from the top management but all the way to the shipping of the product or service to the customer, so it was a holistic approach, getting everyone engaged in the process. Things were coming together and we were pleased with the material; the time had come to edit. However, this is when the shift began, a shift in the direction of the book and/or the message. It seems the book went from a business instructional guide to a book with a message not just for the reader but for my own life.
I was sitting in a restaurant parking lot one afternoon when the transformation showed itself. I had gone to a favorite restaurant I had found in Seattle, a Mexican restaurant that served familiar food much like the TexMex I had grown accustomed to while living in Texas for 25 years. I was just gathering my stuff to go in and have lunch when a presence came over me. It was a presence that was very intimate with me and it filled the car. A voice kept playing in my head over and over again, “You have to fill the void, you have to fill the void, you have to fill the void.” This wasn’t like a voice you normally hear, but rather one of authority, and it wasn’t going away. My body couldn’t move from the car. I began to analyze what was happening, thinking it must be my ego at work, but no, this wasn’t an ego sounding off, not at all. I sat in the car talking out loud to myself and overcome to tears; the voice wouldn’t go away. I am sure the restaurant got reports of a grown man in their parking lot, crying and talking to himself, as many people passed me during this episode.
I asked myself, “What void? What shall I fill it up with?” Then it came to me. It was the book, the book needed to fill the void.“Ok, the book was to fill the void. A business book?” After allowing it to sink in and accepting that something needed to change, it came to me: Ok, ok I will change the book. The book we have must change; we must change the direction of the book with a message. The voice that was so very present and consistent had shifted from “You have to fill the void,” to a single message that “this isn’t big enough.” So I texted my publisher and told him what had just happened and, being the compassionate professional that he is, he agreed and said we should discuss this new direction.
My publisher and I had not seen each other in some while, so later that week we decided to meet at a downtown Seattle hotel to discuss the book’s new direction. We were in the hotel lobby seating area in an open discussion. I kept saying, “It’s not big enough,” becoming my guiding principle throughout the conversation. My publisher would ask me, “What is it that you want to say to the reader?” and I would respond, “I am not sure, but this isn’t big enough.” This went on for over three hours. Finally, in response to what I was sharing from my episode in the parking lot and to the emotions I was exhibiting, he came up with “It’s about your Righteous Cause. The message, your message, is truly about a Righteous Cause.” That was it! I felt a great sense of relief. This was the “void” to be filled. My Righteous Cause was not only to fill my void but many others’, and the book was the voice to make that happen. So then, “How could a business book help in finding your Righteous Cause?” became the question to answer.
After brainstorming and mapping out the process, it became clear what was needed and that using the book’s existing material was perfect. Let me explain. Companies have a vision and a mission to carry out that vision, and so do you and I. We all have a Desire and a path to fulfill and these ideas, concepts, and processes also apply to an individual just as they do to a company. It made sense; the outline of the business book was the outline for Discover the Unseen…
An example from the business world is a story of too much and not everyone understanding the direction. A client had a vision and mission posted on the walls in the office and throughout the company. However, when I would ask random people I would come across in the office and factories, I would hear different interpretations and get some blank stares. This even permeated the operations of the company. I attended a leadership team meeting on financial status. It went on for over two hours with many numbers and figures that were being presented and tossed about. Afterwards, I met with the CEO and asked if that meeting and the information shared had been of value. She said some, but most of it was not useful for her. So I asked, “What information is valuable; what is the vision you have for the company?” She repeated the same vision that I had seen on the walls and that the figures and numbers were crucial to running the business. After many hours of debating and searching for the real Desire of this leader and company, it came down to, “I want to be profitable and have engaged employees and satisfied customers.”
“Now,” I said, “that is a vision, a vision that everyone can understand and own.”
You see, it wasn’t that all those reports were a waste of time because at some point through the years they were necessary. There was a situation that needed a report to understand and ensure that it didn’t happen again, but not everyone was aligned with the vision. This was only because the vision wasn’t part of the daily activities. Only when everyone in a company understands what it is that the company is about can you look at your individual activities to ensure that everyone is adding value. In this case, with the new vision of “a profitable company with engaged employees and satisfied customers,” it was simple to see the alignment or notice when the activities were not productive and consistent throughout the organization.
Much like this example, we, too, have a similar directional malfunction in our Desire. We get caught up in the “foreground” of what we think others want to hear, versus taking the time to look within for the real purpose we want to fulfill. When this is defined, we can build upon this Desire plus align with the process and with what you have, where you are, and what is needed at this current place and time. However, many times for us, as individuals, it’s difficult. We must shift from the foreground to viewing from the background to see the unseen, but you will see when you do that it is there, waiting. Just as the CEO did by slowing down and seeking what it was she wanted the company to be, you, too, can do the same.
This can also be a scary process for us, meaning that to find our Desire, the passion of our soul, many times we have to face fear. It doesn’t matter who we are, we all have fears that we don’t want to face. I believe that fear and desire live in the exact same space. In order to discover your Desire, you must face the fear that is blocking you. The CEO had to face the fear of not really knowing why she had all those reports and that she may have to lay off many employees after finding out the reports weren’t necessary to run the business, and no one likes to eliminate jobs. We have to face that fear and lean into it with the confidence that we will discover our purpose, our Desire, and our Righteous Cause.
For me it was facing the fear of unworthiness. There was no way that I ( Jeff ) could ever deliver a message of such importance. I could have stayed the course and ignored the presence that afternoon in the parking lot. But I am so very certain that the dark emptiness would have returned to haunt me once again, as I would not be living out my Righteous Cause. Ever since that afternoon in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant in Seattle, neither this book nor my life have been the same, and in a very good way. Since we have been following my Righteous Cause, it seems that everyone and everything needed to launch this book and the tour to follow is now falling into place. These ideas, concepts, and processes are simple but yet so powerful, and I am excited to be sharing them with each and every one of you!
Who am I? The Advent5 Experience .
The purpose of the Advent5 Process is to help you get from your current state to your Desired state in the most efficient and sustainable way possible. Your current state is where you are now, and your Desired state is a place of quiet confidence, joy, accomplishment and significance. Even if you don’t yet know what your deepest purpose is, the material contained in this book will guide you through the discovery of your innermost Desire and help you build a step-by-step, systematic roadmap to achieve it.
The decades-long development of the Advent5 Process began
