Ok, we admit it, it’s difficult to think of the 7 Levels of Effectiveness as anything other than hierarchical. They go from one to seven in order, and clearly, seven is better than one, right? One is an “F” in life and Seven must be an “A!” It’s a tricky thing, this linear thinking. In the western world, we’re programmed to think in terms of good, better, best. Most people, when they see 7 Levels, want to get to Synchronicity. Or maybe at least Innovation. The better levels, the higher levels, the more effective levels.
The thing is, it doesn’t really work that way. The levels aren’t somewhere you get to, or a grade life gives you. They are an imperfect attempt to look at energy, and all of them exist within us. Or maybe a better way to say it is that the truth of our being is Synchronicity, the level of love. The truth of our being is oneness. And, in this human manifestation, stuff gets in the way.
We often share an analogy about the 7 Levels that they are like water. Below the line in Hopelessness, Fear and Frustration, the water is progressively dirtier and unfit for consumption. In fact, it will make you sick. At Courage, the water becomes safe to drink, but there is a fair amount of contamination still in it. At Engagement, it becomes cleaner, at Innovation, cleaner still, and at the upper edges of Synchronicity, completely pure.
This is the hallmark of the seventh level, a purity of spirit, a freedom from being grabbed and used by aspects of the lower levels. And — here comes the paradox — at this level there is also an amazing ability to be with and acknowledge the lower levels that may show up in oneself from time to time. Synchronicity can be present to anything, without resistance, anxiety, shame, or judgment. It’s interesting, but we find that people who seem to have genuine access to Synchroncity rarely claim this level for themselves. The purity of spirit keeps them acutely aware of their own imperfections, and they will share their failings freely, but without beating themselves up or wallowing in guilt. They seem to find their own process fascinating, and there is a fearlessness to the way they engage with their own shortcomings.
I’m going to say something a bit controversial here. At BEabove, we’ve studied, explored, discussed and researched for years. We’ve worked with thousands of people and hundreds of organizations. Synchronicity as a way of being is extremely rare. True Innovation is also extremely rare. When we go into businesses and organizations, they all want to achieve the best, and the common rallying cry is “let’s work in synchronicity!” but it’s just not so easy. Again, here comes the paradox. There is enough ego in wanting to be in Synchronicity that it kills the space.
We’re used to being able to achieve, but Synchronicity — and even Innovation, to a point — are not levels you can do your way into. Engagement, yes. The higher ones, no. They are more of a stop doing, stop trying, stop efforting and planning sort of space. The less we are attached to being there, the less we hold it as right, as our accomplishment, the more accessible they become.
The other thing that we notice gets in the way of Levels 6 and 7 is the stake around which life or business is organized. Level 7 is not going be found, no matter what you do, if your purpose as an individual or organization is anything less than pure love. Which is why this level is so rare. An organization that is essentially about profit will never function in Synchronicity, no matter how humane their policies, because Synchronicity only exists in the field of love, truth, abundance, and oneness. And even to truly be in Innovation, the stake needs to be something very different than simply how do we make more money for this business? This field demands a nobility of spirit, a desire to better things for humanity, in order to be fully present.
This may not seem fair, but hey, these are energy fields, not awards, and we’re just here to tell you how they work. It reminds me of when I fell and broke my arm last year. I didn’t get mad at gravity, or the doctors who told me this was a common injury in falls. They were just reminding me of how the physics of this planet work. 🙂