…”a miracle is only a natural happening. But it is a natural happening operative through spiritual forces, and therefore the man who works and understands through the senses only, regards it as something contrary to nature.”
From God Calling (July 19)
Many successful leaders are collectors of information gathered by their five senses. They see an inefficiently run process, they hear objections from customers, they can ‘smell a rat’ before anyone else, and they feel the tension in a quiet board room. Heck they can even taste the potential of a hot new prospect. But can these high achievers see the miracles that transcend their five senses?
For many years, I couldn’t. When wonderful unexpected events would occur, my immediate thought was, “Wow! That’s weird!” Then I’d dismiss the matter as a strange coincidence, and move on to my next task. Why did I often miss these ‘natural happenings’ mentioned in the quote above?
The information contained in my Myers Briggs (MBTI) assessment helped me understand why. I’m an ESTJ. Kroeger, Thuesen and Rutledge call this type the World’s Natural Administrator in their book “Type Talk at Work” How does my MBTI type impair my ability to see miracles?
E = Extroversion. In my natural state, I’m always talking. I focus my attention on the outer world of people and things vs. the inner world of ideas and impressions. If you know an extrovert, you know that they don’t often get quiet, and it’s hard to see miracles when you’re not listening for them.
S = Sensing. I take in information through the five senses and tend to focus on the here and now vs. looking at patterns and the big picture and focusing on future possibilities. While this makes for a pragmatic leadership style, it takes effort to consider the intangible ‘what if’s’ that miracles are made of.
T = Thinking. I tend to make decisions based primarily on logic and objective analysis of cause and effect rather than on emotions or values or other subjective points. Face it, miracles defy logic, and for a thinking person who needs to ‘wrap her head around something,’ miracles can be quite confusing.
J = Judging. I like a planned and organized approach to life vs. a more flexible, spontaneous, ‘as the spirit moves me’ approach. Miracles aren’t planned. They aren’t linear…they emerge, and they flow naturally.
When I began working with a coach, I started to become more aware of who I was. It was then that I started to see miracles. An interesting thing happens when you become more self-aware. By understanding how you are naturally wired, you become open to other perspectives. By seeing the world from another viewpoint, I began to see the miracles around me and find greater satisfaction in my work and my life.
Gone are the days of saying, “that’s weird!” when spontaneous and special things happen. Now that I am noticing the miracles around me, I am more apt to say “there’s another miracle” and to start looking for the next one to appear.
Do you see the miracles? If not, what’s blocking you? Find out your MBTI type by clicking here.