Beyond Emotional Intelligence

2An Introduction to the 12 Self-Discoveries

The inspiration behind the 12 Self-Discoveries comes from many sources, consisting of insights derived from my background in Buddhist thought and meditation and, as an executive, coaching and training people and by noticing the common ways in which we inadvertently create obstacles to our personal growth and happiness. The 12 Self-Discoveries emerged from the observation and recognition of mental patterns at the heart of what causes us to not be able to see what should be obvious to us but isn't unless we learn to observe and pay attention with a different perspective or lens. A few of the 12 Self-Discoveries, though not articulated or formulated exactly as such, were inspired by my training as a Frame of Mind coach, the genius behind whose methods and approach come from its founder and my much-admired friend Kim Ades. The insights I gained being trained in this methodology were further brought to life by my coach Carla Reeves, without whose brilliance I would have unlikely escaped the bowels of corporate America, which is often where companies conveniently headquarter Human Resources—the constipating memories of which I will not soon forget.

Instead of languishing in what had become a rather cramped and increasingly uncomfortable holding pattern, I decided it would be important to jump off every cliff that was standing between me and my fear, which is the path I'm still on today, nearly a decade later. “Leap and the net will appear,” ...