This is dedicated to the visionary's - the ones who have experienced the dark side of inspiration and passion, who've known madness, and created new and better realities from it.

6 Attributes of the Visionary Leader

Action Style: Determination

Endurance

Strategic Analysis

Resilience

Culture / Community

Purpose

Natural Cycle

“The greatness of their vision is born in the darkness of potential. They see what is hidden. They see the light within the dark, what lives beyond the edge, what no one else can see. ”

A visionary sees what cannot be seen. They see in the dark, eyes brimming with madness as they explore the furthest edges of creativity, purpose, and genius. They submerge themselves in the quest to understand and reveal the deepest reaches of life. The visionary sees the unseen and creates new realities from it.

We know some of them by name - Billie Jean, Steve, Michael, Muhammad, Martin Luther, Winston, Abraham, Thomas. They changed the world. They changed the way we live, and the way we understand ourselves. And yet, for how much they've shaped our understanding, we don't fully understand them. Their passion is fierce, their devotion unrelenting. Their action, determined. They don't serve people, they serve purposes. They don’t play by the same rules as the rest of the world - they innovate and create a whole new set of rules that changes the reality we all live in. The greatness of their vision is born in the darkness of potential. They see what is hidden. They see the light within the dark, what lives beyond the edge, what no one else can see.

The visionary is resilient in their service to the vision. They are set upon outliving their opponent, and their opponent is not a person, their opponent is the darkness, the madness, the un-manifested vision. It is only when the vision is brought to life that others can begin to understand the madness of the visionary. When others can experience the tangible result of the leader's devotion to their vision, can they appreciate the genius of their madness.

We all possess the power of vision.

It was visiting hours. I stood in the middle of a the psych ward. I was looking out the window - furious and crestfallen. I didn’t know what to say. I loved her, and I also knew I couldn’t help her. I turned around, and looked her straight in the eyes.

She stared back at me.

"You have a choice." I said. "We all have a choice."

I opened both my palms, as if I was holding something in them.

"Power. It's right here (opening my palms.) It's raw. It doesn't have any rules. It can create and destroy. You choose what you do with it. No one can choose for you. I can't chose for you right now. I wish I could. I know your choice feels made for you. It’s not. You have a choice. Create or Destroy. I’ve been there. I’ve seen the madness and darkness. I know how it feels. I also know you have a choice. So, choose. The power is always there, but you choose what you do with it. Whether you live or die. Create or destroy."

To see the light, we must feel the darkness. Then we must choose what to serve.

Greatness comes at a cost. To be great, to be truly visionary, we must be willing to dig into the depths of the unknown and unseen, to travel into the deepest reaches of passion without being consumed by the madness of the visions we see. We must choose - to create or destroy.

Discover Within, Expand Beyond

Rachel

This post is dedicated to the practice of yoga, and all those who share in body physical experiences whether on the mat, in competition, or in life.

“Know your body and you’ll know yourself. It is your anchor to reality and the access point to your potential.”

the Physical Element

OPTIMIZE PERFORMANCE

The 6 Physical Attributes

Technical Skill

Mobility / Flexibility

Speed / Power

Strength / Stability

Agility

Endurance

Look no further than your body. It holds all the wisdom you’ll ever need. It is your anchor to reality and the access point to your potential. It already knows every metric that your little device is telling you. Stop fighting it, judging it, analyzing it, and ignoring it. By all means challenge it, then get out of its way, and see what it can do.

I’ve spent most of my life training my body- pushing it, listening to it, acknowledging its thresholds, developing its skills, and teaching it to push beyond limits. My body, and life, always had a clear sense of purpose - discover what was possible in the sport of field hockey, and that meant becoming very aware of my in body experience. It meant being fully alive, as messy and uncomfortable as that aliveness became.

Then, last October, I retired from the USA National Team and over the next 6 months, I slowly lost connection with myself. The disconnect began in my body. I stopped moving purposefully. I stumbled around without conviction, curiosity or appreciation for the incredible mechanism of movement happening everyday.

“All experience and learning happens in the body. It is the physical reality of you. If you want to change something in your life, and I mean anything, start with your body.”

Call it a fog. I was going through the motions of poses, conversations and daily activities. Smells were dull. Tastes were bland. Pain was nothing but a chronic ache. Sound was annoying. Touch had no sensation. Breathing was superficial. I was here, but not really. Sure, I did yoga. I ran. I hiked. I did tons of things. Yes had become my default response to every question. I spent so much time in my car commuting - going here, there, and everywhere which in the end left me nowhere at all except really far away from myself. I was separate from everything and everyone, especially my own physical body.

All experience and learning happens in the body. That is where learning begins, and where it ends. It is the physical reality of you. If you want to change something in your life, and I mean anything - a relationship, career, thought pattern, lifestyle - start with your body. Start by getting still and listening to it. Let yourself feel physical sensation. Feel your heart beating - in your chest, your palms, your belly, your ears. Feel the temperature of your skin. Tense every muscle in your body, feel the tension. Stop squeezing your muscles and feel the difference.

Get out of the idea of your body, and actually into your body. Challenge it, and I mean really challenge it, and see how it responds. Feel whatever you feel, and just as much, feel whatever you don't feel - feel the numbness. Listen for openings, and listen for limits, than move beyond them both. Don't think about the challenge, just do it, explore what is real and possible in your body.

Once you complete the challenge, get curious about your physical experience. Reflect on it. When working with my own body, and exploring its physical movement patterns, I identified 6 critical attributes to help my personal understanding. Those attributes became the basis of the Physical Element of the Praxis Paradigm - skill, mobility, power, strength, agility, and endurance.

6 physical attributes

TECHNICAL SKILL a particular set of skills relating to the efficient execution or performance of a task or craft

MOBILITY / FLEXIBILITY ability to move freely and easily, especially through the joints

STRENGTH / STABILITY - ability to hold weight, relates to the stacking of your bones

POWER / SPEED - ability to exert force and accelerate an object through space, relates to muscle action

AGILITY - ability to change direction, relates to the balance of opposing forces

ENDURANCE - ability to endure arduous tasks for a long period of time, relates to physical stamina and steadiness of breath (aerobic capacity)

Get in your body

Sit or Stand Still
Feel What You Feel and What You Don't
Set a Physical Challenge
Perform the Challenge
Feel What You Feel and What You Don't
Complete the Challenge
Get Still - feel what you feel
Assess your experience of the 6 Physical Attributes
Begin again

As you reflect, ask yourself these questions. How does your body move? What patterns has it developed? How do those patterns impact performance? What do they make possible, and what possibility do they prevent? Why were they necessary to develop? Are they still necessary?

Can you develop new movement patterns?

Yes, you can. If you are willing to. It takes work, deliberate action, and ruthless self-awareness. So get clear on what patterns exist, and what physical attributes you want to develop, and in every moment, no matter how uncomfortable, choose what you want to develop.

Your body is the gateway to life. Get to know it. Because if you want to connect with other people or with some higher power and purpose, you must first and foremost connect with your own natural body.

It is the door. Open it.

Discover Within, Expand Beyond,