THE UNITED STATES OF YOU
Publisher
tredition GmbH, Halenreie 40-44, 22359 Hamburg, Germany
Copyright © 2018 Kathrin Köster
Layout by Sina Georgy
Illustrations drawn by Sandra Bach
Creation of The Formies by Kathrin Köster
ISBN 978-3-7469-8296-0 (Paperback)
ISBN 978-3-7469-8297-7 (E-Book)
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher or contact the author: koester@ koesterpartner.de
Limit of Liability / Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy and completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of fitness for a particular purpose. The advice or strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any health issues, be it physical or mental, or any commercial damage, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
In ancient times, those who wished to bring harmony to the whole world would first bring order to their states. Those who wished to bring order to their states would first regulate their families. Those who wished to regulate their families would first cultivate their own moral character. When the moral character is cultivated, the family will be regulated; when the family is regulated, the state will be in order; when the state is in order, the whole world will be pacified.
From the king down to the common people, all must regard the cultivation of the self as the most essential thing. It is impossible to have a situation wherein the essentials are in disorder, and the externals are well-managed.
Kongzi, aka Confucius
The Great Learning
In modern times of disruptive change, those who wish to pacify the world need a deeper understanding of themselves. Those who want to gain a deeper understanding of themselves need to recognize themselves as a composition of mind, body, heart and consciousness. Those who recognize themselves as a composition of mind, body, heart, and consciousness need to cultivate each of these parts. Those who cultivate each part, need to establish respectful coexistence between the parts. Those who establish respectful co-existence between the parts gain inner balance. Those who gain inner balance bring harmony to the world and contribute to solve its issues.
Kathrin Köster
The United States of You
A FEW WORDS FROM YOUR TOUR GUIDE
About pioneering
Why set out for self-exploration?
What is the self-exploration journey for?
The purpose and design of this book
About journaling
Chapter 1 end reflections
IT’S TRAVELLING TO YOUR CORE SEASON
A long-lasting WOW feeling
Communication en route
About your personal navigator
What to do when you get stuck?
How your journey can look
Chapter 2 end reflections
THE LAND OF MIND
Have you ever thought about thoughts?
What are the shaping factors of thoughts?
About thought patterns
How to identify thought patterns
How thought patterns are related to your journey
How culture shapes expectations
How expectations put you on autopilot
How expectations are linked to roles
What’s special in a multicultural setup?
About your discoveries in the Land of Mind
How to proceed to the Land of Body and Heart
Chapter 3 end reflections
THE LAND OF BODY
Where is the entry to the Land of Body?
What does Buddy Body know?
Why it’s worth listening
How to explore pre-determined breaking points
How Mr Mind cooperates with Buddy Body
How to find hidden trails through the Land of Body
Rewarding paths through your Land of Body
How to align body and mind
Chapter 4 end reflections
THE LAND OF HEART
The power of emotions
Why is the heart important?
How to approach emotions
How do I understand the entire wealth of emotions?
Why ‘negative’ emotions are vital
How do heart and body collaborate?
How emotions are related to needs
What are typical emotional patterns?
Chapter 5end reflections
EN ROUTE WITH THE L-LOOPS
Getting ahead with the L-Loops
1. Locating
2. Letting Go
3. Learning
4. Laughing
5. Leveraging
6. Loving
Travelling the L-Loops
Chapter 6 end reflections
IN TOUCH WITH THE CORE
About advanced coring
The nature of the CORE
Indicators for proximity to the CORE
Being beyond
Keeping contact with the CORE in normal life
My story about my story …
Chapter 7 end reflections
APPENDIX
Toolkit
Glossary
Further Reading
WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
Times are changing — as they always do. Heraclitus had this insight 2500 years ago when he stated that everything flows (panta rei) and nothing stands still. At the beginning of the twenty-first century, there seems to be a massive acceleration of this flow. We are facing a plethora of disruptive changes in nearly all spheres of life. New questions arise, such as, will human beings soon be accompanied — and even replaced — by robots? Will we run out of jobs? How will our societies sustain themselves? What forms will future energy supplies take? What will happen to those industries dependent on traditional energy sources? Will the planet survive with all the environmental burdens the industrial world has placed on it?
The wind of change is blowing right in our faces and many of us begin to feel overwhelmed or even paralysed. But are we really just helpless observers of circumstances? Is it true that we can’t change anything because these changes are overwhelming and we don’t have any way of stopping them? We are right to ask whether we have the power to solve any of these burning issues and turn the world around.
But things look different when we rephrase the question to: Can I make a difference at all? Then the answer is most emphatically yes! Isn’t that contradictory to what I said above? No! Every individual is powerful. The key lies in the direction of change. Do you attempt to change external circumstances or do you address changes primarily to yourself?
If the main focus of change is directed towards the internal instead of the external, then everyone can make an impact. And the beauty of it is this: it is in your personal realm. If you want to change yourself, nobody but yourself is holding you back. You don’t have to ask anybody for permission and it’s entirely within your area of control. By effecting inner change, you’ll also make a huge difference to those around you. It’s like throwing a pebble into a lake.
Interestingly, more and more people are embarking on a journey to find out about themselves and to explore new terrain, consciously or not. They begin by moving out of their comfort zone because it somehow no longer feels right. It’s like a wake-up call on a global scale. Although these travellers come from all age groups, it’s members of Generation Y (born between 1980 and 2000) and Generation Z (born after 2000) who make up the majority of pioneers on the self-discovery journey. They question the values of industrialized societies, such as work ethic and performance orientation, and feel a strong need to find meaning in what they do. Many grew up in abundance. Because they live in industrialized countries, material wealth is ‘normal’ for them and they question whether they really need what their parents have. They (re)discover the value of non-materialistic needs such as self-esteem and self-realization or the need for tranquillity and recreation in nature.
All these individuals are in the process of breaking free from orienting themselves towards the external world and turning towards their internal world. Knowingly or not, they begin a journey to discover their true essence, their CORE. It’s not always obvious to the outsider when someone has embarked on the journey. But if inner change results in behavioural change, everyone can see who is en route. Look at the people changing their lives. Who is doing things differently? Chances are you’ll find travel companions among them. Check it out, talk about it. Create your own support network. It’s easier and more fun to travel with others. There are many around. Now is the best time to start your journey. And you’re just in time to have a positive impact on disruptive change. You will make a difference — starting with yourself.
