How Asmâa Methqal Builds Sustainable Success by Tapping into Intuition and Flow

[00:00:00] Les McDaniel: All right. All right. Here we are today. We're going to be jumping right into our discussion around the peace index, conquer chaos, and find fulfillment. This is our goal as we discover what it looks like to be at peace in our world. Now, before we jump into the purpose section of this, I really wanted to kind of, Well set this up a little bit.

[00:00:21] Les McDaniel: You see, I believe, and I think that there is a strong argument to say that we walk around and the way that we walk into a room has an impact on everybody's energy in that room, in the same way that everybody's energy. Affects us. Now, that looks like to me that what you'll find in this notion of the peace index is that we all walk around with numbers over our head that kind of really describe where we are.

[00:00:45] Les McDaniel: Some of us walk in the room and we are, you know, we're jazzed up. We're at like 90% peace and. And when we walk in the room, everybody is ecstatic about what they see and how they see us. And, and they are drawn to us. And then some of us, we're walking into our rooms and we're just, we've had a rough day, we've had a rough week, and we feel down, maybe something happened in your family, maybe something happened to you.

[00:01:06] Les McDaniel: And, and the truth is, is that our number can be shifting over our heads at any given point all day long throughout the. I can be sitting here right now going down this pathway. I can have a plan for where I want to go, and in that moment I say something that I don't like and my peace index can go down just a little bit.

[00:01:23] Les McDaniel: Cause all of a sudden I'm concerned about what you're thinking about what I just said, and should I re-record it? And all those kinds of things. We have these numbers that as we walk into a, room, give off the signal of kind of where we are within the. Index and how we feel about ourselves in that particular moment.

[00:01:42] Les McDaniel: We all know the people that have that walk into the room and it feels like they just drain the energy out from us. We all know those people in the room that just energizes. And we all know those room, those people who just feel like they're so even all the time. And this is what we're gonna be talking about throughout the next couple of weeks because here's what I see as we play this game of life together.

[00:02:06] Les McDaniel: And that is, is that we all are seeking something that both connects us, while allows us to express our individuality, who we are, who we were made to be. And to me, this is where we launched this off into the, this discussion around purpose. You see, purpose for me is my leading indicator. This is the thing that when it is down, it is down and I am down, and everything else seems to fall outta place.

[00:02:31] Les McDaniel: The best example of this that I can think of is, you know, for many years I was a real estate agent for, I flipped houses for a while, Loved doing that. I sold residential for a pretty little amount of time and then jumped into commercial where it was really exciting and fun and I just enjoyed the idea of, of creating relationships and doing big deals as opposed to smaller deals.

[00:02:51] Les McDaniel: At least I thought I was gonna like that. But at the core of it, There's something about the world of real estate. That really didn't feed my soul. It didn't feed that truth that was within me, that thing that shined. I went back to school many years ago in order to get my Masters of divinity so that I could truly tap into.

[00:03:11] Les McDaniel: And be transformed into something that is so much bigger than me to understand what it is that this thing called God, this thing that, that the, the people in this world, and I've, I've dove into the deep waters of many other spaces that, that are in the realm of. Spirituality because that is where I find deep rich meaning and allows me to connect with people where they are and, and to see through the, the, the things that are shallow types of image bearing type things that, those things that people present to you, those things that it allows me to see right through all the fluff that people have, are, are saying, and to get to the core and the heart of who they really are.

[00:03:52] Les McDaniel: This is where I find. And yet in real estate, it just felt like so much of it was about just this thing that would, was fleeting, this thing that wouldn't last forever. There brought, and, and so oftentimes it was also very stressful because each deal was, had a long deal period. And, and then the, and then the possibility of, of it falling out was huge because there was too many people that could potentially end the deal or, you know, crash the deal down.

[00:04:18] Les McDaniel: And I found myself just constantly stressed. And constantly at odds and having to play the game of, of covering over that chaos with a false sense of peace that came through substances, through watching television too much, through finding distractions to give myself peace. Most of my relationships in that world were built on, on happy hours and, and making connections that were at events where we were playing big games and, you know, going to Vegas and, and, and living that rockstar life with, And yet most of us weren't really rock stars.

[00:04:57] Les McDaniel: We were just good at what we did and we were able to show up at these places and create community built on things that allowed us to kind of release ourselves from the stress. That can come in the world that we were living in. Maybe you can relate, maybe your job is doing the same kind of thing. Maybe, maybe you are getting your, your purpose feels like it's getting squelched in our world today.

[00:05:19] Les McDaniel: And so I, I think one of the, the key components of where I want us to, to dive into today is I really want us to begin to ask some questions that will allow us to. Maybe dive down into what purpose really means. I think sometimes that, you know I've heard my wife say, and I think I've had moments of this too, where, as we have become empty nesters in this world, there's this sense of a loss of purpose that can occur as things that were very important to us and, and our, where we found our identity.

[00:05:54] Les McDaniel: And, and I know for me as a dad. There was a, there was a sense of a loss of purpose that came when I dropped my son off at school at Abilene Christian not too long ago, literally like a month ago, and felt this sense of permanent that everything had changed as, as with regards to what my purpose was in life.

[00:06:13] Les McDaniel: And yet that's not so much what purpose really is. That leans more into the realm of say, responsibility. . And so as we are diving into what your purpose, what your number is, that number that hovers over your head, that is fed by your, peacefulness in your purpose. What I want to really find out from you is what is it that truly lights you up?

[00:06:38] Les McDaniel: What is it that brings you such great joy when you get to do it? What is that thing that ultimately allows you not, it's not even about your identity, it's more about the meaning that is given to your life through what you do, how you, how you live, the people you're engaged with. It resonates throughout all sectors of the Peace Index in most cases.

[00:07:04] Les McDaniel: Is it authentic? Is it surface? Where is your number? So as we continue down this, this pipeline of really beginning to delve into purpose, I think it's important for us to recognize that, Our purpose is so much bigger than any one moment of life. So many of us are in such a rush to get to the highest level of life that we, we skip steps.

[00:07:30] Les McDaniel: And in skipping those steps, we sometimes actually limit our ability to truly tap into and find our purpose. We take on what the world says is important. And I can, I think of things like how many of the social media posts that are out there today are all about taking you from five figures to six figures, From six figures to seven figures, to seven figures, eight figures and so forth.

[00:07:50] Les McDaniel: And so, How many of those is all about taking you from X number of followers to a hundred thousand followers, to a million followers? We're constantly being sold on these things that are just really, they're, they're not really purposeful. They're things that really don't matter. I mean, when it comes to followers, the reality of it is, is that there's a, there's a poll out there that, but ultimately says that we are really only able to, and I think this is probably pretty loose loosely, maintain 150 relationships in our life at any given moment.

[00:08:24] Les McDaniel: Now I'm a connector. And you look at my, my phone and you'll see that I got like 4,000 contacts. You go onto my Facebook page, I got way too many friends. I don't wanna say you, If you're a friend of mine on Facebook, you're not. Way too many. See a connector. Can't let that go. Now, I, I, I, I just am a connector and I love people and I can, I can have a lot of different relationships that, that, and I can go deep real quick with people and get to know them real quick.

[00:08:49] Les McDaniel: But I can't manage all of those. . And so that is not where my purpose is found. My purpose is ultimately found in what I do that really does seemingly contribute to the higher good of myself as well as the highest good of everyone around me. And the moment that my purpose begins to look more like something that is for me and not for those, or for you or for those out out.

[00:09:18] Les McDaniel: Then I lose sight of where my purpose is, and likewise, if all I'm doing is for you and I'm just pushing and pushing even, it doesn't matter how much meaning it brings to your life. If it sucks me dry and it makes me feel empty when I'm done doing it, then I may not be in alignment with my purpose. It doesn't mean that living into your purpose is always hunky dory and that you get to, you know, every moment of your life is meaningful.

[00:09:45] Les McDaniel: There's hard things. There's developing that, that thing, becoming an expert in the world of what it is that I do that is meaningful for me. And I'll tell you, man, I have a deep sense of love for people. , and yet that deep sense of love for all of humanity can really, really, really be draining for somebody who has deep empathy for those who are the most underserved in our world, it really can lead me down a path of diving in too deep and being too connected to two outward expressing of those things like working with, those who are very needy.

[00:10:22] Les McDaniel: I can overextend myself in those moments. And I can drain myself. And at that point I can actually, my purpose can see a sense of decline because I have not created proper boundaries in what it means to be in service, have my purpose in service to my high, my highest good, as well as parallel to your highest good.

[00:10:44] Les McDaniel: And so I want you to be very clear as we're moving through this. And then there's another piece of this that I think is something that we have to be paying attention to, and that is that so many of us are in that rush to get to that ultimate meaning in. And we, we run around unhappy because we don't know, because we've allowed too many voices in, I just this week I had a conversation with someone who wanted to give some input into my, into what I was doing and what, how they thought I could help.

[00:11:08] Les McDaniel: And, and I knew going into it, I needed to protect myself and recognize that there's no way that this person can know better than me what is in, the greatest service to my purpose and, and meaning for me in my. when we can be clear and take our time and being allowing that to form within us, and we take those glimpses and we begin to note those things and we're self-aware enough to see where those things play out, we will find that over the years we will mature In the things that bring us meaning and that those passions, that within us, those things that really light us up, We will begin to be able to shift them from passions into purpose in a way that allows us to be, to express those things more outwardly Now. Some of you I know are, have great goals.

[00:11:53] Les McDaniel: I mean, I remember , I remember when I was in my early twenties I think it was, I heard Jim Carey talk about writing himself a check for a million dollars or something and putting in his wallet for some future date down the road. And, and I had heard these cliches and, and I was like, Okay, I am gonna be a millionaire before I turn 30.

[00:12:10] Les McDaniel: And I wrote the check, I signed it, I put it in my pocket and to be cashed on January. Of, I can't think of, I can't do my math right now. January 6th of blah, blah, blah. I don't remember what it is, and, and I was like, I got this. Well, that check just sat there in my pocket because that wasn't really where I derived my meaning or my motivation in my life.

[00:12:33] Les McDaniel: And so please, as you're going through this, recognize that me at 20 something years old was racking up this idea that purpose was somehow wrapped up in the amount of money that I made. And that is not either that, that also is not where our purpose is derived. Unless you are, that's your gift. But it's not because of the money, it's because of, it's how it's in service to those that are all around us as well as in service to me or to, to your.

[00:13:01] Les McDaniel: I think it's an interesting thing to look at there's a great piece that as I, as I'm coming off of, in fact, I didn't tell you guys in the last last session, but I'm coming off of the beginning of this week. Being really just powerful with all of the Giant, it was a giant retreat.

[00:13:16] Les McDaniel: Giant is the, the organization that I work partner with, hand in hand, walk with. That really has empowered me to bring this idea of the Peace Index into your world. And it's such a clean, in concise way. and we were there and it was so powerful. and we got our books, The piece index, if you haven't bought your book, it's the Piece Index by Jeremy Kuba, Check.

[00:13:36] Les McDaniel: This is where we're basing a lot of our stuff off this week. And, and he talks about in chapter three, I believe, of the, I think it's that chapter two, excuse me, the golden years. And I didn't realize this either because I have for so long I have been chasing wisdom. I've been chasing knowledge.

[00:13:55] Les McDaniel: And, and only now am I beginning to begin to apply it so that it could actually be called wisdom. And, and it's a mind blowing study that was done that, that I think is worth repeating here. So did you. That the average agent of president, the president of the United States at the time of inauguration was 55 years old.

[00:14:17] Les McDaniel: The average CEO is 59. The average US Congress person is 57. The average US senator is 63. The average age of university presidents is 62. Now, here's what's profound about this for. These are all people who have tapped into and found a sense of purpose in their life at an age in which I thought, especially at an earlier age, was the time that I wanted to be retiring, that I wanted to, that I was, It's not even the time that I thought, it's the time that the world would tell me that it was time to retire.

[00:14:53] Les McDaniel: But what I'm finding is, is that that is actually when we begin to hit our prime, when it comes to turning that passions of our, the passions of our lives into purpose. We've had time to learn from The school of Hard Knox. That that has just that, that comes with raising children, that comes with having that first job, losing that job, changing jobs, moving houses, moving states, you know, beginning to be independent of family, starting to incorporate your own beliefs, finding who you are.

[00:15:23] Les McDaniel: It's about the time. That you begin to be able to sit with yourself long enough because you're no longer at, at odds with what your kid's schedule is or what your, and you get to settle in and, and it's in those moments that you begin to find your prime purpose in life or to be able to exercise is at a high level.

[00:15:45] Les McDaniel: Does that mean that you can't start earlier? No, of course. but some of us are so hard on ourselves because we have so much going on in our world that we begin to lose sight of the fact that, that we've got life left. And it's encouraging to me at age 48 to see that I have just barely begun to understand what it means to live into my purpose.

[00:16:04] Les McDaniel: And so as we lean into our purpose, seeking it to fight for the highest good of everyone that we know and in, in our lives and, and everyone that floats around on this, this rock in the middle of the cosmos, it's an opportunity for us to begin to give ourselves a little bit of grace and peace. And so I really want us to, activate that purpose within you today to begin to ask you the question, what is.

[00:16:31] Les McDaniel: That is your reason for being. What is it that is your, Some people call it a calling, some people call it this, this, your life's vocation. It, it's this thing that you do because you know that at the end of all of this, you will look back on your life and say, I did what I was here to do. And many of you may not be doing that, and if you're not, that's.

[00:16:55] Les McDaniel: But this is all about taking the time to dig a little bit deeper into that. And so I want you to take a minute and use this time as a mirror, and here is where I want you to begin to rate yourself. Each of these questions, I want you to rate yourself from one to five, and this is our exercise today. I want you to rate yourself from one to five on each of these.

[00:17:18] Les McDaniel: The first section is what you love to. Number one, do your passions match your line of work? One to five. Is your work satisfying and motivating? One to five, and I'm gonna quit saying one to five. Can other people see that in you? Rate yourself. The second piece of this is what are you good at? Do you have influence with your colleagues regarding your work?

[00:17:49] Les McDaniel: Rate yourself here. Do you feel that your work fits into your conscious competence? Meaning, do you, is this come so naturally to you that you don't even think about the how competent you are in this? And then would you be considered an expert in your work rate yourself there? The third section that we're gonna talk about is what you can be paid.

[00:18:18] Les McDaniel: Is the sector or industry that you are looking to be a part of? Growing? Five means it's growing, one means it's not, or it's slow, or not at all. It's nonexistent. Is your specific expertise in demand? Are people willing to pay you what you are worth within that sector or. And the fourth and final section that I wanna put here is what you believe the world needs.

[00:18:53] Les McDaniel: Will your work be valuable over the next 25 plus years? Five. Yes. One, eh. Are you solving problems that help people? Is your work or business in high demand? . Now, if you didn't catch all that rewind, go back and listen to it. You should have 12 ratings on there. Okay? All one to five. And the goal is, is that there's out of, there are 60 potential points out of, out of all of those questions that you could have, and I want you to add them up.

[00:19:30] Les McDaniel: And then I want you to divide your number by 60. That's gonna give you your purpose index percentage. That is going to feed into your piece index. What we're doing here is you did the original one with, with just a high level understanding of what your piece index is all about and what each of those sections is.

[00:19:50] Les McDaniel: What we're doing now is we're taking a deep dive into this so you can begin to understand, get a, maybe even a better picture, better grasp, more granular, look at what, where your piece index is today. So if you had 53 points outta 60, Then you would be at an 88% on your peace index under the line of purpose for this particular stage of life that you are in currently right now.

[00:20:14] Les McDaniel: So as we move forward, we're going to now delve into and move from purpose into the space of people, and we're going to begin to uncover the people in our life and maybe talk about what it really looks. in that world to understand the people and the place. Well, this is more just gonna be people. I dunno why I said place, but people is next.

[00:20:33] Les McDaniel: So stay tuned. See you tomorrow, and for now, be at peace my brothers and sisters. Peace.