Tree of Life's Guiding Principles for Personal Mastery
Tree of Life Consulting offers a unique perspective on success and leadership. We recognize that a quality life is comprised of heartfelt choices that create short-term and long-term fulfillment.
To that end, we focus on five key principles that have the powerful effect of unlocking human potential.
To us, authenticity as leadership speaks to the opportunity that all people have to shine, just by expressing who they are. This may sound simple, but it is, in fact, extremely challenging.
Why? Because we are socialized to perform various roles that cloud, or completely obscure, who we truly are. For instance, it’s common that an adult can embody a dozen or more roles, all at once. Being a parent, spouse, son or daughter, sibling, employee, friend, and more, can cause us to identify ourselves merely in terms of what we do, what we think we should do, or in terms of what responsibilities we have. This is not an accurate way to witness our authenticity.
Authenticity has more to do with our sincere personalities, passions, and dreams than it has to do with the roles we play. It has to do with what we love, what we value, and what truly makes us happy. Once we identify with who we authentically are, we can begin living life according to our own values and we can attain the ability of leadership in a whole new way. According to Lance Secretan, “authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently.” This is the mark of a true leader; leadership is not about claiming power and authority; it’s about cultivating a reliable self.
Being true to who we are, then, is a cornerstone of achievement in our consulting program, because it leads to all meaningful experiences, great or small.
From throughout history, we can observe that the most admirable, effective people are those who truly understood themselves, and who also aspired to achieve specific goals. Without the willingness to be accountable and seeing that we are fully capable of exceeding our perceived limits, we can’t fulfill our potential.
Think about how common it is to make excuses and feel resistance every time we identify one of our dreams. It’s easier to abandon our dreams than to notice the ways that we, ourselves, get in the way of attaining what we most want.
Tom Price says, “one person’s embarrassment is another person’s accountability.” What he means is that failure, mistakes, procrastination, unfocused action, or excuses, tend to cause shame for most people. They would rather feel victim to circumstance than acknowledge the ways they fail themselves. It’s a rare gift, then, to cultivate the willingness to be accountable. Seeing our own role in our stuckness is the only way to overcome it.
When we are willing to be accountable, we become more and more certain of our ability, power, and worth because we’re able to put aside the idea that we are limited or lacking. We get farther than we ever thought possible more easily than we ever thought possible; we thrive. Though it feels awkward at the start, it becomes a lifestyle… and that lifestyle is full of rewards.
Most people think about accountability in terms of burdensome responsibilities. This happens when we come from a place of control rather than a place of trust… we write lengthy to-do lists, aim for perfection, and strive to please others when we don’t come from trust. People who live life this way are often high achievers, but their lives can get complicated, draining, and overwhelming very quickly.
To avoid that pitfall, Tree of Life promotes the cultivation of trust with oneself, with others, and with life. Goals can be achieved peacefully and easily once trust becomes second-nature. Many spiritual traditions explore trust using the idea of “faith”. Pure faith is often called “blind faith”. The concept teaches us that faith, or trust, are not rational; we have no evidence that things will work, yet we can choose to step forward hopefully.
Those who develop a comfort with trust tend to take leaps forward in life, and they develop the resilience that’s necessary to succeed. Barbara Smith says, “trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish.” Goethe, too, teaches about trust. He writes, “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” We live in a technologically-connected world that is full of ideas, and where experts persuade us to think in terms of certain values. It’s a challenge, then, to trust without necessarily knowing the answer or looking outside of ourselves. For many people, learning this is transformational.
Personal mastery becomes most evident when life simply works. The idea that life works when we get into the flow; and that flow takes many forms refers to a state of being that few people achieve in our modern, fast-paced world. Bruce Woodcock from the University of Kent describes flow as “the state reached when we are so immersed in an activity that we cease to notice the passage of time and have deep, effortless involvement.” Furthermore, he tells us, “Our happiness is greatest at such times. Sports people call this ‘being in the zone’ and mystics as being in an ecstatic state.”
Flow is an exciting principle because it speaks to the happiness that can be achieved while working towards goals, and to the fulfillment we gain once we attain what we most want. Rather than the easy passage of time that occurs when we participate in relaxing activities, like sun-bathing on the beach or reading a good book, flow refers to a state of being that’s created when you’re active: doing something that takes talent, that you enjoy, that makes you focus, and that is a challenge.
It’s amazing how much can be accomplished when one is in a flow state. Not only do the accomplishments come from your own intentional actions, but through a series of synchronicities, as if the world itself is bringing what you want closer to your door.
Flow is one of the central experiences that we want you to have. Yet, it takes a certain mindset is to achieve the elusive flow experience. We teach clients to attain this experience by cultivating mindful communication with others & positive self-talk. Language has immense power, and its impact depends entirely on how we use it. We use our language to evolve our ideas and beliefs into a preferred reality, or, we use language unconsciously in ways that disturb our flow and bring through struggle.
Florence Scovel Shinn asserts that "the game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy." What we say to ourselves and to others is no small detail; it can actually make or break us. Mindful communication, then, is the mental equivalent of personal hygiene. Rather than showering to cleanse the body, we use positive, effective words to cleanse us of old unwanted patterns and prepare us for the growth, success, and fulfillment that we truly deserve.
During our work together, you will find that authenticity, accountability, trust, flow, and mindful communication create a spectacular web of truth, beauty, and goodness in your life. It's our pleasure to get you where you're headed.
To that end, we focus on five key principles that have the powerful effect of unlocking human potential.
- Authenticity as leadership.
- The willingness to be accountable.
- The cultivation of trust with oneself, with others, and with life.
- The idea that life works when we get into the flow; and that flow takes many forms.
- Mindful communication with others & positive self-talk.
To us, authenticity as leadership speaks to the opportunity that all people have to shine, just by expressing who they are. This may sound simple, but it is, in fact, extremely challenging.
Why? Because we are socialized to perform various roles that cloud, or completely obscure, who we truly are. For instance, it’s common that an adult can embody a dozen or more roles, all at once. Being a parent, spouse, son or daughter, sibling, employee, friend, and more, can cause us to identify ourselves merely in terms of what we do, what we think we should do, or in terms of what responsibilities we have. This is not an accurate way to witness our authenticity.
Authenticity has more to do with our sincere personalities, passions, and dreams than it has to do with the roles we play. It has to do with what we love, what we value, and what truly makes us happy. Once we identify with who we authentically are, we can begin living life according to our own values and we can attain the ability of leadership in a whole new way. According to Lance Secretan, “authenticity is the alignment of head, mouth, heart, and feet – thinking, saying, feeling, and doing the same thing – consistently.” This is the mark of a true leader; leadership is not about claiming power and authority; it’s about cultivating a reliable self.
Being true to who we are, then, is a cornerstone of achievement in our consulting program, because it leads to all meaningful experiences, great or small.
From throughout history, we can observe that the most admirable, effective people are those who truly understood themselves, and who also aspired to achieve specific goals. Without the willingness to be accountable and seeing that we are fully capable of exceeding our perceived limits, we can’t fulfill our potential.
Think about how common it is to make excuses and feel resistance every time we identify one of our dreams. It’s easier to abandon our dreams than to notice the ways that we, ourselves, get in the way of attaining what we most want.
Tom Price says, “one person’s embarrassment is another person’s accountability.” What he means is that failure, mistakes, procrastination, unfocused action, or excuses, tend to cause shame for most people. They would rather feel victim to circumstance than acknowledge the ways they fail themselves. It’s a rare gift, then, to cultivate the willingness to be accountable. Seeing our own role in our stuckness is the only way to overcome it.
When we are willing to be accountable, we become more and more certain of our ability, power, and worth because we’re able to put aside the idea that we are limited or lacking. We get farther than we ever thought possible more easily than we ever thought possible; we thrive. Though it feels awkward at the start, it becomes a lifestyle… and that lifestyle is full of rewards.
Most people think about accountability in terms of burdensome responsibilities. This happens when we come from a place of control rather than a place of trust… we write lengthy to-do lists, aim for perfection, and strive to please others when we don’t come from trust. People who live life this way are often high achievers, but their lives can get complicated, draining, and overwhelming very quickly.
To avoid that pitfall, Tree of Life promotes the cultivation of trust with oneself, with others, and with life. Goals can be achieved peacefully and easily once trust becomes second-nature. Many spiritual traditions explore trust using the idea of “faith”. Pure faith is often called “blind faith”. The concept teaches us that faith, or trust, are not rational; we have no evidence that things will work, yet we can choose to step forward hopefully.
Those who develop a comfort with trust tend to take leaps forward in life, and they develop the resilience that’s necessary to succeed. Barbara Smith says, “trust is to human relationships what faith is to gospel living. It is the beginning place, the foundation upon which more can be built. Where trust is, love can flourish.” Goethe, too, teaches about trust. He writes, “As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” We live in a technologically-connected world that is full of ideas, and where experts persuade us to think in terms of certain values. It’s a challenge, then, to trust without necessarily knowing the answer or looking outside of ourselves. For many people, learning this is transformational.
Personal mastery becomes most evident when life simply works. The idea that life works when we get into the flow; and that flow takes many forms refers to a state of being that few people achieve in our modern, fast-paced world. Bruce Woodcock from the University of Kent describes flow as “the state reached when we are so immersed in an activity that we cease to notice the passage of time and have deep, effortless involvement.” Furthermore, he tells us, “Our happiness is greatest at such times. Sports people call this ‘being in the zone’ and mystics as being in an ecstatic state.”
Flow is an exciting principle because it speaks to the happiness that can be achieved while working towards goals, and to the fulfillment we gain once we attain what we most want. Rather than the easy passage of time that occurs when we participate in relaxing activities, like sun-bathing on the beach or reading a good book, flow refers to a state of being that’s created when you’re active: doing something that takes talent, that you enjoy, that makes you focus, and that is a challenge.
It’s amazing how much can be accomplished when one is in a flow state. Not only do the accomplishments come from your own intentional actions, but through a series of synchronicities, as if the world itself is bringing what you want closer to your door.
Flow is one of the central experiences that we want you to have. Yet, it takes a certain mindset is to achieve the elusive flow experience. We teach clients to attain this experience by cultivating mindful communication with others & positive self-talk. Language has immense power, and its impact depends entirely on how we use it. We use our language to evolve our ideas and beliefs into a preferred reality, or, we use language unconsciously in ways that disturb our flow and bring through struggle.
Florence Scovel Shinn asserts that "the game of life is a game of boomerangs. Our thoughts, deeds and words return to us sooner or later with astounding accuracy." What we say to ourselves and to others is no small detail; it can actually make or break us. Mindful communication, then, is the mental equivalent of personal hygiene. Rather than showering to cleanse the body, we use positive, effective words to cleanse us of old unwanted patterns and prepare us for the growth, success, and fulfillment that we truly deserve.
During our work together, you will find that authenticity, accountability, trust, flow, and mindful communication create a spectacular web of truth, beauty, and goodness in your life. It's our pleasure to get you where you're headed.