The Aliveness CODE: Circles of impact

The Aliveness CODE has three broad areas of application.

1. Moving out of a constricted/drained place (e.g., stress management, navigating big change, burnout).
2. Finding and fueling your groove (improving performance, achievement, etc.).
3. Making a greater impact (both with your work and the difference your life makes).

Those might seem like three different applications, but really they are all interrelated effects that live along one continuum. This graphic gives a picture of how they are related.

One of the ways I describe the purpose of The Aliveness CODE is to help people feel more energized and alive, with more inner space for that energy to flow. Bottom line, the more energized you feel and the less constricted that “inner pipeline” is, the more fully you can show up, the more in the groove you feel, and the greater your ability to make an impact.

Reduce Drain & Constriction

At this stage, it’s addition by subtraction. You feel more open by experiencing less constriction, and more energized by experiencing less of what drains you.

This is about reducing the constriction (like stress, anger, worry, etc.) and reducing what drains your energy. As you do, you remove the obstacles to experiencing that sense of flow. You remove – or simply get more adept at navigating – the things that limit your potential. You can think of reducing the constriction as making more space for equanimity.

Increase Energized Flow

Here, it’s about bringing more of what energizes you into the picture and cultivating a greater inner expansiveness. When you feel positively energized and have the space for that energy to flow, you start living in the fullness of what you have to offer.

You have more to put into whatever you do, and you enjoy the experience more. You are better able to apply your gifts and abilities, which impacts both how you perform and what you can achieve. You’re better able to see the big picture, and more resilient when things go wrong. You’re more open to connections, and better able to see creative solutions and possibilities. You’re even healthier. I call this the Aliveness Zone.

Make a Greater Impact

When you’re in your groove and surfing the flow of possibility, you’re able to make a greater impact. This comes on multiple levels.

Some of that is work-related. For example:

• You perform better.
• You achieve more.
• You see more possibilities.
• You’re more willing to try things and take risks.
• You’re better able to solve problems standing in the way of your goals.

But the impact you make when you’re in the Aliveness Zone isn’t just about your professional world. It also applies to the difference you make in the world with your day-to-day life. For example, when you’re coming from that groove and flow, you:

Have a more positive impact on the people around you.

• See more possibilities to leave the world better than you found it.
• Feel more inclined to take action on a positive possibility you notice (e.g., helping someone, making a helpful connection, or paying a compliment).
• Have more to put into any non-work efforts (e.g., volunteering) to make the world a better place.

But it doesn’t end there. If you want to see the full scope of the impact your Aliveness CODE work can have, there’s one more level of impact – the indirect change resulting from the positive ripples spreading out from the direct impact you have.