccd-land-ambassador-and-an-ambassador-for-the-earth-day-network-he-performed-and-spoke-to-the-crowd-at-the-international-rising-with-kindness-youth-conference-at-kanha-shanti-vanam-in-august-2022-here-are-some-excerpts-from-his-message"
 >
 RICKY KEJ
 is a 3-time Grammy award-winning composer, an environmentalist,
 UNESCO MGIEP Ambassador for Kindness, UNICEF Celebrity Supporter,
 UNCCD Land Ambassador, and an Ambassador for the Earth Day Network.
 He performed and spoke to the crowd at the International Rising with
 Kindness Youth Conference at Kanha Shanti Vanam in August 2022. Here
 are some excerpts from his message.
 </h4>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 I’m Ricky Kej, musician and environmentalist. These two pillars define
 my life. I believe in the ancient Sanskrit phrase,
 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which literally means, “The world is one
 family.” It also means coexistence, and it means kindness. It is the
 base of Indian civilization. We often think it means peaceful
 coexistence between the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Parsees,
 Jains, etc. – different cultural groups within the human species –
 whereas it actually means a lot more than that. Somewhere along our
 journey, we have completely forgotten that we are not the only species
 on this planet. We are just one among millions of species. So, true
 Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam means living in peace and harmony with
 all life forms. Not only that, we also need to coexist with all the
 elements of Nature – the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the
 land we walk upon.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <div class="block-image">
 <figure>
 <img
 alt="kindness-to-planet2"
 
 class="lazyload has-img-center"
 src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/kindness_to_planet2_f31f8b9a49.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-13T10:39:28.455Z"
 
 />
 </figure>
 </div>

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 Coexistence and kindness are closely related. We must realize that we
 live in an ecosystem, a very delicate balance of ecology, and that we
 are a small part of it. It’s important that we understand that
 coexistence and maintenance of this delicate balance of nature keep us
 all alive.
 

 
 True coexistence and true kindness are key to our survival. When we talk
 about saving the planet, we’re actually preventing ourselves from going
 extinct. The planet will survive without us. By mitigating the effects
 of climate change, deforestation, species extinction, air and water
 pollution, we are saving the human species. We are protecting ourselves.
 

 
 I think the biggest threat of all is our belief that somebody
 else will bring the change. We are always waiting for
 governments, inter-governmental bodies, organizations, politicians,
 leaders, etc., to make a difference when the truth is that we can bring
 about change ourselves – incremental changes within our own lives – by
 being kind to one another.
 

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 <hr />

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 Coexistence and kindness are closely related. We must realize that we live in an ecosystem, a very delicate balance of ecology, and that we are a small part of it.
 </h4>

 <hr />

 <hr class="vertical-space1" />

 
 The reason we are not already bringing about these changes is not
 because we are evil people. It is simply because we have not empowered
 ourselves, we have not been kind enough to ourselves to believe that the
 tiny changes we make in our own lives can actually make a difference. We
 think, “If I stop using single-use plastics, what difference will it
 make?” “If I use public transport, what difference will it make?” “If I
 am kind to others, what difference will it make? I’m a small person.”
 But that’s not true. We have to empower ourselves to believe that the
 small changes we make and the small acts of kindness we do
 can make a difference, can create a ripple effect, and can
 touch millions of people all over this world.
 

 So, let’s believe we have the strength to be kind.

 
 <hr />
 

 <h4 class="has-text-align-center block-heading">
 Illustrations by JASMEE MUDGAL
 </h4>

 
 <hr />

Kindness to the planet

Rifa is a Year 12 student from London, who is passionate about creating space for young people to talk about their mental health. Her goals are to smash the stigma around mental challenges so they get the attention they deserve, and provide support.

Rifa.jpg

Rifa

<h4>RIFA is a Year 12 student based in London. Here, she talks about the struggles of insomnia, how it impacts her mental health, and the importance of asking for help.</h4>Insomnia is when you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep, even when you want to. It can make you feel tired during the day, affect your mood, and make it hard to focus on things. It’s a sleep problem that messes up your energy. It feels like an unending night, a restless cycle from which you can’t break free. You are always stuck in a loop, where time stretches out and sleep slips away; the hours drag on, and the minutes seem to go nowhere.&nbsp;Your bed, once a place of comfort, becomes your grave in hell where you toss and turn, searching for that elusive rest. The nights blur into each other, like watercolors bleeding into a melancholic masterpiece; the first light of morning peeks through the curtains, bringing a mix of tiredness and frustration.&nbsp;Desperation clings to you like a layer of filth, a constant reminder of insomnia’s foul presence. The nights become a theater of despair, a grimy struggle for something that always remains just out of reach. It’s not a poetic dance with the night; it’s a repulsive crawl through the muck of sleeplessness, leaving you feeling drained and tainted. It’s hard to explain the feeling of being caught in this cycle. It’s like trying to grasp something just out of reach, always slipping through your fingers. You watch the clock tick by, knowing that sleep should come, but it stays just beyond your grasp. Even though the world wakes up, you’re still trapped in wakefulness, moving through the day in a haze of exhaustion, stranded in a fog of fatigue. It is a struggle to stay focused, to find energy, when sleep feels like a distant dream.However, insomnia isn’t just a solitary concern; it’s a thread that connects with various aspects of my well-being, creating a complex web of challenges that I’ve come to understand intimately. Among these threads is anxiety, a powerful force that shapes my nights and days in profound ways. Anxiety and insomnia, I’ve realized, have formed an alliance. They fuel each other’s fire. Sleeplessness intensifies the relentless chatter of anxious thoughts, while anxiety’s grip makes it almost impossible to find the serenity needed to slip into sleep’s embrace.&nbsp;Anxiety is a storm that brews within, churning up a whirlwind of worries and fears, the voice that never stops whispering doubts and uncertainties, even when the world is quiet. When insomnia joins forces with anxiety, the two amplify each other, creating a perfect storm of restlessness. Fueled by sleeplessness, anxiety gains strength as the night wears on. The more I struggle to sleep, the more anxious I become, creating a cruel loop that feeds on itself. The night is an arena where anxiety and insomnia wage a relentless war for dominance.Amid this ongoing battle, I’ve come to realize that seeking help is not a sign of weakness but an act of strength. Just as anxiety and insomnia form a formidable alliance, there is also strength in seeking support and understanding from those around me. Talking about my struggles has allowed me to connect with others who share similar experiences, remind me that I’m not alone in this fight, and know that I can reach out for help, whether it’s through therapy, lifestyle changes, or other strategies to improve my sleep and manage anxiety.&nbsp;<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Talking about my struggles has allowed me to&nbsp; connect with others who share similar experiences,&nbsp; remind me that I’m not alone in this fight,&nbsp; and know that I can reach out for help,&nbsp; whether it’s through therapy, lifestyle changes,&nbsp; or other strategies to improve my sleep and manage anxiety.&nbsp;</h4><hr>While the nights might still feel long and arduous, and the grip of anxiety might persist, there is a path forward – a journey toward better sleep, improved mental well-being, and a brighter outlook. It’s a journey I’m committed to undertaking, step by step, night by night, as I work to break free from the cycle and reclaim restful nights and peaceful days.

Insomnia

Rig Veda

Water

Riley Reign

<h4>RILEY REIGN shares some tips on how to find a spiritual practice that is right for you, and how to go deeper into it.</h4>Cultivating a spiritual practice is such a beautiful and personal experience, but even still it can sometimes become stagnant or stale. What are we to do when we want to take our <a href="https://heartfulness.org/magazine/love-and-remembrance" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spiritual practice</a> to the next level? How are we supposed to go deeper into our own experience and the lessons we receive from life?Even in our personal-development and self-improvement soaked society, we sometimes come up against our own walls. The first step is to recognize the difference between a wall, a challenge to overcome, and comfort, a space of contentment. While there is nothing wrong with comfort, to live in that space for too long can create this stagnant energy.So, how can you break through the stagnancy and move into a flow of continuous growth?<img src="https://cdn-prod-static.heartfulness.org/deepen_your_practice2_min_aaef3cdbed.jpg?updated_at=2023-04-05T12:32:46.277Z"><h4>SURRENDER TO THE PROCESS</h4>I experienced this lesson in my own meditation practice. After going through a 10-day Vipassana retreat I thought I had gone the deepest I could have, and that I knew how to get back to that oceanic internal space whenever I really wanted to.<hr><h5 style="text-align:center;">Be intentional in everything that you do, especially in spirituality and exploring such a space. I have found that when I have a clear intention, and when I trust in that intention blossoming in its own perfect timing, I let go of that feeling to control or make a specific experience happen.</h5><hr>I spent a few days of my meditation practice trying and trying to make it happen, to take myself within as deeply as I could. The only result I got was a surface-level presence and destructive ego thoughts. This is where I found my shift. I could not try and make this happen, I could never force it. I had to let go just as much as I wanted to experience my internal energy.Surrender to the process and allow yourself to align with whatever experience you want to occur. Never try to force it or create it. This leads to the next principle.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">BE INTENTIONAL</h4>It is all about intention in this space, whether you are giving or receiving energy, whether you are teaching or learning, whether you are a curious beginner or a seasoned meditation practitioner, yogi, or intuitive. Be intentional in everything that you do, especially in spirituality and exploring such a space. I have found that when I have a clear intention, and when I trust in that intention blossoming in its own perfect timing, I let go of that feeling to control or make a specific experience happen.Be intentional with why you are beginning or continuing your practice.Be intentional in why you are trying out a new tool, practice, or technique.Be intentional in what experiences you’d like to try and live.Then surrender and allow the process, and the outcome of such experiences, to be what they will be.This practice of intention in itself will bleed into every other realm of your life and bring with it quite a bit of beauty, more kindness, more giving, more love, more understanding of others and so on.<h4 style="text-align:justify;">BE EXPERIMENTAL</h4>To me spirituality is about exploration and openness, which easily translates into experimentation.Try whatever techniques and tools you feel called to.Some may feel amazing and work wonders for your body, mind and soul, and others may not vibe with you well.Be playful with whatever you are interested in and inspired by, and when something doesn’t work quite right, move on.It may not be that it didn’t work or wasn’t right for you, it may be that it was not the right time for you and you may try something more than once.This experimental and open mindset and intention will open up opportunities for you to experience deeper realms of yourself and your being than you knew existed. It can also teach you what you are ready for, and what you’re not, which can be incredibly insightful as to where you may need to work a little harder to grow in that area of yourself.I hope these points of perspective and guidance carry you along your journey and into some beautiful depths with ease.All of my love to you, Namaste, Riley<hr><h4 style="text-align:center;">Article by RILEY REIGN</h4><hr>

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