Discover the Unseen. T.J. Wagoner
even permeated the operations of the company. I attended a leadership team meeting on financial status. It went on for over two hours with many numbers and figures that were being presented and tossed about. Afterwards, I met with the CEO and asked if that meeting and the information shared had been of value. She said some, but most of it was not useful for her. So I asked, “What information is valuable; what is the vision you have for the company?” She repeated the same vision that I had seen on the walls and that the figures and numbers were crucial to running the business. After many hours of debating and searching for the real Desire of this leader and company, it came down to, “I want to be profitable and have engaged employees and satisfied customers.”
“Now,” I said, “that is a vision, a vision that everyone can understand and own.”
You see, it wasn’t that all those reports were a waste of time because at some point through the years they were necessary. There was a situation that needed a report to understand and ensure that it didn’t happen again, but not everyone was aligned with the vision. This was only because the vision wasn’t part of the daily activities. Only when everyone in a company understands what it is that the company is about can you look at your individual activities to ensure that everyone is adding value. In this case, with the new vision of “a profitable company with engaged employees and satisfied customers,” it was simple to see the alignment or notice when the activities were not productive and consistent throughout the organization.
Much like this example, we, too, have a similar directional malfunction in our Desire. We get caught up in the “foreground” of what we think others want to hear, versus taking the time to look within for the real purpose we want to fulfill. When this is defined, we can build upon this Desire plus align with the process and with what you have, where you are, and what is needed at this current place and time. However, many times for us, as individuals, it’s difficult. We must shift from the foreground to viewing from the background to see the unseen, but you will see when you do that it is there, waiting. Just as the CEO did by slowing down and seeking what it was she wanted the company to be, you, too, can do the same.
This can also be a scary process for us, meaning that to find our Desire, the passion of our soul, many times we have to face fear. It doesn’t matter who we are, we all have fears that we don’t want to face. I believe that fear and desire live in the exact same space. In order to discover your Desire, you must face the fear that is blocking you. The CEO had to face the fear of not really knowing why she had all those reports and that she may have to lay off many employees after finding out the reports weren’t necessary to run the business, and no one likes to eliminate jobs. We have to face that fear and lean into it with the confidence that we will discover our purpose, our Desire, and our Righteous Cause.
For me it was facing the fear of unworthiness. There was no way that I ( Jeff ) could ever deliver a message of such importance. I could have stayed the course and ignored the presence that afternoon in the parking lot. But I am so very certain that the dark emptiness would have returned to haunt me once again, as I would not be living out my Righteous Cause. Ever since that afternoon in the parking lot of a Mexican restaurant in Seattle, neither this book nor my life have been the same, and in a very good way. Since we have been following my Righteous Cause, it seems that everyone and everything needed to launch this book and the tour to follow is now falling into place. These ideas, concepts, and processes are simple but yet so powerful, and I am excited to be sharing them with each and every one of you!
Who am I? The Advent5 Experience .
The purpose of the Advent5 Process is to help you get from your current state to your Desired state in the most efficient and sustainable way possible. Your current state is where you are now, and your Desired state is a place of quiet confidence, joy, accomplishment and significance. Even if you don’t yet know what your deepest purpose is, the material contained in this book will guide you through the discovery of your innermost Desire and help you build a step-by-step, systematic roadmap to achieve it.
The decades-long development of the Advent5 Process began as a result of my natural Desire to continuously improve myself and my comfort with building structured processes. I was at a tough stage in my life, and I knew there were certain techniques I could use to solve a problem and pull myself out of difficult situations. In time, I refined aspects of my ideas, honed techniques, and found myself sharing them with friends, family members and clients.
In the beginning, I didn’t have a process, only habit, so I had to create one of my own. I felt the techniques I used to guide companies toward greatness could be translated to lead people toward their Desires. I want to help you avoid the difficulties I went through by giving you a process that works in just about all situations, every time. You don’t need to come up with this on your own. You can learn from my Adventures and skip the struggles.
Even though I’ve been using the Advent5 Process for years, I see myself on an exciting journey that never ends, and I am still a co-producer in the design of my own life. I so relish my work as an author, speaker and coach, and continue to actively manage a consulting business that is thriving. These experiences have all contributed toward the flexibility of this process and it has allowed me to branch into new directions. Using the process has helped me stay connected to my core passions, assemble the resources I need, act on my goals effectively, and achieve a life of joyous fulfillment even in the face of adversity.
For me, this is not just a set of good ideas, concepts and processes that I place on the shelf at the end of the day. I live with these principles and apply them in all areas of my life. It’s only recently that I’ve discovered the great need to systematize and share the methods with a wider audience. There are very inspiring times ahead for all of us as we apply ourselves and the message of Discover the Unseen…
The Advent5 Process uses symbols as a visual cue. They provide a mechanism to anchor new ideas and sustain momentum. The five symbols are Fire, Water, Wind, Sun and Rock. The number five itself has universal significance in many cultures and ideologies. For example, in China, five is the number of the center, your life path. In numerology, five represents the number of freedom and change. There are five digits on each one of your hands and feet, five senses, and five points on the ancient pyramids.
Advent5 is a set of action-driven and results-oriented processes that allow you to participate in the design of your life, with the Elements, a 5-step building process , which helps in defining your Desire, identifying your talents, gathering what’s needed to pursue your path, overcoming adversity, and creating a deliberate action plan on a foundation of sustainment. This process will guide you to the element of the one true driving force that each individual has, the one true aim in a person’s life.
There is a meaning for your life, one you create with intention. You were created for a purpose and it’s just that most of us don’t seek it out or look to others for what that purpose could be. With self-help you seek outside. With Advent5 you seek within.
Through the first steps in my own life-changing experiences, I was able to craft the early beginnings of this process for identifying and living a life of purpose. It’s become my life’s work, and I’ve refined it considerably and continually. I’m thrilled to bring it now to you.
Let’s look at a brief overview of the elements in the Advent5 Process.
| Fire: is useful for providing light and warmth but has the power to consume violently if uncontrolled. | |
| Water: heated water can make steam but must be balanced properly with fire for both to coexist. | |