Two recent experiences reminded me of one universal truth: We are all in this together. “This” being life: questioning of our purpose, longing to have impact, exchanging love, and fearing death or loss, as we consciously or unconsciously make the dozens if not hundreds of choices we make each day. Stepping fully into the divine necessity of our being, we are asked to support each other, to be leaders through our behavior and actions.
The first experience is in the context of being an indoor cycling (spin) instructor. I’ve been teaching for a year with a perspective that my job as the leader of the class was to take you through a butt-kicking workout and to do it in a way that reaches varying fitness levels and fitness goals. Check, I’m doing that well. In my recent self-exploration and expansion, it occurred to me that perhaps being a leader asks more of us and perhaps that more is more sincerity. When I think of spin class, I don’t expect too much of my spiritual or emotional being to engage. It has seemed to me that it’s all about the physical. This week, I chose to think differently and yep, I’m a broken record. My changed behavior from changed thinking produced…drum roll please…a different result!
I regularly close my class with a song that I find inspiring, one that encourages me to be a better woman and then I sit back and hope my students notice. This week, stepping fully into leadership, I called attention to the song. We stretched to: “If today was your last day” by Nickelback. As the song started, I shared a personal story about my awareness that if I only had one day, there’s a few things I would tend to. I asked everyone to share this journey with me and to acknowledge one thing they needed to tend to –telling someone they love them, forgiving, taking an action toward profound integrity. This new act of leadership was well-received as evidenced by the substantive and contemplative discussion after class.
If one life was touched by this small act of leadership, then I have purpose and I have succeeded. Imagine though if everyone in class was positively impacted, then they impacted someone who then was inspired to impact someone…the possibility is infinite.
When we become aware of the magnitude of our impact, we may consciously accept our role as a leader. If you don’t think of yourself as a leader, consider this:
everyone is leading at least one person (Oneself).
The second profound experience was with a current client of my small architecture firm. I have commenced the process of notifying my clients of my imminent travels and the certain possibility that I simply may not return to the practice of architecture. This is bittersweet for me as designing public schools is something that I have enjoyed for 23 years. It feels at times like cutting off my nose to spite my face. That is another blog though.
The leadership demonstrated was again in the context of being sincere, honest with people who (due to my honesty) will likely find another equally qualified architect and who may not call me in 18 months when they have a unique or exciting challenge to deliver facilities to students. I’ve been “coached” by several associates to not tell my clients, to forward my business phone to my cell and to act as if I’m “riding out the economic downturn”. The reality is: that’s not the truth.
The truth I delivered to this client was everything you read on this website and in this blog. I am following a divine calling, my inner voice, and am leaping into the unknown with intention to heal, to inspire and to empower others. I re-read that and question myself: “What the %*^@!# does that look like?” I don’t exactly know and I leap nonetheless.
My expression of leadership through honesty and sincere sharing with this client opened a discussion on subjects we’ve never before approached. We shared about ourselves, our life experiences, our spiritual beliefs and our dreams for the future. I was impacted. I was touched. I saw the divine in him. Without confirming this with him, I feel confident in saying that we both had a degree of “being in this together”.
The first experience is in the context of being an indoor cycling (spin) instructor. I’ve been teaching for a year with a perspective that my job as the leader of the class was to take you through a butt-kicking workout and to do it in a way that reaches varying fitness levels and fitness goals. Check, I’m doing that well. In my recent self-exploration and expansion, it occurred to me that perhaps being a leader asks more of us and perhaps that more is more sincerity. When I think of spin class, I don’t expect too much of my spiritual or emotional being to engage. It has seemed to me that it’s all about the physical. This week, I chose to think differently and yep, I’m a broken record. My changed behavior from changed thinking produced…drum roll please…a different result!
I regularly close my class with a song that I find inspiring, one that encourages me to be a better woman and then I sit back and hope my students notice. This week, stepping fully into leadership, I called attention to the song. We stretched to: “If today was your last day” by Nickelback. As the song started, I shared a personal story about my awareness that if I only had one day, there’s a few things I would tend to. I asked everyone to share this journey with me and to acknowledge one thing they needed to tend to –telling someone they love them, forgiving, taking an action toward profound integrity. This new act of leadership was well-received as evidenced by the substantive and contemplative discussion after class.
If one life was touched by this small act of leadership, then I have purpose and I have succeeded. Imagine though if everyone in class was positively impacted, then they impacted someone who then was inspired to impact someone…the possibility is infinite.
When we become aware of the magnitude of our impact, we may consciously accept our role as a leader. If you don’t think of yourself as a leader, consider this:
everyone is leading at least one person (Oneself).
The second profound experience was with a current client of my small architecture firm. I have commenced the process of notifying my clients of my imminent travels and the certain possibility that I simply may not return to the practice of architecture. This is bittersweet for me as designing public schools is something that I have enjoyed for 23 years. It feels at times like cutting off my nose to spite my face. That is another blog though.
The leadership demonstrated was again in the context of being sincere, honest with people who (due to my honesty) will likely find another equally qualified architect and who may not call me in 18 months when they have a unique or exciting challenge to deliver facilities to students. I’ve been “coached” by several associates to not tell my clients, to forward my business phone to my cell and to act as if I’m “riding out the economic downturn”. The reality is: that’s not the truth.
The truth I delivered to this client was everything you read on this website and in this blog. I am following a divine calling, my inner voice, and am leaping into the unknown with intention to heal, to inspire and to empower others. I re-read that and question myself: “What the %*^@!# does that look like?” I don’t exactly know and I leap nonetheless.
My expression of leadership through honesty and sincere sharing with this client opened a discussion on subjects we’ve never before approached. We shared about ourselves, our life experiences, our spiritual beliefs and our dreams for the future. I was impacted. I was touched. I saw the divine in him. Without confirming this with him, I feel confident in saying that we both had a degree of “being in this together”.
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