Ever noticed how some leaders hesitate in decision-making or have you come across professionals who either rely on other people to make decisions on their behalf or indulge in the blame game?

Despite the availability of tons of information in the form of digital and print media, there is still a sense of apprehension and indecisiveness haunting many leaders. One reason is that the tsunami of information received from such sources actually results in our intrinsic nature getting hidden in plain sight. If we try to seek it, it turns into a game of finding Waldo.

So, what is needed for a person to have the confidence to take and stand by their decisions? The answer I realized lies in having a high Spiritual Quotient (SiQ).

However, one cannot achieve this point unless one understands what is truly meant by spirituality. This is where we need to break the stereotypical myth about spirituality.

Terms and Conditions of Spirituality

Many a time, the term Spirituality is misconstrued. It is thought of as a part of rituals, religious communities, or communions and even some link it closely with prayers or meditations. Yet, others consider it an act of reading motivational or self-help books, listening to esoteric talks, helping someone, and so on.

Many times, instead of realizing the true meaning of spirituality, we limit it within the confines of physical elements either symbolic or ritualistic.

“Spirituality is self-awareness and realization of reality empowered by the removal of our gross or subtle ignorance.”

~Krescon Coaches

What are we trying to achieve in this world? In essence, it’s about transcending our sorrows and attaining eternal bliss. We want to disassociate ourselves from the pains or the sufferings and be associated with happiness and contentment. A person may go to the ends of the world to understand how to achieve it, only realizing that this is a journey experienced within.

Alex: “Tonight is not about Allegra.”

Albert: “It’s not?”

Alex: “No. Tonight is about Maggie. A woman’s best friend has to sign off on all big relationship decisions. So, you can’t afford to mess this up.

Albert: “Okay.”

Alex: “Now, about the deejay. Generally, I have a firm no-dancing policy. But if she asks, you cannot say no.”

Alex Hitchens is a character played by Will Smith in the movie, Hitch. He is a “date doctor” in New York City who coaches men like Albert, an introverted accountant, to overcome their fears and meet the woman of their dreams. Throughout the movie, Alex provides Albert with a set of guidelines about what he should and should not be doing with the woman he might be dating, Allegra Cole. However, Albert does the exact opposite in certain ways. For instance, when Alex successfully focused on Allegra’s friend. However, when Albert is specifically told to dance in a relaxed and sophisticated style, he can’t help but add in some eccentric moves that get caught on camera. Since his boss is a popular and influential person, their photo gets published in the next day’s newspaper with the title, “Who is Albert Brennaman?”

At the climax of the movie, something unexpected happens.

Allegra: “How did you know all that stuff about me? Well, you really did your homework. Like at boarding school when everyone used to tease me because I couldn’t whistle. And having him dance like a buffoon knowing that I can’t dance either. Then telling him to drop mustard on his shirt, so I’d feel less like a dork. That was all you, right?”

Alex: “No. Hell, no.”

Allegra: “That was him?”

Alex: “That’s got Albert written all over it.”

Allegra: “What did you do?”

Alex: “Nothing. Absolutely nothing.”

Alex builds his professional career on a certain kind of manipulation tactic so his clients can meet and be with the woman of their dreams. His advice did not always meet the right result. He somehow believed that all women had the same standard of accepting their life partner a certain way. However, the real truth is that true love requires honesty and being yourself.

In the same way, spirituality cannot be simply defined or confined within the physical, mental, or emotional constructs. It’s about soaring higher into the realm of self-realization riding on the wings of wisdom and compassion, experiencing a breakthrough, the flash of awareness coming out of knowingness.

So, allow me to tell you how this works:

Notice the hierarchy of this journey. It starts from the point of ignorance which becomes a source of dissatisfaction with our current state of living. It drives us to find possible solutions thereby gaining knowledge, be it transactional or transcendental. Once this acquired knowledge is continuously introspected upon and diligently applied in our living, it transforms into wisdom. This wisdom becomes the catalyst for the removal of ignorance and thereby in the culmination of our spiritual journey. At the end of this process, we transcend our sufferings by realizing our true nature as existence, awareness and infinite bliss.

“Knowledge is limiting; Wisdom is liberating.”

~Krescon Coaches

What does self-awareness mean?

Self-awareness helps one to know who and what one truly is, and in the process experiences clarity, completion, calmness, and contentment. The level of self-awareness can be measured through the SiQ (Spiritual Quotient). Therefore, with a high SiQ, one is operating from one’s truly natural state.

All the hankering, stress, anxieties, depression, and dissatisfactions are the effect of a sense of unfulfillment. The operating principle in this state is ‘what’s in it for me?’ This is the source of sorrow and suffering.  However, when one realizes one’s true nature and the realization of reality, the ground of neutrality is attained. There is no more living with false assumptions, unrealistic expectations, or tainted desires. Every decision is made not from the point of ignorance but from awareness. No longer does a leader get troubled by the terrors or temptations of the world causing confusion and hesitation, though they continue to present themselves. He or she operates from a state that is Natural and Neutral. This is the true peak state and the ground for Leaders to transform into Legends.

Lastly, I would quote – Pierre Teilhard de Chardin as he said: “We’re not human beings having a spiritual experience. We’re spiritual beings having a human experience.”

A poem comes to mind while I talk about the true meaning of spirituality:

Death is a Great Illusion ~by Osho Rajneesh

Death is the greatest illusion

We never cease to exist

It’s just our Earthly body

That will be truly missed

We are pure eternal Beings

A part of our Creator, Source

The most used name is God

Some doubt this, of course

It takes an open mind

Not limiting by old belief

To realise the simple truth

There is no need for grief

Just by sending out a thought

Our loved ones are close by

Though in another dimension

Not floating around in the sky!

We live in a 3D world

All linear in time and space

A beginning and an end

For all the human race

However, humans are evolving

Moving into a world of 5D

And from that new perspective

Other dimensions we can see