Each of us a masterpiece in our own way, with abilities and talents to be maximized and capacities to be filled. All of which are intended to compliment the whole. For each of us is meant to have an impact. Each of us matters.
From a team perspective, it is leadership’s first mission to grasp this essential truth. For, once you are able to see yourself in this light, then you will be able to see others from this same perspective.
You will then be in a position to solicit their talents and abilities, enriching them as you begin to enrich the whole as well. As you bring their strengths to bear and push them towards the pursuit of excellence, then work can commence on tapping their potential.
That reservoir residing in us all. A reserve that is far more about capacity than it is weakness. The part in us that is meant to be “full-filled.”
Leadership, then, is not merely the act of soliciting that “something” from those around us. Leadership is more so the endeavor of eliciting that something special – the greatness – that lies within all of us.
“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” ― Paulo Coelho
In many respects, when you go about things with “eyes closed” you choose to blind yourself to the reality of the moment.
Seeing yourself not as a work in progress – but as fully complete. Becoming distracted by your past and what you think is yet to come. Believing that a failure – or failures – means total defeat. Misunderstanding the true essence of criticism, instruction and coaching.
In short, your eyes may be wide open.
But lacking focus – you will remain hopelessly vision impaired.
My mom’s father, Grandpa Cordts, “knew no strangers”. Whenever I was with him out in public, at the store, getting gas, buying worms or playing putt-putt, everyone within sight and sound seemed to know him.
That isn’t to say that he or they did. It is just that EVERYONE he encountered each day, no matter the circumstance, investment or need was approached as a friend. Someone that went way back. The one in the back row of the picture. A compatriot.
Was not aware of it then, but as I go about daily life now, how he went about life left an impression on me. As it stands, I don’t know any strangers either.
And when you go about it in that fashion, you cannot believe what you learn.
Once they recognize that they can just be open, all sorts of things flow out. Not that they are meant to be sewed all over. Just that they want me to hear and know it. Shared as a friend. With trust and an understanding that it was in some sense collaborative, restorative and affirmative.
And is ain’t all one sided. You share as well. In an equally genuine fashion. Maybe you only see them the next week, month or year. Perhaps never again. But they did. You did.
And it was something.
Maybe substantial in certain situations. Maybe just the spur of the moment.
But again, if you think about it, not really ordinary. In all actuality, those chance moments become special. Not because they were designed that way. But simply because they were.
Unordinary.
Like them.
And what we – and they – chose to make that encounter to be.
True, there are those of us out there that have known and heeded their calling since they first sensed its resonance within their soul. They are blessed to be able to step first in that direction and capture a fulfillment of a lifetime.
And then there are those that need to figure our path out. Go left. Right. Back up. Stop for a moment and disengage. Repeat. Then, head back out.
Wandering of that sort is not so much about being lost. It is more akin to being open and present. Having the strength to overcome disappointment, despair and defeat. Possessing the courage and faith to risk, stop, start, restart and then proceed towards that one thing that affirms, reinforces and brings joy.
All of which is to be found in the process of wandering. Qualities that may not be possible to attain otherwise.
When we “let it be”, we give our consent to allow things to play out.
This isn’t to say that we ever had the ultimate authority in these matters. We just like to think that we do. To “let it be” is an admission that we need to step back, defer our assumed jurisdiction and grant Him the opportunity to work things out. After all, His plans DO take precedence.
Once we can admit that personal command can be elusive and control is tenuous at best, we can cease and desist, cede our alleged authority, and let His will be done.
Regardless of the high praise we deem for our abilities, the importance we assign to our desires or the confidence we hold in the righteousness of our position, to “let go” assures us that we have correctly ordered our priorities and recognized our proper role.
At its core, to “let go” is choosing our surrender.
It is an acknowledgement that His loving order of things, “works best for us.”
As we endeavor to make the transition towards this “happy place”, less of our emotional and spiritual energy will be consumed on the superficial, transient and the petty.
We can conserve our precious personal resources. Create a reserve. And begin to reallocate it in another direction: outward. Once we reach this point, we can afford to “give it up”.
With less personal control and even surrender, things should spiral out of orbit – right? On the contrary; less sovereignty in this respect leads to greater independence, stability and well-being.
Control becomes an extension of our ego, and when left unchecked, has the potential to work against us – and – the greater good.
An ego run amok will falsely inflate our self-esteem. It will crowd out humility, creating within us a bogus sense of self-importance and security. It can become a very demanding companion.
For once you let it come to the table, it will remain there, begging to be fed.
Always desperate for attention, ego can enjoin us to perform all sorts of interpersonal gymnastics, cultivate manipulative behaviors and help perfect dishonesty. This is an exhausting and empty exercise.
When we learn to “let it be” and then find the courage to “let go”, we set ourselves on a trajectory towards the emotionally and spiritually fulfilling growth that can only be found when we “give it up”.
Abandoning our preoccupation with control and employing our innate humility to rein in ego, we can gain an essential element of independence.
No longer beholden to the transience of these self-made and self-destructive adversaries, we find our true center. With our overall sense of balance restored, and an enhanced sense of well-being imminent, we are positioned to give up more of our personal resources; our ‘self’.
As we can learn to syncopate our lives – altering its rhythm by putting the accent on thoughts, words and deeds not usually emphasized – we become attuned to an entirely different melody.
No longer distracted by our illusions of command and control or driven solely by ego, we have the opportunity to fulfill our potential and maximize our talents to a level that can only be achieved by openly sharing our abilities.
To “give it up”, is to share who and what we are in total, bringing light to places long kept dark, both within and without.
Once this path has been illuminated, it can lead us toward a lasting and positive personal transformation. By freeing our “selves” from our self-centered constraints, we gain true independence.
If only you can follow His gentle tug.
The more we allow ourselves to follow that pull, the more we recognize that it is where we were meant to be all along.
When we “give it up”, we shine the beacon of our better nature everywhere we go. Though we might start as but one point of light, over time, our radiance soon brings out the brilliance in others.
Our gift to them – “giving it up” – can become their gift of “giving it up” to others.
Only when we recognize these personal barriers – the ones that separate us from our gifts and from giving them fully to others – can they be dismantled and removed.
We can transform our lives and those around us when we become less concerned with control, no longer held captive by our ego. Absolved of maintaining such a high level of vigilance over our “selves”, we preserve more energy and retain more freedom to simply “be”.
When we can “give it up”, sharing more of what and who we are with others, our true “self” generates its own gravitational pull.
Just as we feel a gentle pull towards Him, others feel the gentle pull towards us.
The greater the orbit we allow our “selves” to venture into, while maintaining our synchronous orbit about Him, the more we are able to reveal the best that is in us, encouraging others to do the same.
All the good things in life He wants for us that can only come from “giving it up”.
...my temporary assignment. 