Getting Unstuck: Owning Our Ontological Innascence

The process of generally opening into an "evolutional/creational" consciousness and owning our ontological "innascence" entails learning the ways and means of "opening into" a natural and organic inside-out developmental dynamic in ourselves. This is not as easy as it might sound only because as modern humans 1) we're deeply habituated in change-resistant psychological and behavioral dynamics, 2) we've deeply repressed our functional access to those habituation dynamics, and 3) we, subsequently, haven't been able to even be aware of these first two points let alone do to anything about it.  As such, we are virtually stuck and, worse yet, stagnated in our same old same-old outside-in endeavors to produce and manage change-initiatives in ourselves, and in others (if we have others we're "responsible for" in our business lives). 

The outside-in approach only increases our resistance to change, including developmental change, and even ultimately beneficial change.  As well, evolutional kinds of changes are not able to occur by way of the typical outside-in, overlay-change, kinds of efforts.  We can't just will evolutional change upon ourselves and others, at least not very sustainably, again, if at all.  It requires a more subtle and intricate kind of inner-shift dynamic, something of a "release-rise-and-ride" process, an "unweighting" or lightening (including enlightening ) of mentality-as-usual dynamics, a going inside-out more than an outside-in "make it happen" approach.

A Higher/Deeper Stratum of Competency

On the practical side, learning this evolvingadvantedge state-capability of innascence literally empowers and enacts our leading-edge capacity for regenerative optimal functioning and performance.  It opens us into a higher/deeper stratum of functioning than what might even be conventionally thought of as "advanced self development technology."  It is a seminal, evolved stratum mental state of developmental capability that we can access at any moment, once we've learned how to access it.  It is a state that is both a process and product of itself.  You could say it's "evolutionally evolutional."  

It enacts our capacity to generate seminal awarenesses and thought processes in realtime through an ontological nascence-presencing in and of awareness that is characteristic of our minds activity in the Theta brainwave state of awareness, and functioning, when we choose to.  It's our capacity as an evolutional-being, to intentionally function in and from this ontological-microgenic creational state-of-consciousness (it's not simply what is typically thought of as a creative state of mind).  

It is the new innocence of sorts, an "adult innocence," of being in and functioning from our essence of being, being in our nascence of awareness, and with a consciousness-sensing in the present.  Like childhood innocence this state is free of artifice, deceit, judgment, guile, aggression, manipulation, and such.  It is a state characterized by being authentically present, transparent, genuine, clear, emotionally clean, consciously intimate, dynamic, fresh, seminal, inspirational, wise, insightful, lucid, intuitive, and the like.  It's a human capacity that can be developed into a capability for daily "use."

Beyond Latent Potential 

On a relevant note, to sustain any advantage—be it competitively, or simply over any prior stages of functioning in our own self—including emerging a higher/deeper wellbeing, we must eventually learn to make a major shift in our perspective regarding the dynamics of confusion, conflict, chaos, and even "the competition."  We can do so by discovering our innate evolutional-consciousness, again, by whatever name.  The sooner we do so, the easier it will be to find, and play from, our "evolutional sweet spot," our evolvingadvantedge, in the game of constant-change business.

Becoming more of an evolutional-being and (e)merging the dynamics of an evolutional-business in your company is an endeavor for us high-growth and developmentally-oriented individuals who want to not only "step up our game" in our developmental capabilities, but for those of us who want to open into, flow with, ride our leading edge, ride and function from the "sweet spot" of our ever-evolving evolutional-consciousness, in the pro-generative dynamic of evolutional-being—in/as our innascence.  This is a supra-dynamic flow-state of sorts, of "riding" and functioning in our emerging edge of previously latent capability, further manifesting and actualizing our innate, under-developed capacities of consciousness so as to manifest higher strata of advantage, wellbeing, including an exhilarated and rejuvenated life.

Playing In Paradox 

You might be wondering, why would we inhibit the evolution of our consciousness?  How can we even do that?!  Also, by the way, what stops us from more easily transforming, making improvements, or any kind of beneficial change in ourselves, transformational or otherwise?  

The answer is not so obvious for us, hence one reason why we stay relatively stuck, stagnant, and sterile, particularly as potentially potent consciously-evolving beings.  It seems that we've unwittingly habituated various personal and interpersonal dynamics that inhibit—for an "evolutional-while"—this supra-macro level dynamic for consciousness evolution.  And since this evolutional dynamic is so subtle in its existence and so slow in its movement, evolutionally speaking, it's easy to not notice how we're inhibiting its influence on our consciousness and mental functioning, especially in light of the more immediate attention-getters of our free will on a daily basis.    

And we've done this inhibiting for seemingly good reasons: generally, to increase our sense of safety and security in the world, simply put.  But, in that regard, as a side note, you'd think most of us would have noticed, as the evolving consciousness many of us are, that there is no real continuous state of safety and security in the course of life's unfolding, nor in business.  

As such, the typical command-and-control mindset is of limited value to our wellbeing—useful, but limited—and especially to our advancement.  It did, however, work wonderfully well in the assembly-line paradigm of operating a half century ago, a good fit for our stage of consciousness development of that era. 

The Dance of Chaos and Control 

Wanting a sense of command-and-control safety and security like we have, some typical experiences that we like to avoid are those of confusion, conflict, and, especially, chaos.  Consider that being in confusion or conflict within ourselves or interpersonally is not the real problem regarding our progress as a person, business, or even as humanity.  Nor is chaos. 

It's our state of consciousness combined with its contents—mindsets with outmoded rigidity; with its assumptions, understandings, beliefs, feelings, theories, attitudes—our static mental constructs in general—that we bring to our confusion, conflict, and chaos, both within ourselves and interpersonally, that are the dynamics that slow optimal progress in business and life.  It's a pace that we've come to unwittingly accept as sufficient and normal progress in business, and life. 

Consider that the current pace of business only seems "fast" because of our propensity to resist change!!!

This openness to change and more efficient flow-through doesn't mean supporting things like mayhem or anarchy. Not even close. Truth is, we can learn to befriend the dynamics of confusion, conflict, and chaos—heartfully as well as artfully, all integrally with control-dynamics.  We can presence ourselves to it and in it in a way that not only precludes the occurrence of "interpersonal damage" from it (and all the time-wasting and productivity-wasting permutations of sophisticated revenge tactics for getting even that come from it), but so that it generates incredible breakthroughs and breakouts of creational thinking (not just creative thinking) and insight, both intrapersonally and interpersonally.  It's a matter of transformative ontological perspective-taking, and not just taking a different perspective! This is a virtually unknown truth "that you can take to the bank."

Using either chaos or control alone will not advance us nearly as masterfully as letting them synergistically "dance" or "percolate" together.  This includes letting conflict "cut in" on the dance as needed, letting the dance be open and as agile as possible at any moment in time.  When held integrally in our awareness (once we've learned to), we can see it's a dance of complex dynamics and meta-dynamics.  And that, as with learning any new dance that's challenging to us, sometimes we'll just need to sit it out at times, grab a refreshment and ponder what's in front of us, and remember "all is good," developmentally speaking.  And then after a breather, re-engage.

Unfortunately, we've relegated our resistance-to-change to an art form as we've continued to mostly blame everything around us instead of looking at ourselves, into our own resistance and sub-functionality.  We tend to make change and development a painful experience for ourselves and others. 

As humans we're addicted, or at least attached, psychologically clinging to familiar ways even if they minimally serve our efficacy and wellbeing.  For example, consider how we deal with conflict, both within ourselves and with others.  Metaphorically, it's not unlike acting out the saying "beating a dead horse."  We continuously mis-manage that process while wanting it to work for us, and continue doing so because it's what we know how to do.  At least we feel like we're doing something, even if by being sub-functional.  And we continue doing so because we've gotten good at not being good at it. Sound familiar?

We've even made an art form of this sub-functionality employing a "behavioral arsenal" like grandstanding, meaning-twisting and distorting statements, minimizing others, and other unsavory pseudo-winning strategies and techniques.  We also aren't very good at being able to determine when that "horse" (i.e., dys-functional conflict) is no longer responsive to us.  We keep doing the same thing hoping for a different response; I've heard that referred to as a definition of insanity.  And it all seems safer than looking for any new and untried ways and means that might possibly bring up any further confusion, conflict, or chaos.  Familiarity has a peculiar comfort factor.  We've unwittingly learned to make sub-functional comforts the emotional maypole of most of our interpersonal activities.  However, what you don't know about controls you.

Remember, avoiding interpersonal conflict, or worse yet, trying to "get even" with others once conflict is encountered sub-functionally, or worse still, dys-functionally (usually more the case), requires tremendous amounts of time and energy, even though we've gotten artfully good at suppressing the obviousness of this—and of socializing that suppression so we don't have to notice we're doing it—typically in the form of diminished efficiency, effectiveness, productivity, and wellbeing…

Mastering Perspective 

Consider this a moment, regarding consciousness, that it's not merely what you focus ON that produces the ad(d)vantage you're wanting in your efficacy, but where you focus FROM.  Virtually all of us think that one of the ingredients to being successful is by being clear about our goals, strategies, tactics, etc., all things we focus ON.  We unwittingly never consider how those mental contents might be seen differently—and how we can go about accomplishing them, how we perform—if we transform where we focus FROM!  It's about our perspective, more so meta-perspectives, our vantage points.

Re-assessing Approaches to Change 

Perhaps you and your company have gone through one or more kinds and phases of professional and organizational development...looking to find that place of people-functioning and culture that affords you the best competitive advantage; not only in your market niche, but in the arena of business in general, and perhaps even for yourself as a person.  Perhaps each past change initiative seemed to create change to some extent, just not necessarily beneficial over time, given the benefit of hindsight.  And if the change-initiative happened to be a positive result overall, then perhaps it invariably reached a plateau, then eventually got engulfed by some form of "cultural stagflation."  That's a typical effect of outside-in change-initiatives.

In each case, in hindsight, you might realize that those change-initiatives were merely a static "overlay" onto your dynamic organization by an "expert's assessment" of the particular changes your company seemingly needed.  Then it seemed just a matter of moving forward by the "shaping" of all concerned into the prescribed molds, patterns, and processes of the prescribed changes.  More command and control mentality at its best. 

Again, another term for this approach is "outside-in" change, the same meaning, functionally, as "overlay" change…all typical of command-and-control-paradigm, so-called "organizational development," assembly-line-productivity-thinking suitable to the 1920s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s...  

Misplaced Good Intentions 

Of course, an intended desire with this outside-in overlay approach is to squelch any confusion, conflict, and especially chaos (all conventionally perceived as "destructive" to optimal business functioning) in any organizational change program.  Ironically, this kind of tight, though well-intended, over-control inhibits the propensity for a more natural/organic confusion, conflict, and chaos from being able to (e)merge and play out naturally into a new, higher and more evolved, stratum of organizing and organization. 

By nature, we are self-organizing beings when we openly and authentically engage confusion, conflict or chaos. But our mentally "white-knuckled" predispositions never allow us sufficient time to discover and develop this capacity for ourselves. 

We're now needing disruptive innovation at the level of consciousness to evolve and release these old mental molds. 

And consider this. As an evolutional-being functioning in/as your innascence, the states of confusion, conflict, and chaos become less your enemy and more your ally...they become necessary allies and partners in your cutting-edge growth and progress.     

Some day, in hindsight, you will discover that they are process-companions that you are open to and work with every day...in how to find and flow in the sweet-spot of the ever-emergent regenerative state of the evolutional-being, which you can become, and already are in truth, awaiting your awakening to it.  That is, once you learn to stop inhibiting the natural/organic (e)merging of your capacities, to emerge as integrally functioning capabilities.    

Opening to Inside-Out Evolutional/Creational Change   

Being a more innate dynamic for change, a natural/organic chaos-to-order cycle precipitated by evolutional currents is more able to produce a higher level, a more evolved stratum, of organizing and functioning in you, both in your company, and as your company.  

On the other hand, with the usual outside-in/overlay approach to change and development, the changes intended are NOT usually a natural/organic development or evolution of your culture's consciousness and business activities.  With outside-in driven change, it's not the kind of change that people easily accept and actualize as when it's THEIR OWN inside-out developmental changes that they're generating and developing in engaging each other.  It's not merely some well-meaning "experts" interpretation of which changes the company needs.

With the inside-out approach, natural/organic multiple "strains" of organizational confusion, conflict, and chaos occur that are easier to (e)merge into a higher order of integrative-complexity of dynamic advantage.  This opens us into a higher, richer, more evolved, stratum of understanding of co-orienting, co-organizing and co-operating with each other.

Perhaps, looking back, after all the attempts at organizational improvement that you've encountered over the years, you've come to wonder if there's anything on the horizon in the domain of business development that would not only generate a more natural/organic developmental change...change that wouldn't stagnate, or worse, backslide, or worse still end up in some form of stabilized sub-functioning.  Perhaps you're now ready to explore your understanding of an inside-out evolutional-development dynamic in yourself and your leadership team, for having an evolutional-business with an evolvingadvantedge.

Empowering Open Healthy Collaborative Conflict

No need to "buckle up" here, it's actually not an unsafe ride. Know that this isn't about maliciously promoting or instigating conventional form of conflict at work, or anywhere.  It's about not being afraid of it and learning to engage it from a higher/deeper stratum of perspective and competency, to harvest conflict for our mutual benefit when it is inevitable, or even necessary, for producing great results.

As I see it, the territory of conflict has gotten a bad rap.  But, rightly so, mostly, given how it has typically occurred in the course of human affairs for centuries.  Yet, there are mind-blowing and life-enhancing advantages and benefits that come from learning how to understand and healthily engage differences that occur as conflict.  

Again, our problem isn't that we humans can be in conflict with each other so much as it is that we bring very dysfunctional mindsets, feelings, and behaviors to conflict when it occurs between us, and even within us as an individual.  To complicate matters, we're even in conflict about being in conflict, afraid of experiencing fear, or even awkwardness!  We're missing the bigger picture, a larger context in which to view and hold conflict, interpersonal differences, relating, needs, limited resources, and at least a dozen other considerations.

Collaborative Conflict Is Not Competitive Conflict

Consider the notion of "creational conflict" or "collaborative conflict": willingly, openly, and freely engaging differences that arise as conflict (whether intrapersonally or interpersonally) so as to emerge outcomes and results that are seminal and empowering to improve, advance, heal, or enlighten a situation in the course of any group project or task.  It is not an adversarial dynamic oriented to generating a zero sum winner and loser.  It is not an intellectual combat of mental constructs and their meanings, by whatever term.  It can be a collaborative dynamic-dissolve process of bringing conflicting differences together, engaged by participants in the spirit of mutually enhancing synergistically-generative resolve.  

This is why.  From a state of innascence, our dynamically engaging collaborative conflict transcends the fear of exposure, of "being wrong," ridiculed, appearing ignorant, and the like.  It is empowered by the mutual care and respect of persons for themselves and each other, for the desire of the group's growth, effectiveness, and wellbeing; for something larger than just our own self.  As such, there is relatively no real fear of conflict as its dynamic power, processes, and fruits are embraced, harnessed...and harvested.  There is a shift from conflict-as-competition (a win/lose orientation) to conflict-as-collaborative, a co-creation (a mutual-enhancement orientation).  Optimally, we feel more aligned and attuned to each other in not only a felt-sense, but in our consciousness-sensing (the "in-a-sensing" aspect of innascence) more fully experiencing the benefit and value we are to each other, how we enhance each other's being as well as that of the group; revealing more goodness, truth, and beauty of each other and of life.  Ultimately, it is a(n) (e)merging of the sacred in us with and into the secular in us, the so-called "higher" into the so-called "lower."

Embracing Open Healthy Conflict In Communication

It's not always easy to determine when you and another person(s) are experiencing actual conflicts as opposed to any variety of genuine "misunderstandings" that are not really interpersonal conflicts, but can appear and function as such.  Many conflicts are rather inconsequential in actuality, but are stifling nevertheless since most of us aren't secure or effective in dealing with them without unwittingly participating in escalating them (key word: unwittingly).  Our ego-ness gets involved (protection of our sense-of-self), the mess begins, especially when coming from a persona-as-self with its need to appear to not have any weaknesses.  Or, a related and more pervasive problem is that we are so afraid of open conflict that we spend most of our time being careful not to say what we really mean, or what we see, or needs saying about a project's course or direction, for fear of producing an open conflict—soon, more stagnation and wasted time.  

We have not wholly discovered the usefulness and inevitability of responsibly engaging open healthy conflict in the process of goal-oriented authentic communication.  Open healthy conflict is a short-term dynamic of normal, healthy communicating when properly understood and enacted.  Not that most of us can easily accept this given our own experiences of past not-so-healthy, abusive, damaging conflicts with others; also, given how we experience all forms of covert conflict.  Unfortunately, we have an abundance of such dysfunctional experiences.  Transformational work that evolves our consciousness can reveal the truth of how to more effectively engage each other. 

Consider that we don't know how to be effective in our interpersonal conflicts because we don't know how to be effective in our intra-personal conflicts within!  Particularly while functioning as our persona-self, we repress our own inner experiences of dissonance and discord, thus maintaining our status quo.

But, We Like to Hide

That is, from our authentic self as well as from other people.  We hide from things we don't want to see in ourselves (which is then repressed and becomes part of our shadow self, a buried aspect of our persona; not to imply others can't see it in us), but since it's harder to hide from others when they are seeing something about us, especially if those things are being told to us directly, we will usually try to stifle or oppress that person from saying these kinds of things, particularly if in front of others.  As such, when we're confronted with, or exposed about, that which we want to hide from, we tend to get upset—enter the fight/freeze/flight reaction—then get rather dysfunctional about how we're engaging, processing, and moving through the upset, as well as the information the upset is covering. (See my book for an extensive elaboration of this information)

The Power of Engaging Openly

It is useful to look at conflicts as a matter of degree as well as of kind.  Some open conflicts will require more attention, time, and effort—requiring clearer and cleaner intentions with skillful means to move through them.  This includes conflicts resulting from personality and even philosophical differences which might feel like chaotic conflict, in that we can feel lost in it with a sense there's no way out or through.  However, you can eventually learn to trust your self and each other...especially with practice.  It helps to first learn to trust your own self!  To be that which is safe and trustworthy as you, particularly when interacting with others; not to imply that's easy.

Interpersonal conflict is inevitable if you're honest about what it is to be—even as—a spiritual being in a "human opportunity" as a human being.  Again, it's not a bad thing.  Consider this: collaborative or creative conflict, can be dissolved and resolved by identifying and serving the mutual essence of the needs between people.  Competitive conflict, on the other hand, is usually about serving our form of a need or how the conflict "appears" on the surface.  As such, it's difficult to resolve without the parties in the conflict compromising their respective needs as well as even their sense of self.  Eventually, we don't have to compromise, at least not to the extent we're accustomed to and have understood it.  Here, again, it's important to know how to get meta to the conflict, being in our innascence, to get dis-attached from its appearances and forms, especially from feelings of anger and adversity.

One's mindset—where on a spectrum of open and closed—is important here as to how much time will be needed to move through a conflict.  The more closed the mindsets of the participants the more time that will be needed to move through it, if at all, assuming the parties don't attempt to avoid it by repressing it, which has become oh so familiar in our postmodern era.  

Typically, most conflicts can go for days, weeks, months, years of wasted time that could be resolved in mere minutes!  Yes, minutes.  I speak from experience.  Though, I am telling you the truth of this, it is our transformational endeavors in consciousness, personally and interpersonally, that will reveal the truth of it to us.

So, how is evolutional/creational consciousness and innascence wanting to emerge and express in your life?