The Iceberg of Self: A Framework for Leadership, Impact and Results

All of your important, powerful work takes place within your invisible worlds. Genuine, effortless, aligned, sustainable, integrated change starts before fiddling with Results, before hacking your Behaviour. Real change requires moving into Invisible Realms.

As Above, So Below

'You' live within a system of Mind, Body, Heart and Spirit. Your system craves alignment. It resists superficial changes at the surface level, because it is designed to protect and maintain stability from the core. This resistance isn’t a flaw; it’s a strength. Beneath the surface is a chain of actions flowing from a deeper source within you. If you attempt to force superficial changes, the system might seem to work against you. But when you engage with your whole self and align deeply, you’ll find that this force is always working powerfully for you.

Deep-level changes flow naturally through every part of your life. In retrospect and time, you’ll see that your system was always working in your favour—as your humble and reliable servant.

Visible Worlds

Let’s start from the top and work our way down…

What you see in your life—your Results—includes your bank balance, relationships, career, physical health, home, vehicle etc, and anything else you have built or accumulated. These are the visible outcomes of your actions.

To acquire the stuff you see—you Do and Say things, such as writing emails, making phone calls, making connections, refining skills, creating things, exercising, eating, sleeping... in short; your Behaviour.

So, what you See is the consequence of what you Do and Say... Results are the consequence of Behaviour.

If you do and say different things you’ll see a difference world form around you. Different Behaviour = different Results. Would you agree? This is the traditional world of motivation, goals, strategies, techniques and for many has been as far we go. We splash around in the shallows trying to force behavioural changes, motivational changes, hack ourself and our habits, this is ok, but we're blissfully unaware of far more powerful and rewarding levels we could be swimming in. And we are fighting deep forces which want more from and for us, in this denial we prevent our full gifts to flow.

Why Do We Get Stuck In The Visible World?

Behaviour and Results are visible to yourself, and to others. We live in a culture that fixates on this visible world. How we look. What we have. How they look. What they have.

You can see what you have, you can see what you did, and what you said. Because we see it, we attempt to only change what we see such as Results and Behaviour directly - this can consume a lot of energy for no improvement. We're literally swimming upstream. Directly making changes at this superficial level is not the way to reach your potential, or make any meaningful progress. Underlying forces go totally ignored. We need to work deeper, at the root, even if we are afraid and our mind full of excuses or stories. Enter our Invisible Worlds...

Invisible Worlds

Your Invisible Worlds are the birthplace of everything you see, do, achieve and experience. Beneath your surface lie your Thoughts, Emotions, Perceptions, Beliefs, Wounds, and more. All your Behaviour and Results originate here.

You could stop here and already be better for this knowledge. Now you can see if you want different results, don’t just ‘try to’ change Behaviour through effort and thinking, you must go deeper and work within your Invisible Worlds to make changes there.

In practise, this is very gentle, gradual, even subtle work. Depending on our beliefs and condition we may entirely dismiss this world and the work because it looks like things such as reading thought-provoking books, reflecting, asking ‘why do I do XYZ?’, allowing emotional releases, inner child and 'parts' work, for some spiritual support, and working with a coach and/or counsellor. When we work at this level our Behaviour (and Results) are much more likely to change sustainably, automatically, in an aligned and organic way because we’ve worked at a deeper root level. I would assert that change is in fact guaranteed. It’s actually quite simple but if we are rigidly focused on everything being tangible we won't allow ourselves to step into this realm, ironically it's the realm which produces the most results and arguably the most real.

When you work within your Invisible Worlds, your underlying structure changes, and now your Behaviour simply changes, and different Results automatically follow. Easeful results and life. Once mastered, you can access all levels and it can almost feel too easy and simple.

Why Don’t We Explore the Invisible?

If the Invisible World is so important, why do most of us avoid it? Why do we repeat the same patterns or dismiss the need for inner work?

I believe it’s due to cultural conditioning, poor information, and misplaced priorities. In a world that worships the tangible, it’s easy and encouraged to dismiss the invisible. Yet, this is the realm where true transformation takes place.

Your Invisible World is vast, wild, and powerful. It’s a jungle of emotions, an echo chamber of humanity, and, ultimately, a sanctuary of divine love. You may not be ready for all of this, so choose your own adventure, there is always more to discover. While it might seem intimidating, this world is your natural habitat. It’s where you reconnect with your emotions, heal old wounds, and discover your True Self. The rules are different down here but this is your your home, sanctuary, garden, palace, Kingdom, birth right.

The Iceberg of Self

Like an iceberg, 95% of who you are exists beneath the surface. These unseen depths include your paradigms, beliefs, energy, and even aspects of divinity. Despite this, many people barely explore or understand what’s within them, this is rapidly changing, and is becoming essential for us each. The old way was to poke at the surface, become frustrated, and retreat to the comfort of the familiar. Years pass, and nothing changes—except the deep wounds that fester, we may change age, job, wealth, but inside things haven't really changed.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can at any time reclaim all of ourselves.

This article introduces The Iceberg of Self, a perspective and framework I’ve developed to help people understand and align with their full potential. It has helped transformed my life and the lives of those I work with. My job is to help you help you. I'll continue to share insights from the model and in time, I'll share the story of how I uncovered this model.