Moving From a World of Concepts to Reality

Most of us want to feel more alive.

We say we want more meaning, purpose, joy or connection – but beneath that, there’s often a subtle ache for something deeper: to be fully here.

To actually live this life.

Yet much of the time, we don’t.

Alan Watts said, “We live in a world of concepts.” And concepts are not life; they are labels, roles, judgments, memory – maps, not the territory.

As children, we didn’t start out this way. Before language, before the label “I am Billy” or “I am Sally,” there was just experience. Aliveness. Awareness, undivided.

Then we learned to name ourselves, others. And nature and objects. Over time, those names became identities. We started relating to people – and ourselves – not as living presence, but as ideas. Manager. Mother. Difficult. Handsome. Smart. Capable. Broken. 

We become detached. Not fully experiencing living in and with our bodies. We hang out in our thinking minds.

Here’s an example from nature.

Once we have discerned what a tree is, we form a concept, an idea. The actual perceiving of the tree with our senses (seeing, feeling, tasting, smelling, touching) is no longer in play. We no longer experience the tree; we live in our thoughts about the tree, not the actual reality of it.

I used to walk past the same trees every morning and hardly see them. But now, I pay attention with my senses. I see the burnished orange in the bark, the splotchy trunk, the cut limbs. I wonder, “Did that hurt?” I smell the forest smells. I relax and feel tree. (That’s not a typo.)

It’s not just trees. My elbow. A coworker. A stranger. Myself. All were concepts.

Sally becomes “an excellent manager, “a demanding boss.” When we see her, we see and talk to the concepts and labels, not the Sally who is showing up in this never-lived-before moment.

Wisdomary Leading begins here: with the desire to experience life directly, instead of through what we think about life. 

To be more alive at work and the rest of our lives, we must first be more alive in ourselves.

Here are a few places to begin:

1.  Next time you're with a coworker or friend, set aside who you think they are. Let them show you who they are now – as if you’ve never seen them before.

2.  Take a walk and let the world surprise you. See with beginner’s eyes.

3.  Place your attention on your own body – your elbow, your hand – drop the label and experience the sensation. Notice what shifts.

These are ways to experience what is already here. To notice the living world again. The one that’s always been here – just covered by thought.

Why experience what is here now, being present in reality?

The aliveness. But also … that is where brilliant ideas originate, where deep and meaningful relationships are formed, where the impossible becomes possible.

If you or your organization are ready to live and lead from that place, there are a few ways to explore:

·      For a grounded introduction, I offer a 4-hour foundational workshop where we explore what it means to lead from wisdom – especially in a world changing as quickly as ours. We engage in practical exercises that support you to access what is already available to you now.

·      For deeper integration, we can work one-on-one through a customized Wisdomary Leading program, or in an ongoing group experience – the Wisdomary Leading Praxis.

·      For teams and organizations, I offer workshops and programs tailored to your goals.

Please message me and we will schedule a time to talk.