Just a word of caution: this post is a bit meta, so perhaps grab a coffee before you begin reading. Also, I'm going to talk about feelings (cue the eye roll), but there is a business case for enterprising families.
Right now, you are experiencing a feeling, likely more than one. It's a Sunday morning, so odds are those feelings aren't big nor bold, positive nor negative, but fairly neutral.
Pause for a moment and see if you can identify what you are feeling.
The fact that you can identify a feeling and say definitively, "Right now, I am feeling _____" means that there is some version of yourself that is not the you experiencing the feeling itself, but an observer of those feelings.
The Observer is neutral to the feeling; just an objective on-looker saying "Hey, I can see you're feeling ____". And even more impressive, the Observer can also discern the thoughts that lead to the feelings.
Why does this matter? If the Observer can perceive your thoughts and feelings objectively, it means you are not your feelings, you are the Observer. And if you are the objective Observer, it means you have agency over your thoughts and feelings. And if you have agency over those thoughts and feeling, you have the power to change them; your mind is not subject to your feelings, it's in control of them.
While the core of our consulting work is focused on ownership alignment, governance, and succession planning, that work hinges on whether family members can sit at the table together to discuss being family and what they want from their assets. But, when family members are unaware of how they show up, how they are triggered, nor how their triggers impact others, the odds of a successful outcome are dramatically lowered, and that's almost always very expensive.
So, if you're still with me, here's the net net: become an expert in tapping into the power of the Observer. Spend time with your Observer and learn to channel your Observer throughout the day for it can transform your perspective on life, dramatically improve how you show up in the world, and just might save your family a lot of money.
"What is necessary to change a person is to change his awareness of himself."
<br/><span class="body-2 opacity-80" style="padding-top:0.75rem">~ Abraham Maslov</span>
"Every human has four endowments: self awareness, conscience, independent will and creative imagination. These give us the ultimate human freedom... The power to choose, to respond, to change."
<br/><span class="body-2 opacity-80" style="padding-top:0.75rem">~ Stephen Covey</span>
* To learn more about this concept, explore the work of Michael Singer.
