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Graduate Spotlight
Amory Rowe
In many ways my journey from childhood to adulthood felt like a
linear acceleration, a ramping up of thought, activity and complexity
to a nearly frenetic pace. My life was on a fast track to I’m
not sure where, but it was moving at quite a clip.
With an Ivy League education packed in my head and a genetic talent
for athletics in my DNA, I was off and running. Literally. As a
professional triathlete, I traveled the world, swimming, biking
and running my way through a myriad of countries — always
with an emphasis on speed. Sitting comfortably on my collection
of titles (All-American, National Champion, World Champion), I calculated
my rise up the world rankings and planned my assault on the number
one spot.
When I arrived at White Sulphur Springs in January of 2005 for
the Process, I had asked permission of my coach to take a week away
from our annual winter training camp in Boulder, CO to do what I
described as “important work” before the ‘05 race
season. Little did I know that my experience at the Hoffman Institute
would enable me to shrug off the unexamined momentum and inertia
of my life and bring me to a grinding, blissful halt: The Still
Point.
After the Hoffman Process, I was at the greatest distance from
my beginning, with the most stunning vantage point on my life to-date
— the Process re-introduced me to myself: “This is balance,”
it said. “Let go. This is the way back to yourself.”
So with far less effort than I had exerted to propel myself to
such great heights, I relaxed and began a gentle falling back into
myself, a return home. To be sure, I still run and bike, and I’m
still competitive (ask anyone who tries to pass me on the Charles
River bike path), but my success is calibrated internally and, happily,
no longerbased on measures of finish time and place.
Today, I’ve turned my gaze 180 degrees, from the elusive
top of the pile, oblivious to my surroundings, to witness and appreciate
my diverse life. As the recent founder of a non-profit organization
called “In the Arena,” I’m pursuing a life that
entails encouraging others to similarly broaden their perspectives
to optimize their chances at success (define that as you will).
Call it integration, call it heart-centered leadership, call it
whatever you like. I call it the wisdom of the still point and the
pleasure of the journey back. Thanks to the Process, it’s
a trip I feel fortunate to make every day.
If you know a Process graduate whose story should be shared, please
email ellie@hoffmaninstitute.org
or call 415-485-5220 ext. 14. |
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