Here we’re exploring the pathways to increasing joy, meaning and belonging with blog author Tim Coats as he describes four basic principles involved in the creation of a life well-lived: balance, awareness, practice, and wisdom.
How do we find a discipline between body and mind that can open up our being to the spirit that is all around us - bringing life energies into balance? How can we cultivate the skill of awareness, throughout our life, and how does that invite a greater wisdom?
When we are fully present in our lives, wisdom bubbles up like an artesian force. Wisdom of course is different from knowledge, wisdom being the insight gained from our deep connections to ourselves and to life.
When we’re engaged and connected with life, to think something is to cause it to be; to feel something is to manifest it, because we are joined to something bigger and greater than ourselves.
Wisdom is all about connections. Jimi Hendrix supposedly said knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens. And I think when you're present, that's what you're doing - you're listening - and wisdom emerges from that listening.
Tim Coats
At age six, while playing with friends in our yard, I was suddenly struck with the thought, I am me!
The thought has never left me. What is the nature of awareness? How do we find joy that transcends circumstance?
I grew up in a devout Christian family, but organized religion never spoke to me. Determined to find a way, I began a thirty-year journey, reading, studying, and journaling.
Ultimately, I found the road to peace, by way of intellect, was impassable. I began a contemplative practice that is integral to my life. I reflect on this life-long journey in a blog titled, “Towards A Life Well-Lived” at Tim-Coats.com
Aviv Shahar
Aviv is the Founder of Aviv Consulting, helping leaders unleash strategic innovation, and is the author of Create New Futures: How Leaders Produce Breakthroughs and Transform the World Through Conversation.
