Robert E. Quinn writes this in his book, Deep Change:Discovering the Leader Within -- "Ultimately, deep change, whether at the personal or the organizational level, is a spiritual process. Loss of alignment occurs when, for whatever reason, we begin to pursue the wrong end. This process begins innocently enough. In pursuing some justifiable end, we make a trade-off of some kind. We know it is wrong, but we rationalize our choice. We use the end to justify the means. As time passes, something inside us starts to wither. We are forced to live at the cognitive level, the rational, goal-seeking level. We lose our vitality and begin to work from sheer discipline. Our energy is not naturally replenished, and we experience no joy in what we do. We are experiencing slow death."
So how do we escape this slow death? Quinn tells us that it has to do with being true to ourselves and our values. It requires us to look at our hypocrisy, our weakness, greed and cowardice. Somewhere along the way, we have sold out. We have compromised ourselves and our values. To reverse this process we must get clear on our values and have the courage to take a stand when we feel tempted to accept something less of ourselves.
Are you experiencing slow death now in your life? Take some time out this weekend and make a list of your values. Then make a commitment to yourself to live your life in accord with these values. When you come into integrity with your values, you will begin to feel alive again and excited about your future.
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