Is It Just Me, or Is SHIFT Happening?

So, the 100th Monkey Effect has come up - both literally and metaphorically - in my life a lot recently, so I just need to check in here with my blogging family and see if it's just me or if you're feeling some sort of shift happening, too.

You know the 100th Monkey Effect, right? According to Wikipedia, the story of the “Hundredth Monkey Effect” apparently originated with Lyall Watson in his 1979 book Lifetide. In it he claimed to describe the observations of scientists studying monkeys in Japan. Some of these monkeys learned to wash sweet potatoes, and gradually this new behavior spread through the younger generation of monkeys—in the usual fashion, through observation and repetition. However, Watson claimed that the researchers observed that once a critical number of monkeys was reached—the so-called hundredth monkey—this previously learned behavior instantly spread across the water to monkeys on nearby islands.

This story has come up in two of my master mind groups in the last week, and I also recognize the phenomenon itself in the past two weeks by observing random conversations at my favorite coffee shop (my second office!). Maybe I'm delusional, but since I started participating in Oprah's webcast book study of Eckhart Tolle's A New Earth, I've heard conversations differently.

Maybe it's because three of my master minds are studying the book and I get a chance to be in three conversations a week about this stuff, but today at the coffee shop, just after I finished up my Wednesday master mind reading A New Earth, I ran into two former co-workers (from a job I left eight years ago) and we jumped right into a conversation about purpose in work and ended up talking about Eckhart's book and the awakening that they're sensing in themselves and feeling frustrated by at work.

These were two guys who are probably in their mid-50s. One of them has worked at this electric company for nearly 30 years and the other has been there for about 10. I can't remember talking with them about these kinds of topics when I was employed there, so I just sense that something is shifting in the world. Maybe it's me, but if it is me, I can see that my shift is inviting others to have deeper conversations even in a random encounter at a coffee shop.

I ended up giving each of them a copy of my book, The 100% Factor (which has been reprinted and re-released on Friday!) and brainstormed with them about how we might create an underground master mind group for them at their company.

After talking with them, I have a new passion for meaningful conversation at work and helping individuals within organizations get beyond the fear and ego that keeps people stuck.

What are you noticing in your own life? Are things shifting around you? Is there more meaningful conversation in your life these days? What are you noticing?

If you're as passionate as I am about practicing and modeling Bigger Small Talk in your professional and your personal life, please consider putting June 10-11 on your calendar and joining us in Fargo for the 2nd Annual Bigger Small Talk Summit where we'll create an amazing day around this topic.

How FAR would you GO to experience and create Bigger Small Talk? Come to Fargo and be part of the big shift! Details will follow VERY soon!