“You must do the things you think you cannot do…”

 Eleanor Roosevelt

 What is courage, if not the ability to act as our spirits lead?

I often hear struggle ensue when our inner knowing provides a clear path forward – but not an easy one.  We sometimes then wrestle mightily to honor that inner wisdom – our intuition or our body knowing – often for longer than we care to admit!    Yet, to not act on these knowings means we risk losing ourselves, and over time the costs become clear.

Thus, these moments come, as Denise Levertov describes below, where struggle gives way to courage, opening our hearts to own strength, and to faith in Spirit’s leading – even when this means swimming upstream of others’ expectations.  

In these moments, it is as if we are touched by a far greater force.  We find that we can do “the things (we) think (we)  cannot do.”

 Where is your inner wisdom leading you?

What is the “the thing you think you cannot do?’

Where is the place to put your attention that will help you live your courage?

Variation On A Theme By Rilke

(The Book of Hours, Book I, Poem 1, Stanza 1)

 A certain day became a presence to me;

there it was, confronting me — a sky, air, light:

a being. And before it started to descend

from the height of noon, it leaned over

and struck my shoulder as if with

the flat of a sword, granting me

honor and a task. The day’s blow

rang out, metallic — or it was I, a bell awakened,

and what I heard was my whole self

saying and singing what it knew: I can.

 ~ Denise Levertov ~

Sometimes when we have a key decision to make, we can get stuck in place, analyzing the decision, and miss the opportunity to go exploring our way towards an answer. 

Travelling in the wilderness, its common for a group of beginners to spend a long time trying to figure out where they are, when in fact moving a bit further forward, around the next point on the lake or up over the next knoll on the hill, will reveal what is needed. 

What additional action can you take to help you explore your decision?

As leaders, whether we know it or not, we are a bit like lighthouses, constantly sending navigation signals out into the night.   Therefore, as a leader, I am at my best when I am aware of, and choosing, the kind of signals I want to send.  Where do I need to pay attention in order to do this?

All of us have an essential choice.  To repeat a quote from my last post (for it is worth repeating!)

 “The single most important decision any of us ever have to make is 
whether or not to believe 
we live in a friendly universe.”   Albert Einstein 

Why is this so essential?    After all, we don’t typically go around asking this question of ourselves or of each other…. “Do you believe in a friendly universe?”    Yet, whether we are conscious of our choice here or not, it is likely influencing untold other choices that we are making.

If I believe the universe is essentially friendly, then I am able to look for the good in others, and to see opportunities, even in the midst of real challenge or significant unknowns.  Physiologically, then I am able to access a relaxed body, and a calm mind.   My sense of humor is readily accessible.

Openness is possible: open breath, open mind, open heart.  In this state, I’m more able to access possibilities.    I’m also far more receptive to what I call “connectivity” – our human ability to create authentic, honest, care-based relationships with other humans, in all spheres of our lives.

On the other hand, if I believe the universe is essentially unfriendly, then I am far more likely to operate from my reptilian brain, the place of protective responses. Fight.  Flight.  Freeze.  Appease.   Don’t get me wrong; these all have their place. We just don’t want these responses to have a hold of our controls on a regular basis!  In any of these states, I am reacting against a stimulus, vs. living in conscious choice.   In all of them, my connectivity is way down. 

So then, what does gratitude have to do with leadership?

Overlay leadership into the equation above.   Quality leadership, at is core, creates healthy meaning from this often confusing experience we call life.   Leadership helps sculpt focus towards what matters most, and generates ongoing, forward engagement in life-giving possibilities.  And fundamentally, great leadership is based on high connectivity. 

Therefore, if we want to lead, and lead well, whatever the sphere, then being in regular practices that help us experience the universe as friendly strengthens our leadership capacity.

Why regular?

 Our experiences in life are like waves on the ocean; sometimes they are soft and gentle, and it is easy to believe in a friendly universe.   Other times the water gets a bit rougher, and sometimes there are true challenges that test our faith.   Yet, if we are in regular practices that keep us focused on what is good in our world, then even when life gets challenging,  this lens is available to us.  This helps us stay relaxed and supple, and able to access our best, right when we need it most.

 This is where gratitude comes in.  We are what we practice.  Gratitude is a practice that shapes us to pay attention and seek out what is good, what is life giving, what is possible.

What am I grateful for today?

I am grateful for those in my life, who, like well-polished lighthouses, keep themselves “clean and bright,” and send out perfect beams of light into the night, through all kinds of seas.

What are you grateful for today?

Pay attention. This way, when clear, strong signals from the lighthouse are most needed, you will able to shine through!