Another IOS update… more bug fixes and improvements, (so ‘they’ say) to your phone, tablet or PC. And then when it is updated, stuff has moved and changed again aaggghh! But we adapt and get used to it. We can’t go back, even if we wanted to. If we feel that something is not working quite as well as it should, then it’s time to look at our own IOS. Our own internal operating system.
Which version of your own IOS are you on?
- The same one as usual?
- One that does for now but definitely needs an update.
- In the middle of a full upgrade?
There isn’t really a correct answer in these three, but it is useful to consider when you feel that things need to change in your career, your business or your life.
Our IOS
Our IOS is our constant operating principal, our guiding light, our rock, or something a bit less dramatic… just what we believe in. What we believe in, of course, ranges wildly on a continuum between perceived good and bad. We can believe in a cause, a movement, a religion, people places and things outside of ourselves. But what we are talking about here is our internal operating system. We may have internalised things that were originally outside of ourselves. Someone else’s believe system, a particular style guide, minimalism, a hero’s way of being and doing and that’s ok too.
An exception to this of course would be a rigid or dogmatic belief system like a cult where free thinking isn’t really encouraged!
The good news is though, because we are all beautifully unique, then we put our own spin on things to make it the most comfortable, for us.
Embodying a belief.
When we are wholly committed to our guiding principles and beliefs and they fit perfectly for us then we start to embody it. By expressing all that we believe in our words and deeds, we are a walking embodiment of what we stand for.
Sometimes we are confused about where others are ‘coming from’. We are not sure what drives them, and we can spend many hours guessing (or gossiping) about what their IOS is. We will never really know their full IOS and really, it’s none of our business. We just need to know what our own one is.
In his book, The Map of Consciousness Explained, Dr David Hawkins talks about the constant operating principal of our lives and how this drives us. Being driven by the emotion of Fear, is quite different from being driven by Love. We know this.
In another book, a classic leadership and motivational text by Jim Collins invites us to upgrade ‘From Good to Great’. This is where aspiration starts to kick in. Why just be good when you can upgrade your IOS and become great? I like Dr David’s take on this: ‘you become great when you support the greatness of others’. What an inspiring IOS… to support the greatness of others!
Upgrading your IOS
Through self-awareness we can understand what has been driving us so far, our past and current IOS. If our current IOS isn’t bringing us the results that we want in our life, we can choose to change. If you need some bug fixes and improvements, then it might be time for a compassionate review of your life. We can upgrade our IOS. We can upgrade our thoughts and actions to ones that serve us better and in turn serve others so that they can choose to do the same.
If you need help in planning an upgrade, do get in touch. I help people get clear on their goals, find the empowerment they need to achieve what they want, their way.
Dale Potts
Business and Career Coach
https://www.connectedcoach.org/
