Everyone’s talking about keeping it real. And I don’t even have to point an eyebrow towards Enron, Britney, or Milli Vanilli (remember them?) to remind anyone of the conversation of what happens when one’s view on reality takes shore leave.
And yet, there’s another level of real that’s not so easy to pick apart. On a spirituality website I came across last week claiming to be a “guide to contemporary spirituality for women,” I saw the testament, “The first piece, the largest one, has to be spirituality. However, to get it to work, it has to be practical, it has to be fun, and most importantly, it has to be real.”
Isn’t everything real, though? I mean, how do you escape real — unless you become imaginary. But the dot-com rupture sealed the lid on that realm of business (or, let us hope so).
There is a spiritual distinction that sheds some light on the subject, but I’ll warn you, it may bake your noodle the first time you read it: Nothing is real, except the Real.
Whoa, slow down there, monk!
If you’re feeling like Homer Simpson at a quantum physics conference right about now, let me explain what I’m talking about.
If you look at “real” in terms of “existent; non-illusionary; that which does not fade,” as the dictionary does, then you and I just don’t fit the bill of real. Nothing in creation, does, actually. Because the creation will always fade away, change, and eventually, disappear.
The only one that’s here to stay (aside from Dick Clark) is The One, The Everlasting One. Again, call it what you want, but that which created all the creation will outlast it all, since it has neither age, nor substance to decay. The Divine, then, is Real. All else is shadow.
So, if everything is illusionary except the One, the Real, then in truth, the only created thing that can give us a sense of “reality” is that which the Divine qualities flows through strongly enough for us to get the sense of “realness.”
It’s the heart that matters more
That’s why we talk about sincerity, honesty, and being genuine as indicators of “real.” These traits speak to an experience of the heart, which is where we experience our connection to the Real.
Only that which conveys the qualities of the One has authenticity to it. It comes through the heart and impacts us, wakes us up, and reminds us how it feels to be connected to that Reality.
You got game, or not?
Rehashed platitudes won’t cut it. Talking about it won’t cut it, either. Only talking from it, living it, tasting it — that’s all that will cut it. So honesty and sincerity are good beginnings… but in order to really hit the mark, there has to be a tangible connection and flow from the heart. That’s what enlivens something for us, and rings the bell of authentic Reality.
And now you know why it’s so rare to find it in the world. It takes commitment, time, and the willingness to be authentic and vulnerable in order to tap into that Real connection.
Bringing it full circle…
Where is your business on the Real scale? Are you taking the time it takes to delve within your own being, or are you running around like a headless gallinaceous bird?
Here’s how to make sure your business is “keeping it real”:
1. Your foundation.
For your business to be rooted in the Real, you have to be rooted in the Real. That starts with a spiritual perspective on why you’re in business in the first place.
Are you in business to give, or take? To lift another, or only lift yourself? To make the world a better place, or make your ego look good? In essence, to connect to the Real, or just “shuffle the deck” of the illusionary?
Lip service here falls really, really flat. Your audience can sniff out a fake in two seconds flat, as you well know. But hey, that’s no reason to panic. Just be honest. Be clear. Be yourself. That’s the beginning.
2. Tapping in regularly to the source of ‘what’s real’.
Remembrance is a great practice. Chanting is a great practice. Selfless giving is a great practice. But none of them do much of anything unless you do them, and do them regularly.
This isn’t a prescription for becoming an automaton, though — it’s not about what practice you choose, or sticking to dogma. It’s about feeling the genuine commitment in your heart to seek the Real, and then acting on it.
The practice may shift and change; it’s the commitment to practice connecting that needs to be unwavering.
3. When it doubt, don’t fake it ‘til you make it.
Find out. Go inside your own heart and reconnect with the Real inside you. Not what you think is real — but what your heart feels, knows, and resonates with as real. You’ll know it when your heart lights up. You’ll know it when you get the strength of certainty in your heart.
And, you’ll know it when you share it, because people will nod, “Yes, that’s it. That’s what I’ve been waiting for.”
Keeping it real ain’t rocket science. In fact, it’s liberating: the more centered in your connection to the Real you are, the less performance there is. Less striving. Less contrivance.
More you. More authentic. More real. And thus, more Real.
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