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Words to inspire the belief that we have all we need to be the change we wish to see.

Month: August 2017

Virtual followers and actual leaders

I heard something on the radio this morning that piqued my interest.  They were speaking about how these days many of us live inside an online community.  We feel connected with those in our virtual networks but not with those physically around us as we move through our day.

If we were sitting in a coffee shop and saw someone crying at the table beside us, would we be brave enough to offer a kind word?  Or would we continue to scroll through our phone thinking that it’s none of our business?

Do we hold doors open for others or are we too busy tearing around trying to keep a schedule?  Do we chat with the person checking us in to an appointment or checking us out at the grocery store?

Are we in the moment?  Maybe we should worry less about our followers and concentrate more on being a leader.  Leading with bravery and vulnerability is a challenge, but when a connection is made it is empowering for both parties.  It is something we need to consciously practice.   To not be a bystander if there is a situation, but to ask if anyone needs help.  To not look at things as a story to tell later but as a story to help write.

We all need to feel validated.  To feel that we are more alike than different.  To feel that we are not alone.

Doctor and researcher Dean Ornish said, “The need for connection and community is primal, as fundamental as the need for air, water, and food.”

Let’s focus on our intention to bond with others as we walk through our day. Those face to face connections will brighten our mood and fuel our soul.

Owning our story

Author Brené Brown said, “Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.” Continue reading

The sun, the moon and the truth

Later today, on August 21, 2017, the sun will be eclipsed by the moon.

The idea that two massive spheres in the galaxy line up perfectly for just a few moments is incredible.

I saw an anonymous quote this morning that said, “Sometimes, I think of the sun and moon as lovers who rarely meet, always chase, and almost always miss one another.  But once in a while, they do catch up, and they kiss, and the whole world stares in awe of their eclipse.”

Beautiful.

Are there times in our lives when everything aligns and coincidences happen that change our perspective or path or friendships?  Serendipitous meetings or conversations or opportunities?  We might never imagine that they could take place but after they do we are forever changed.

We must embrace those rare crossroads when dots connect and ideas flourish.  When we see things through a different lense.  When we discover something new about ourselves and our lives.

As the moon and the sun cross paths today, take a moment to think about how life would be if we saw it from another viewpoint.  Upside down and backwards.  When night becomes day and day becomes night.

The awe we feel for the eclipse should also be how we feel about our own possibilities.  If the sun and moon can meet, what might we accomplish if we own our truth and offer it to the world?

As Buddha once said, “Three things cannot be long hidden: the sun, the moon and the truth.”

 

Comfort zones

Comfort zones.  Nothing creative or trailblazing or out-of-the-box or ground-breaking ever happens there.

And it’s easy to stay there.  But once you leave, a whole new world opens up. Fresh ideas and feelings and people.  It’s so rejuvenating.

As writer Neale Donald Walsch once said, “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” Continue reading

I have a dream

Fifty-four years ago this month, on August 28th, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have A Dream” speech.  Two hundred and fifty thousand civil rights activists had gathered at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington to hear it.

He said, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the colour of their skin, but by the content of their character.” Continue reading

Happiness comes before success

I’m reading The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor.  If you haven’t watched his TED Talk, it’s a must.  He reminds us through years of research he did while at Harvard that happiness comes before success.  Not the other way around.

So many of us think we will be happy when we meet that special someone, graduate, get a job, earn a promotion, buy a house, have children or lose weight. But research shows that if we are happier where we are, we will end up getting to where we need to be at a much quicker pace. Continue reading

© 2023 Siobhan Kelleher Kukolic

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