www.karllashkari.com The Congruence Project | 1 Creating a new model of the modern man: a trustable man who is congruent within himself and who leads powerfully with heart and emotional intelligence to create more united and expansive relationships, businesses, and societies The Congruence Project WELCOME TO THE CONGRUENCE PROJECT In the divided state humanity is in today, plagued by disempowerment, inequality, and unnatural amounts of stress, men who identify themselves as leaders must own their power and open their hearts to create a better way of living for themselves, and for those who follow their leadership. As the decades pass by, more and more relationships are losing intimacy and trust, more and more corporate organizations are building cultures that promote imbalanced compensation and power structures that favor a few at the top and disempower the collective, and our society is increasingly divided by race, gender, and socioeconomic status. And we “powerful” men just sit and watch as these disempowering and disheartening circumstances continue to show up in our lives. Now is the time that changes, now is the time we change. This is a call to all the men who consider themselves “leaders” to step into their power, open their hearts, tap into their emotional intelligence, and take part in building a new paradigm in leadership. This new paradigm will directly result in the materialization of unbreakable trust and passion in relationships; healthy, empowered, and high-performing work cultures; and unified social change to elevate the quality of all people’s lives. IT STARTS WITH YOU! You have the power to take responsibility for your environment and your relationships, and it starts with taking responsibility for yourself. The Congruence Project has been designed to help you, as a man, transform your life by: Boosting health and vitality Developing a powerful and inspiring presence Enhancing emotional intelligence and felt intuition Guiding relationships and mastering sexuality The Congruence Project | 1 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 1 By transforming these four essential aspects of yourself, you will cultivate a greater ability to bring purpose, passion, fulfillment, and enjoyment into your intimate relationships and business endeavors. At first glance, you may think these four aspects of yourself are completely unrelated, that transforming your romantic, business, and social life requires separate efforts. That is not the case – they are all related. By developing inner congruence, which is a greater awareness and alignment within yourself, you will open the door to a new sense of freedom and fulfillment in all of these areas. Inner congruence is attained by developing: • The Inner Practice: Psychophysiological (mind–body) wellness Congruence of the analytical mind, the emotional center of the brain, the nervous system, and the physical body to create robust health and vitality and increase mental and physical performance. • The Self-Expression: Authentic expression & empowered action Congruence of physiologically establishing a connection with one’s inner- self; clearing conditioned beliefs and emotional blockages; revealing one’s true nature and core beliefs; integrating all parts of oneself that have been suppressed or hidden; developing thoughts, feelings, and actions that represent one’s ideal version of themselves; and the authentic embodiment and expression of this unified self. • The Embodied Philosophy: Integration of masculine and feminine traits Congruence of healthy masculine traits of purpose, logic, and structure with feminine traits of compassion, intuition, and flow to cultivate deep, authentic connections and create cultures of purposeful impact. The Congruence Project has been developed both to help you thrive in all areas of your life and to give you the tools to create a band of powerful and heartful leaders who want to raise the overall state of mankind and create limitless wealth and impact in the world. In the following pages, this blueprint will walk you through • My high-level framework for inner congruence • Three problem areas in our world that are in dire need of change • The call to action to initiate change in each of these three problem areas • The transformational tools that will help develop inner congruence in order to thrive in relationships, business, and social endeavors Note: In this document, the words “masculine” and “feminine” are referring to traits held within both men and women. We assume men and women each have both masculine and feminine traits, and each unique individual is in a different place on the masculine-feminine spectrum, irrespective of gender. Additionally, to make the content digestible, I reference “man” and “woman” as well as male-female intimate relationships; however these concepts apply to all genders and relationship types. The Congruence Project | 2 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 2 ACCESSING 18 STATES TO BECOME A CONGRUENT MAN Creating transformation in one’s health, relationships, career, or relationship to sexuality comes from the same place, that is, by creating inner congruence within one’s self. By developing deep awareness and alignment within one’s self, a congruent man will gain clarity around his deepest intrinsic beliefs and desires, optimize his mental and physical wellness, develop the authority to lead and create impact based on his unique beliefs and innate skill, and cultivate the ability to show up intentionally and grounded in all situations – with a broader field of awareness, heightened intuition, and a greater ability to communicate truthfully and create deeper connections. The 18 Mind–Body States for the Congruent Man is the primary framework used by the Congruence Project. By practicing applicable mental, emotional, and physical exercises, along with integrating healthy masculine and feminine traits, anyone with the deep desire for transformation will be able to create a stronger, more intentional, and more magnetic version of themselves. I classify inner congruence as the ability to access the following 18 Mind–Body States on-demand, as necessary: The Congruence Project | 3 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 3 How I Help You Transform In the Leadership Brotherhood program, the above framework will be primarily used to assist each participant in their transformation. As part of a container with other top business leaders, you will be taken through a training and coaching process, based on your current situation entering the program, and your transformation goals. The training includes the following three tracks, and the coaching will be fully customized to your individual needs. The three training tracks are: Note that though this framework is intended to support the overall transformation of each participant, I will provide additional education and practices to aid with each participant’s personal transformation and growth as a leader. In each of the three training tracks, the above mind–body states (as listed in the diagram above) will be utilized to help each participant create inner congruence by developing: 1. Psychophysiological (mind–body) wellness 2. Authentic expression and empowered action 3. Integrated masculine and feminine traits Details regarding what tools will be used to develop each of these areas are outlined in the subsequent sections. To learn more about the Leadership Brotherhood, reference page 29 Mind–Body Stress Release & Restoration Masculine Presence & Power Body Intelligence & Emotional Freedom The Congruence Project | 4 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 4 THE FIRST MOVEMENT We Must STOP FALLING VICTIM TO HIGH PRESSURE, HIGH-STRESS LIFESTYLES THAT ADVERSELY IMPACT our HEALTH AND WELL-BEING The Problem In today’s society, moving through life with high levels of stress is common, and for a ludicrous reason I can’t explain, expected. It is absolutely unacceptable that to survive and to reach our desired lifestyle goals, driven and successful men are expected to give in to a high-stress and high- production lifestyle that de-prioritizes mental and physical health, inner peace, high energy, happiness, and intimacy. The expectation placed on us is to continuously grind, persevere, accomplish, and competitively elevate our lifestyles higher and higher – come hell or high water. This outcome-driven mindset frequently exacerbates existing mental struggles, which then manifests into physical disease. This happens due to emotional suppression, tension in the body, an imbalanced nervous system, and toxic habits such as eating unhealthy food, drinking alcohol, watching violent or dramatic television, listening to angry/rebellious music, smoking, and doing drugs as an escape. So many people are dealing with depression from financial, career, relationship, and sexual hardships, and are working with anxiety from constantly worrying about losing financial, career, relationship, or sexual security. Now with the introduction of the coronavirus pandemic, there is an added level of fear and stress and lack of control over our lives ... which can also adversely affect our health. I played the game society gave me, I succeeded in the game society gave me, and I fell badly ill because of it. Is that the life we want to live? Is that the American dream? Nice houses, cars, and vacations, which automatically come with us agreeing to deal with long work hours, high amounts of stress, burnout, withering health, dying intimacy, and sacrificing satisfaction in the moment for unknown future gain? The Congruence Project | 5 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 5 Overeating or undereating Angry outbursts Drug or alcohol misuse Tobacco use Social withdrawal Exercising less often Common Effects of Stress On your body Headache Muscle tension or pain Chest pain Fatigue Change in sex drive Stomach upset Sleep problems On your mood On your behavior Anxiety Restlessness Lack of motivation or focus Feeling overwhelmed Irritability or anger Sadness or depression https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-manage- ment/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987 Source The Congruence Project | 6 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 6 How This Problem Shows Up in Key Areas of Life Relationships & sexuality – As men, we are expected to show up, stay strong, and be attentive in any and all situations ... all the time. In order to show up for our women in our role as a “real man” as defined by modern society, we are expected to unshakably succeed, create a wealth of life experiences, solve all problems and challenges, make important decisions, and always protect: ourselves, our partners, and our children. As a result, as a real man, there is little space for emotions, vulnerability, broken hearts, deep desires, or peace of mind. We have been told to show up and deliver for our women, and to suppress any parts of our humanity that may get in the way of getting those results. Oh, and we have also been conditioned to believe that we must exhibit physical and sexual prowess to attract and keep the right woman. That said ... no pressure man! Career – We live in a time in which there are a number of avenues organizations can pursue to get their productivity needs met, picking from an ever-increasing pool of wide-eyed “yes, can-do” college graduates, outsourcing to low-price offshore labor, or investing in bot automation technology. Due to the number of cost-cutting options available to businesses, the stakes are higher for executives and entry-level workers alike. Employees are expected to work long hours, rush through never-ending to- do lists, meet unreasonable milestones, and competitively outwork or out strategize anyone who may pose a threat, which most of the time happens to be someone who is fighting for the same things as you: praise, promotions, financial security, and status. For that, we are expected to allow anxiety, push through stress, power through discomfort, use criticism as motivation, and ignore any basic human needs by taking the much celebrated “mind over matter” approach. We have been conditioned to believe that this approach will lead to a happy, successful, ideal life. Successful – yes, happy – sometimes, ideal – not even close! Social – Socializing is meant to be fun – it should be easy, and be completely on our terms, right? That is not always the case. Because so much of what is expected of us is based on external motivations, it has become common to push away our body’s needs and our heart’s desires to meet societal expectations. This shows up in how men push themselves to exhaustion in the gym to look good, get hammered with co-workers, bosses, and networking acquaintances to prove status, and drink endless amounts of caffeine to create energy, which is then offset with marijuana or cigarettes to calm down. Through all this, in order to have a social life, one that by nature should be fulfilling, easy, and fun, we still find a way to sacrifice our health and inner satisfaction. The Congruence Project | 7 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 7 The Call to Action Mind & Body Stress Release & Restoration The modern man, the evolved leader, will need to take on this stress-driven culture by digging his feet into the ground and standing for his own health, vitality, and happiness, and for those who follow his lead. He will take back his power by saying “no” to burnout and acquiescing to someone else’s expectations, by mastering his mind, his emotions, and his body to create robust health and a more aligned way of being. By taking action to change cultural expectations as we know them, he can elevate the quality of his life by strengthening his mental and physical health, which will subsequently elevate levels of ease, happiness, creativity, impact, and performance. The call to action is to: Restore health and vitality We can restore healthy and vitality by developing relaxed focus, open awareness & nervous system regulation. Now is the time to prioritize our health, our well-being, and the quality of our energy before meeting deadlines or pleasing others. We no longer sacrifice health for paychecks, job status, or a romantic partner’s demands. As men, we must collectively stand for putting our health and the health of those who follow us first, and then from a place of greater ease, focus, and strength, we will be more equipped to boost performance and reach our goals. This can be achieved by prioritizing self-care practices such as meditation, breathwork, yoga, therapeutic exercises, fitness, and nutrition. Making inner peace, joy, compassion, and excitement mandatory We can develop inner peace, joy, compassion, and excitement by calming the nervous system, elevating emotions, & opening the heart. Believe it or not, we have the choice to not engage in mundane, strenuous activities that take us further away from inner peace, happiness, and fulfillment. Impact and all forms of wealth can be created from a state of calm and inspiration. And when we do achieve our goals, big or small, it is important to make space for gratitude, joy, and celebration of the accomplishment. The quality of our personal and work lives will be significantly boosted when we operate inside-out; it just takes a little intention and setting some boundaries with others to maintain our own happiness to get there. How Can This Be Achieved? The rise in mental health issues such as depression and anxiety, and physical illness due to undue stress, is not acceptable. If our environment won’t change, then we need to make the change within ourselves and then as leaders, take a stand for changing our environment. By mastering our psychophysiological (mental, emotional, and physical body) processes and empowering ourselves to sever our reliance on technology and people of higher authority, we will begin to reveal our deepest levels of purpose, passion, creativity, and talent in our personal and professional lives. The intention is to create mental–emotional–physical congruence to develop awareness and control of our inner world, so we can use our superpowers to impact the outer world, not the other way around. By owning the fact that we are the cause of our own stress, lifestyle illnesses, and lack of empowerment, we can begin to connect with our true selves and take back our power. We allowed external circumstances to abandon ourselves ... and now we are here to reclaim ourselves. This will be accomplished through deep inner practice ( process laid out on page 9 ). The Congruence Project | 8 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 8 THE INNER PRACTICE – PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGICAL (MIND–BODY) WELLNESS Drawing on my experiences in endlessly experimenting with my mind and body while recovering from a chronic illness, I came across many practices that brought alignment within myself in order to heal. I have done significant research and self- experimentation to identify the scientifically proven elements of many ageless and modern wellness practices and therapies that alter human biology to improve mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The core purpose of the inner practice is to create psychophysiological coherence. According to the HeartMath Institute: Psychophysiological coherence is characterized by increased order and harmony in both our psychological (mental and emotional) and physiological (bodily) processes. Psychophysiological coherence is a state of optimal function. Research shows that when we activate this state, our physiological systems function more efficiently, we experience greater emotional stability, and we also have increased mental clarity and improved cognitive function. Simply stated, our body and brain work better, we feel better, and we perform better. As part of my multi-year long journey biohacking and experimenting with my body to heal, I utilized specific training techniques to strengthen my mind and body systems, and then bring alignment of the brain, the heart, and the body. These techniques were not only effective in my healing process, but as an unintended consequence, resulted in significant benefits in carrying out my life’s mission and in effortlessly creating deep romantic relationships. As a result of this training – my presence, my emotions, and my energy began to work for me in delivering presentations, networking, having clarity and impact with clients, connecting with clarity and depth with romantic partners, and creating ecstatic sexual intimacy. I use these scientifically proven techniques to train my bodily systems, and associated metrics to track progress. Below are states that can be activated through mind-body training, the benefits of doing so, the impacted physiological systems, and metrics to track success. “ The Congruence Project | 9 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 9 Emotional Embodiment & Expression The training: Embodied expression & dance Benefits: Release suppressed emotions and stuck energy in the body. This allows you to process and move past traumas and limiting beliefs, so you can embody emotional states that better serve you. Physiological systems trained: Limbic system, endocrine system Metrics: N/A Presence – Concentrated Focus & Open Awareness The training: Meditation Benefits : Putting the mind in the best position to optimize its cognition by concentrating focus and expanding awareness. Reduce activity in the analytical mind and shift focus from the outside world to the inside world, creating more spaciousness for the discovery of true self, emotional intelligence, and creativity. Physiological systems trained : Frontal lobe, limbic system Metrics: EEG absolute brainwave values Nutrition The training: Diet and supplementation Benefits: Nourishing one’s physical body helps increase energy and strength, reduce inflammation, and bring clarity in the brain. Physiological systems trained: Intestines, organs, muscles, joints Sleep The training: Theta state sleep Benefits: The only time the body actually repairs neurons and nerve cells are when sleeping – specifically during the deep sleep stages that occur as body temperature decreases, which happens roughly between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Physiological systems trained: HPA-axis Metrics: Deep & REM sleep time Blood Oxygenation & Detoxification The training: Sauna, salt therapy, acupuncture, & massage Benefits: Enhance blood flow to organs and muscles to optimize energy and body function. Stimulate the liver to detoxify bloodstream and eliminate toxins through the kidney, intestines, and skin. Physiological systems trained: Circulatory system Metrics: Epidermal electronic sensor Body Awareness The training: Yoga, visualization, EQ training, & energy work Benefits: Developing awareness of the feeling of one’s physical body, internal organs, emotions, intuition, and the energetic awareness of one’s environment and in interpersonal interactions. Physiological systems trained: Interoception & proprioception Metrics: Heartbeat counting Breath The training: Breathwork Benefits: Altering the way an individual breathes will give them balance and control of their nervous system by intentionally activating the sympathetic nervous system fight or flight response, or the parasympathetic nervous system relax and restore response, based on what the circumstance requires. Physiological systems trained: Pulmonary system, autonomic nervous system, endocrine system Metrics: CO2 tolerance Elevated Thinking & Emotions The training: Neural reprogramming: visualization & emotional embodiment Benefits: Replacing outdated thinking patterns and stuck emotions with intentional thinking patterns and elevated emotions to create an energy that matches the ideal self. Feeling and believing your ideal reality will create that reality. Physiological systems trained: Brain neural networks, limbic system, autonomic nervous system, endocrine system Metrics: Heart rate variability The Inner Practice: Psychophysiological Wellness The Congruence Project | 10 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 10 The Congruence Project | 11 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 11 THE SECOND MOVEMENT We Must BRING EMPOWERMENT TO A CULTURE THAT PROMOTES BLIND COMPLIANCE AND APPROVAL-SEEKING The Problem One of the most widespread problems in modern-day society is that most people are motivated by external goals that others have told them will make them happy, and seek validation from people outside of themselves. Most men don’t have the awareness to hit the brakes on the daily grind and feel deeply into whether their actions or way of life truly fulfills them, instead, aimlessly trudging down the path they are “supposed” to be on. That is why you see so many men grinding to obtain goals that mean nothing to them, ones that were laid out by someone they aim to please such as their parents, a boss, a wife, or a girlfriend. So many of us are aiming for the high-status job, the fancy car, or the fleeting pleasure of an expensive dinner or bottle service at the club. If a man enjoys the finer pleasures in life and it comes fairly effortlessly, then perfect ... keep at it! But if a man is sacrificing himself – his peace of mind, his energy, his time, his happiness, or his desire for authentic connection and deep intimacy in order to show his might and impress others so they want to be around him, then he is actually not that mighty. He is actually what is called a “nice guy” – a people pleaser and validation seeker, a man who lacks purpose, cannot stand for what he believes is right, and pushes away his deep desires, and as a result, pushes away love for himself. The nice guy bases every action on seeking approval from others, whether that is a parent, a boss, a prospective business partner, a friend, or a romantic partner. A man who sacrifices himself to seek validation from another, regardless of his wealth or status, is an insecure man, disconnected from his innate masculinity. If you fit into this category, there is no reason to feel any shame about yourself. Our current societies and organizations have been designed for the majority of people to give up their power, and for the few pulling the strings to hold all the power and decision- making. Saying “NO” to someone who has authority may have consequences, so we choose to comply instead – we do this frequently and we do this in masses. Many men are raised to seek approval from their parents. Our dads teach us to not question their authority. Our moms teach us to “go with the flow” and to be whoever we need to be in order to be liked. Operating this way as children makes sense, but these traits become wired into our brain, showing up in our adult lives, and they permeate into relationships, work lives, and social lives. The current generation of men has been trained to be neutral – chameleons who can adapt and thrive in many situations, ready to act on the whims of someone else’s demand. Many “powerful” corporate leaders or men with beautiful partners are nothing more than puppets who are good at conforming to others’ opinions, carrying out others’ messages, and achieving others’ goals, all for the need for approval and acceptance. With the rise of the feminized man, or the “nice guy,” the world is lacking men who are purposeful leaders – strong enough to act on what they believe is right, bold enough reveal their unique truth and not conform, powerful enough to move mountains to make it happen, and charismatic enough to inspire others to follow their lead. We will talk about the importance of integrating our feminine traits as modern men, but we as men must make sure that it does not come at the expense of a strong relationship with our healthy masculinity. Your work subordinates, your mother, or your partner may reject your masculine leadership based on society’s current perspective on masculinity, but deep down, they desire that you step into your power so they can trust and relax into your leadership. How the Problem Shows Up in Key Areas of Life Relationships & sexuality – With many of this generation’s men having been primarily raised by their mothers, most men have been taught how to be men ... by women. We have been taught that to keep a woman’s love and trust that we must seek her approval, constantly aim to please, and put a woman’s spoken needs first. This is exactly why relationships are suffering and many are lacking true sexual polarity. Because deep down a woman wants a man to exude his masculinity with her, his awareness, his power, his desires, and his leadership. The de-masculinization of men over the past few decades has been a true lose–lose situation – men are feeling confused, powerless, and sexually unsatisfied, while their women are losing trust in masculinity, holding back their hearts, and are also sexually unsatisfied. What a shame. Career – Think about this for a second. How many times have you approached your boss for a raise, or some accommodation, and they have told you that there is nothing they can do about it, that the request or decision is out of their control? And how many times has this same boss unexpectedly assigned you an overwhelming workload, asked you to work extra hours and sacrifice your personal life to complete a project, or communicated his lofty expectations of you? Isn’t it ironic that so many corporate “leaders” – managers and executives alike, have so much power when it comes to squeezing the most out of you, yet so little power when it comes to listening to your unique ideas or rewarding you appropriately? We have an extremely unbalanced hierarchical structure in most organizations today, where only a handful of people hold the true power, and the rest are sacrificing, accommodating, pleasing, and complying to meet the needs of these few people. A powerless leader, one who does not have the ability to make decisions from his gut or from his heart, is not a leader at all ... and our organizations are filled with men and women who fit this description. Social – So many men today are more likely to follow someone else’s belief system or guidance than speak their truth and act boldly based on their own wisdom. There are only a small number of men who are connected with their purpose, their core beliefs, and their hearts. This world needs more powerful men who are connected with their hearts, and who can think for themselves to step up and lead social initiatives that protect the masses, fun activities that raise the vibration of the masses, and forward- thinking innovation to inspire the masses. You look at the rampant division and victimization of so many people in society today – it is because we do not have enough bold, purpose-driven leaders who are willing to understand their core beliefs and what makes their heart move, then show up powerfully in the world to bring more equality, unity, joy, and inspiration to those who follow their lead. Instead, you see so many men “leading” initiatives and using their masculine voice and power to do nothing more than “go with the flow” and conform to a popular but ineffective way of thinking and behaving. The Congruence Project | 12 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 12 The Call to Action Masculine Presence & Power It is time that we as men shift our mindsets away from allowing our personal reality to be at the whim of someone else’s beliefs, direction, and leadership. No healthy person should be a victim of circumstance due to an imbalanced power structure. All people must be empowered to be with who they choose, work on what fulfills them, and make the decisions based on their UNIQUE beliefs. Everyone deserves peace, personal power, impact, possibility, and pleasure – on their own terms. Cultivating personal power will provide men with the courage and inspiration to make a heart-driven impact and meaningful connections, experience a drastic increase in work fulfillment and performance, and gain the confidence and embodied presence to experience pleasure in romantic relationships and in sexual interactions. The call to action is to develop: Intrinsic motivation Doing away with the performance review mentality – externally induced pressure, self-criticism, and approval-seeking as the motivator for a “job well done.” Through meditation and other means of inner practice, we must create space for a deep discovery of ourselves, our beliefs and values, our passions, our pleasures, what fulfills us, and the depth of intimate connection we desire. With this understanding, we can develop the self-awareness to intentionally give our energy only to initiatives that feel exciting, rewarding, nourishing, and intrinsically motivating. Developing a heart- mind coherence will drastically improve one’s satisfaction and performance. Never again will we allow external motivators, like someone else’s demands or unforeseen circumstances, dictate what we give our time, energy, and heart to. Personal power Once we understand what motivates us intrinsically, we have a choice to act based on our purpose, show up intentionally, express how we feel, stand for what we believe in, and set boundaries when something doesn’t serve us. Once we create alignment within ourselves, we have the tools to speak our truth and take action with conviction. This requires us to deepen our awareness of ourselves and our environment, and to ground into our most centered physical and energetic presence. Doing so will allow us to unleash our true selves into the world in a way that is powerful, unshakeable, authentic, vulnerable, passionate, inspiring, and impactful. Our women, our work staff, and our society are craving this powerful and loving style of leadership. Inspired possibilities This call to action is the most advanced, and will bring the best outcomes for you and those around you. By developing full awareness and mastery of our minds and emotions, we can witness and replace scattered, scarce, and fear-based thinking patterns with intentional thoughts of limitless possibility, excitement, joy, and compassion. Rewiring one’s mind to raise baseline emotions to an elevated state that represents the new, ideal version of oneself will open up new possibilities of creativity, innovation, impact, connection, and pleasure. The Congruence Project | 13 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 13 How Can This Be Achieved? In order to be empowered and inspired to live our deep truth and follow our hearts, we must ignore what is going on in our environments, and work on empowering and inspiring ourselves from within. This is done by becoming comfortable in our own skin, confident and who we are, and clear about what we stand for. This can be done by: 1. Unifying our inner world with our outer expression by expressing ourselves authentically and empowering our actions ( process laid out on the page 15 ) 2. Owning our healthy masculine traits that will support us in unapologetically living out our purpose and demanding our deepest desires be met ( process laid out on page 21 ) See the referenced pages for more information as to how you can begin to take a stand to live a life on your own terms based on your beliefs, by following your heart, and by turning your creative imagination into reality. The Congruence Project | 14 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 14 THE SELF EXPRESSION – EMPOWERED ACTION & AUTHENTIC EXPRESSION 5. Programming ideal self Creating the ideal version of yourself as the person you choose to be in the world 6. Embodiment & expression of unified self Integrating a clear and unified belief system, then powerfully and authentically expressing your spoken truth and embodied emotions without fear of consequence 3. Revealing true self & core beliefs Discovering and revealing your natural qualities, core beliefs, deep desires, and heart-driven purpose 4. Integrating shadows Bringing awareness and ownership of the parts of yourself that have been suppressed or hidden, the parts you have been unwilling to acknowledge or own 2. Clearing conditioned beliefs and emotional blockages Deconditioning a lifetime worth of beliefs instilled in you by parents, teachers, bosses, and friends, and clearing self-imposed emotional blocks created by past traumatic experiences or stories created by your mind 1. Developing connection with inner-self Creating a physiological connection and alignment with your brain, heart, nervous system, and physical body 1 6 2 3 4 5 So far we have discussed the importance of self-discovery by creating a deep inner practice. In order to apply these practices to your daily life, a man must integrate his whole self into one singular way of thinking, feeling, and consciously and subconsciously being. The path to personal transformation begins with physiologically establishing the connection with one’s inner- self, clearing conditioned beliefs and emotional blockages, revealing one’s true nature and core beliefs, integrating all parts of oneself that have been suppressed or hidden, developing thoughts, feelings, and habits that represent one’s ideal version of themself, and the authentic embodiment and expression of this unified self. Once a man unifies himself internally, embodies this unified self, and expresses his unified, authentic-self to others; resisting any mental strategies or internal shifts based on what negative outcomes or perceptions may arise from his authentic way for being - he is ready to lead in his life and the world with authenticity, power, and congruence. See the below model for unifying oneself - the inner belief system with the outer expression: The Congruence Project | 15 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 15 THE THIRD MOVEMENT We Must evolve our leadership styles TO ACCEPT FEMININE QUALITIES OF INTUITION, EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE, CREATIVITY, COMPASSION, AND FULFILLMENT The Problem Relationships, organizations, and societies have historically been led by men who proudly flaunt their masculine power and competitive nature at every opportunity. In a dog-eat-dog world, this has led to an imbalanced masculinization of traditional leadership styles. Today, the men and women who lead relationships, organizations, and societies are forced to constantly be in their analytical minds to a point where they completely ignore what is present in the body. The encouragement of men to always use logic, constantly produce results, and control outcomes so they unfold according to plan frequently results in the suppression of the felt sense of momentary emotions and intuition, superficial motivations and relationships, and stunted creativity. Finding a leader who possesses emotional intelligence, deep intuition, an open- heart, and innate creativity is extremely rare. That is why we live in a divided society, work for rigid and monotonous organizational cultures, and so easily lose passion for our work and lose intimacy in our romantic relationships. The traditional standard of leadership has been so over-masculinized, we value traits of intelligence, problem- solving, competitiveness, and drive above all else, and within certain sections of the feminist movement, society is demanding these masculine traits now show up in both men and women. Essential feminine gifts such as feeling the moment, intuition, creativity, and compassion have been largely disregarded and discouraged – viewed as a hindrance to progress, success, and power. But in reality, when these feminine traits are intentionally integrated within a man – along with his masculine traits of intelligence, purpose, and courage – we now have the ability to create a leader who embodies all the gifts given to humanity who can then create more meaningful forms of progress, success, and power; directly resulting in the growth and betterment of everyone involved. The Congruence Project | 16 Copyright © 2020 Karl Lashkari LLC. All Rights Reserved. 16 How the Problem Shows Up in Key Areas of Life Relationship & sexuality – How many times have you been frustrated with your partner, trying so hard to understand her logic ... and the more logic you bring, the more confused and frustrated both of you get? Society has pushed men and women in a masculine direction, leading us to believe all situations should be handled analytically and all problems should be solved with logic. The problem is – if your woman has a feminine essence, she will have difficulty connecting with you because she is simply not capable of matching your logic and reasoning. This leads to frequent misunderstandings and failing relationships. When you build a capability to understand, allow, and guide her femininity in your relationship – by utilizing emotional intelligence, depth of connection, and space holding for her feelings, and by leading her deeper into her feminine desire for trust, safety, and unconditional love – new doors will open for better communication, deeper connection, increased passion, and more ecstatic and pleasureful sex. Career – Most mid-level managers to C-suite executives experience a lack of personal autonomy and mental spaciousness. They are trapped in a habitual pattern of constantly being rewarded to fall in line with the company direction and utilize any available time and energy to problem solve how to deliver someone else’s message and meet someone else’s goals. This takes away from the time and energy required to create something inspired by your own brilliance, and as a result, creativity is stunted and innovation cannot reach its potential. When you add to that perpetual high work outputs and never-ending to-do lists that drain a large capacity of mental energy, it becomes very difficult, if not impossible, to maximize your unique intelligenc