x2 Step 312 - There are greater problems for me to solve in the world. – Journal – Step 311

Today:  Step 312 - There are greater problems for me to solve in the world. (MP3)

Step 312 - There are greater problems for me to solve in the world.

MANY OF YOUR PERSONAL PROBLEMS WILL BE RESOLVED as you give yourself to a greater calling. Some of your personal problems you will need to attend to specifically, but even here you will find that their weight upon you will diminish as you enter into a greater arena of participation in life. Knowledge gives you greater things to do, but it does not overlook any detail of what you must accomplish. Therefore, small details and great details, small adjustments and great adjustments are all included. Nothing is left out. You yourself could not possibly balance your preparation in this respect, for you would not know how to establish your priorities between what is great and what is small. Your attempt to do so would merely push you deeper into confusion and frustration.

BE GRATEFUL, THEN, THAT YOU HAVE BEEN SPARED from attempting the impossible for yourself, for what is real is given to you. What you must do is become a student and a vehicle for Knowledge. This will activate all meaningful individual development and all meaningful individual education. It will require more of you than you have required of yourself, and all that it requires will be fulfilled and will yield its true promise for you.

UPON THE HOUR REMIND YOURSELF OF THIS and take heart that a greater involvement is promised which will provide you escape from your individual misery. In your deeper practice periods today, actively engage your mind to review all of your small personal problems. Review all of the things you think hold you back and all of the things you think you must resolve for yourself. As you look at each one objectively, without denial, remember and remind yourself that a greater calling is given you which will correct these things or make their correction unnecessary. Remind yourself that Knowledge will provide correction at all levels as your life becomes uniform and directed, as your Knowledge begins to emerge and as your true sense of self begins to be recognized and received.

PRACTICE 312: Two 30-minute practice periods. Hourly practice.

Picture: Looking down on the City of Chicago, pick your problem. The New Message says we are in a race to save human civilization.

From the journal:  Step 311 - The world is calling me. I must prepare to serve it.

7:38 a.m. June 26, 2001 – Marcia M.. questions

1. Define an effective leader.

To be effective, the actions of the leader must be appropriate to the task, environment and goal. Seeing a need and working with others to satisfy that need demonstrates leadership. Leaders need to be followers, at times, and constant learners and integrators. They operate with the notion of making the boss look good. They develop the skills, abilities and leadership skills of others.

2. Measures for COG effectiveness

 1. Stay in business

 2. Network with others

 3. Build community

 4. Gentle politics

 5. Doesn't get too depressed

 6. Have tangibles

 7. Visible or invisible, depending upon the situation

 8. Effective @ getting investment

 9. Scales to the regional environment

10. Manages perception

11. Good media relations

12. As people who receive delegation.

13. Praise everyone!

3. [adjectives that you would use to describe yourself as a Leader?]

Risk taking, consensus seeking, keep moving until someone says NO, purpose finding, self-starter, visionary, practical –

[Tombstone: “The man who saw regions.”]

→ Believing is seeing?

→ Believing is NOT seeing.

– Must be able to see to draw.

4. Theoretical framework – cooperation is good

Public belief – You have resources, authority, purpose – and can change things for the good – correct past errors.

Some would not believe that you can get local governments to cooperate

In rural areas, need to build capacity for govt mgmt.

Municipal corporations – towns & cities – more understanding that purpose of government is to provide services.

Leading from the middle – the theory – a teaching is learned. When applied to the world, it doesn't work. So you listen, you look, you seek a way to move forward.

Leadership must come from everyone. Self-improvement, lifelong learning –

Is it a job? Or is the work inspired. For most people, work is just work.

They have expectations and are demanding. Management is different, motivation is the challenge

I took an entrepreneurial approach – by use of a systematic approach – did more. It worked people harder than they wanted – perception – Govt work – my goal was to have our work be better than govt.

Early, devoted – learning employees –

Basic customers, local governments – don't want to fund it. Sought to go past localities to create business customers who would put pressure on localities to join, stay in. A citizen who would tell the local officials that you’re smart to be in the PDC.

12:37 a.m. – June 27, 2001 – I just spent 2 1/2 hours doing questions for Marcia – that's about 5 hours total for the day. I'm burned.

Sarah turned in Jamie for child abuse – it hurt David, but will it lead to Jamie changing?

Sarah thinks she's Cindy's daughter. She thinks that she and David are part of the reason Cindy married me.

→ As a planning district, we did more facilitating than planning.

All of my career was about serving the world – that is why I chose planning as a field of work. The work was far more difficult than anticipated, so the turn to spirituality was for self-understanding and support. Greater Community Spirituality attracted me because it represented what I was trying to do. Even a greater perspective is being cultivated here, but my relationships are crazy. Let us continue. Help is promised.

NNC

Note: If you’ve some interest due to this or other Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge and can begin it on the day that makes sense; then progress as needed. You can use the posts on this blog as a companion if it helps. They will remain in order in the archives - one post per Step.

Often it takes 18 months to get through the Steps once. For this blog, the pace is one-a-day, but it really makes no difference how fast you do it, only that you begin, persist and repeat. Posts here provide a trail that may let you have a virtual companion when and if you want one. One may have to study alone, as I did in the beginning. There are other Steps students blogging their experience and you might find a person more like you as a companion, or use a number of such Steps journeys. There are options as well through the Free School of the New Message.