What's Your Stack? Your Three Centers of Intelligence

At any given moment, you are fluctuating between the head, heart, and gut. Stop a minute and ask yourself where your focus is right now. Is it on your thoughts (your head)? Or are you focused on the people around you (your heart)? Maybe you are experiencing strong physical, emotional, or cognitive sensations. If so, you are focused on your gut.

You have an order of preference that is your preferred mode of operating in the world. One of these–head, heart, or gut –dominates; you use it most of the time. It’s followed by a second, and then a third; the third is the least used function. Think of this order as “your stack.” It’s important to note that no one stack is better than another.

To become the full expression of all you are requires two steps. The first is to identify your stack, and the second is to energize each of the three centers in your stack.

My stack is head, gut, and heart, and like many of us I lived my life from my primary instinct. After all, smart people are rational; they are thinking people, I thought. “If you want to succeed in the world, you have to allow the mind to lead.”

Then a wise friend suggested an exercise: “Find a quiet place, sit down, and write down every thought that jumps in your head.” I did, and I couldn’t believe the amount of rubbish that flitted through my mind.

Today, I am less reliant on the head. I am mining the other two centers, heart and gut, and in these I am discovering gold.




By Randy Siegel