Eckhart Tolle

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Overview
Eckhart Tolle was born Feb.16,1948 in Germany, spent his teenage years in Spain with his father and did self-study on literature, astronomy, and languages. He received a degree from University of London and pursued post graduate studies at Cambridge, stating he became adrift, depressed, and at age 29 had an “inner transformation”.

Subsequently recognized as an internationally renowned agnostic spiritual teacher, Tolle embarked on a spiritual path and, in 1997 at age 39, wrote “The Power of Now” which, when recommended by Oprah, became a best seller. In 2005, he wrote “A New Earth: Awakening to Life’s Purpose,” and did a skype series with Oprah, (which I attended).

Insights from A New Earth, You Tube Teachings: Ron Babos and Jean Robbins

  • Query Tolle’s name and Ram Dass, the author of “Be Here Now”, and watch a 2014 You Tube interview they did in Hawaii together. It is quite good.
  • Understand you are not your thoughts in your head. (Ron B)
  • Being “present” is the state of consciousness that transcends thinking. (Ron B)
  • Keys from “A New Earth”
    a. Your thoughts are not who you are.
    b. Ego is your identification with form which includes thought forms.
    c. “I” usually represents a misperception of who you are, and when you separate, (my word), from this identification you are beginning the spiritual process. (see his quotes)
    d. The ego lives in comparisons and always wants “more.”
    e. “The joy of Being Is the joy of being conscious.”

Jean Robbins Comments

  1. From “The Power of Now” (1999), the conversation with an interested student is the format, and the most direct and instructive response for me was the one on surrender.

    “Surrender is perfectly compatible with taking action, initiating change, or achieving goals. But in the surrender state, a totally different energy, a different quality, flows into your doing. Surrender reconnects you with the source-energy of Being, and if your doing is infused with Being, it becomes a joyful celebration of life energy that takes you more deeply into the now.” (p. 208)

    It is the state of being with the present, in total acceptance of who you are, and all that is. He goes on to say never mistake “surrender to the moment” with passiveness or powerlessness.”

    In the state of surrender, you see very clearly what needs to be done, and you take action, doing one thing at a time and focusing on one thing at a time. Learn from nature: See how everything gets accomplished and how the miracle of life unfolds without dissatisfaction or unhappiness. (I would also add, without judgement, doubt, or need to correct what is.)

    “If your overall situation is unsatisfactory or unpleasant, separate out this instant and surrender to what is. That is the flashlight cutting through the fog. Your state of consciousness then ceases to be controlled by external conditions. You are no longer coming from reaction and resistance.” (p. 209)

  2. From A New Earth (2003), I learned about, and began practicing recognition, or “witnessing” my ego-self in action. I also learned, (through practice), to clearly see my true self as an energy within, quite separate from my ego identity. The distinction between the two that has been clearest and easiest to access, was revealed in my meditation, and out of my daily stillness practice has become available while I am engaged in my every-day activities. This ability to see clearly who I am being in each moment, ego and self-preservation driven, or one with my life source, has given me self-awareness and the practice of acceptance and surrender, as well as a choice to be either one in any given moment.

Some of His Famous Quotes

  • “To realize that you are not your thoughts is when you begin to awaken spiritually.”
  • “Boredom, anger, sadness, or fear are not ‘yours’, not personal. They are conditions of the human mind. They come and go. Nothing that comes and goes is you.”
  • “What a liberation to realize that “voice in my head” is not who I am. Who am I, then? The one who sees that!”

Introduction to Culture Based Leadership

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Power of Culture Series Event #5

  • Do you understand your natural leadership style and how it affects others?
  • Are you looking for a self-driven program that works at your pace?
  • Need to work with and develop leaders at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels?

What: Introduction to Culture Based Leadership

Why: To support you at putting in place a program to find, focus and retain the leaders and role players you need to compete in your coming market.

For: Growth oriented business leaders

When: April, 28, 2021
10:45am – 12:00pm CST (15 minute network time after)

Format: Facilitated group discussion format.

Hosts:

Facilitators: John Ruh and Todd Stukenberg

RSVP: RSVP to John Ruh to receive a link to the Zoom event. Email or call John at 773-641-9631. Group size limited to 12.

Cost: Be our guest!

Questions: Email or call John Ruh at 773-641-9631

Oh Yeah... It's FreeSpecial Offer!
One FREE DISC Profile per Company that can help you see you natural leadership style

The Power of Culture

Posted by & filed under Business Culture.

The Power of Culture“Culture, and only culture, provides a foundation on which to build a unique empowering game plan for yourself, your team and your company”. John M. Ruh

Three Culture Blogs Worth Reading

  • Why Culture?
  • Culture is the Foundation of your Business and Life
  • Understanding your Business Culture

Introductory offer
One month’s partnering to assist your team/company at creating a unique empowering culture that supports your coming market.

Worth a conversation?
Call / email John at 773-641-9631 or john@johnruh.com.

Now What?

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Speaking Leader to LeaderSpeaking Leader to Leader

Given a worldwide environment currently stricken by Covid-19, all team members are paying close attention to what we are saying and, even more important, to what we are doing. To lead effectively, we need to share our vision, goals, mission, and values in a simple game plan format so all the players, who we NEED to be successful in 2021, can get on board. We cannot expect their support if we do not tell them where we are going and why.

Why?

To Reduce Unnecessary Stress
Covid-19 has many people frightened which can create confusing behavior. Your leadership and thoughtful decisions can work wonders in supporting others toward lowering their stress, helping them to become more focused and productive.

The John M. Ruh and Associates Promise to you:
Be our mission.
Partnering with growth oriented leaders to create the right P.S.T. support
the right People | the right Structure | the right Tools

Suggested Blogs:

What Kind of a Leader Are You? Find Out in 15 minutes!

Posted by & filed under Leadership, Professional Development.

Self-Aware Leaders are More Effective Leaders

Ever wonder what your behavior says about your leadership style?

We have all heard people be critical of themselves because they personally lack certain traits they admire in others. But it is unhealthy to try to be someone other than you who really are. It is important to remember that individuals can experience burnout and stress by experiencing too much or constant adaptation. Adaptation is the process of feeling pressured to adjust to your environment based on the behavior needed to accomplish a certain outcome.

DISC works by helping you become more self-aware. In the universal language of DISC, there is no “good” or “bad” style. Your personal DISC profile indicates your natural unique behavioral tendencies.

Contact Darlene today to receive your FREE Leadership profile ($75 value). This is a simple online assessment and will only take about 15 minutes to complete.

The results will help you recognize and acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses. It may also help you see the benefit of other selected team members taking the assessment to help with team communication and behavior.

DISC provides your talent with the tools to become the best leaders possible:

  • Leaders at every level can benefit from powerful behavioral insights gained.
  • Learn how to apply DISC to manage, motivate, and increase employee engagement.
  • Reveal strengths, behavior under stress, and discover new ways to inspire and drive your team.
  • Receive actionable and practical insights that can be used immediately with your staff.

Each day as thousands of Baby Boomers retire from the workforce, organizations are being squeezed for leadership. It is important to assess your employees to ensure you are continuously discovering and empowering leadership behaviors and practices. Developing your managers into leaders will empower the growth and retention of your workforce.

Ready to take the first profile to see how effective DISC can be?

Contact Darlene Ruh at 773-775-6636 or email Darlene@johnruh.com for your FREE assessment.

Are You Chasing Your Tail?

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement, Leadership, Professional Development.

Every one of us perceives ourselves and our place in life through a set of “prescription glasses” that may or may not give a clear sense of reality. Those glasses are our Ego…

Are You Chasing Your TailYour Ego Is:

  • One’s self-perception/image, or in philosophical terms, one’s “self.” It’s often how you answer the question “I am _____”. How you internally identify yourself.

All Egos are:

  • Unconscious, greedy and the source of your suffering. Without awareness the role it occupies, the Ego can command your thoughts and self-talk…and can distort reality!

Once you understand and accept the above two concepts, you can start on a path to better support yourself and eliminate the unnecessary suffering your Ego is causing you.

Think of it…
You came into this world with little or no Ego, having only presence, awareness, and consciousness—reacting “honestly” to immediate circumstance. Developing as one ages and experiences life, a highly skilled Ego is useful and essential to live in the world, however, without guidance from awareness/consciousness, it will always be in a state of dissatisfaction. It will always want more results, more relationships, security, order, more everything as your Ego develops in response to the messages it receives from the outside environment and people! Being greedy, it can run amuck and sabotage the results you want to achieve, by skewing perspective. It can also cause you untold suffering from which no drug/alcohol, money, food, or religion can fix. That is the reality of an unchecked Ego. There is no escape—it is always with you, and always active. This piece is about recognizing and supporting your Ego so you can start a lifelong process of understanding, accepting and supporting yourself wisely.

An example…
Bob sees himself as a team player and is always cooperative. Bob is quiet, steady, organized, always comes prepared, and is there for anyone who needs his help. His Ego is unable to say no to anyone which, at times, creates a tremendous amount of stress. Having no choice, and feeling like a victim, he suffers silently, since all Bob has is an unaware Ego.

Your Ego can reveal many problems, including:

  • A feeling of disconnection from what you are trying to achieve.
  • Difficulties with your relationships, including a lack of candor.
  • A constant, nagging sense of dissatisfaction and a negative view of your situation.

How do you support your ego?
You must separate from your Ego. This concept can be difficult to understand and even more difficult to practice. First, you need to recognize that “you are not your Ego” (what your self-talk is telling you) and you may be stuck until you make the separation. I call this “Chasing your Tail.” It can have you so busy running around in circles that you unconsciously sabotage your success and satisfaction in life.

If you are interested in learning how to separate from your Ego, please take this important, initial step now:

Ask for one free, individual leadership session to discover the nature of your Ego. Please call me at 773-641-9631 or email: john@johnruh.com.

This session can include:

  • An overview on how the Ego really works.
  • Some basic exercises establishing awareness which can also improve your focus on the forces that impact your perception.
  • Introduction to a best practice tool to put all your information into a 2-3 page individual Game Plan, built on your unique culture, that you drive at your own pace with the right People, Structure and Tools (P.S.T.) support you need to achieve and sustain the success and satisfaction you seek in life.

Additional Support:

You may find the following useful:

  • Phil Jackson’s book, 11 Rings. This was our 2013 leadership book of the year. It discusses ego extensively. Call/email for our summary of 11 Rings.
  • Dr. Hal and Sidra Stone’s aware ego concept
  • Carl Jung, founder of Analytical Psychology, executive summary johnruh.com/carl-jung-executive-summary/

PS: Visit johnruh.com to view over 150 free blogs.

Disconnected (or DISC-connected)?

Posted by & filed under Uncategorized.

Use DISC to help teams bond in stressful times.

Special Power of Culture ZOOM Event #2

Morrie Elstien and Cindi Elstien in partnership with John M Ruh & Associates presents

DISC and Stress

An interactive ZOOM session on Stress Management plus an Introduction to the

DISC and Stress Best Practice Tool

Do you know

  • How your profile reacts to stress?
  • How other profiles react to stress?
  • Would you like to reduce your own, your team’s or your company’s stress levels?

Hear what three famous leading psychologists say about stress management and understanding, accepting and supporting yourself.

This is also an excellent opportunity to meet Presidents, Owners, Managing Partners and CEO’s who you may want to know.

What:

  • Zoom interactive round table discussion on the three questions (above) and introduction to the 5 Star DISC and stress application created by John M. Ruh and Associates.

When:

  • Wednesday, February 10, 2021
    10:00am -11:15am with 15 minutes optional for Q&A networking.

Hosts:

  • Morrie Elstien and Cindi Elstien. For more information on the presenters, please click their names and you will be taken to their websites.

Why:

  • To understand why Stress Management is perhaps the number one problem we need to address right now to increase productivity and create an empowering culture.

You will receive:

  • One free disc leadership profile per company valued at $75.00

Cost:

  • Be our guest!

Facilitator:

  • John Ruh

Registration:

Questions?

The 1% Rule

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement, Leadership, Professional Development.

Are you dedicating 1.68 hours a week or more to Continuous Improvement?

If not, why not?

What is the 1% Rule?
The 1% RuleIt states that, at a minimum, you should dedicate 1.68 hours, (that’s 101 minutes), per week or 7+ hours per month or 87 hours per year working on Continuous Improvement.

Why Bother?
It is a case of Change or Die. While that may sound dramatic, look around and see what has happened to companies, industries and individuals who have not grown to meet the current market needs. They are gone.

How Do I Make Continuous Improvement a Reality Now?

  1. Understand what NOT to do –do NOT let Continuous Improvement simply become a periodic event or activity you attempt only when there is a crisis.
  2. Make a declaration to start a program for yourself, your department and/or your company.
    1. Establish a 52-week process with a WEEKLY REVIEW system. Have Continuous improvement become a habit like brushing your teeth (see P.S.)
    2. Write down the number one thing that absolutely needs to be improved.
    3. Enroll the support you truly need. (Do NOT go it alone)
    4. Structure time for it now.
  3. Copy what great teams do by focusing on ALL accomplishments, large and small. Learning new habits is like learning to walk. You need time, patience, and the right support. And remember good new habits create skills that produce results

Our Support
Call / email at 773-641-9631 or John@johnru.com for a free session to discuss the 1% Rule

P.S. Brushing your teeth blog johnruh.com/brushing-your-teeth/

Business Consulting Chicago

The Golden Goose is Your Company

Posted by & filed under Business Culture.

Sixth Century BC Business Wisdom

Æsop. (Sixth century B.C.) Fables.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14.

The Goose With the Golden Egg

ONE day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find—nothing.

“GREED OFT O’ERREACHES ITSELF.”

The Golden Goose
By John Ruh

What is the Point?

The golden goose is your company and, if you nurture it, it will take care of you and your employees for a long time. However, for all of us, our egos are like the farmer…greedy. They want to get as much as they can, right now! So it is up to you to subordinate your ego and support the business, rather than looking at everything from only your individual ego’s perspective. Why? If you don’t, it may kill the goose.

As for the goose.

The goose (your company) must be focused on one thing…taking care of your customers by producing both results and communication that wows them. (Many of us miss the second point.)

When this concept is clear in your mind, you can enlist the right People, Structure and Tools (P.S.T.) you need to create the success and satisfaction you want for yourself, your team/company.

Our Support
We are mission- based business advisors who partner with growth oriented leaders at putting in place powerful culture based game plans. Call/email us at 773-641-9631 or john@johnruh.com to discuss your situation.

Brushing Your Teeth

Posted by & filed under Continuous Improvement, Professional Development.

What on earth does brushing your teeth have to do with business?

Further, what does it have to do with enriching one’s life (besides improving dental hygiene?)

The Point
Of course, all of us, (I hope), make time to brush our teeth daily. It is a habit that was taught to us as children, and we now just do it without thinking part of our daily regimen. It is a constant that improves both health and appearance.

Today
Almost all the leaders I meet are so busy that they neglect themselves, (and thus indirectly their businesses). They do not make a habit of identifying and investing their time and attention into ensuring they continue to grow and improve. They are not “brushing their teeth”. If continuous improvement is not a habit for you and/or your company, it will eventually show up as “bad hygiene”. Some common outcomes of a lack of continuous improvement that we see with people and businesses are:

  • Lack of innovation
  • Increased stress and dissatisfaction in life
  • Outdated skills or core competency
  • Competitors catching up or bypassing a leadership position
  • Being blindsided by a market disruption

The Action to Take
We suggest putting in place a best practice tool called “The 365 Wheel of Continuous Improvement”. Why? So you begin to create the right habits you need. Why is that important? Right habits create skills, skills create results, and results give you the success and satisfaction you desire in life.

Introductory Offer

P.S. Ask us for a complementary 60-90-minute session with you to discuss this important issue, then take advantage of our introductory offer featuring our best practice tool, “The 365 Wheel of Continuous Improvement”. Please call us at 773-641-9631 or email john@johnruh.com.