I used to ask, “Why is this happening to me?”
I now ask, “What is this experience showing me?”
This shift of perspective changes the way I show up on different stages in my world. The professional arena is where I first noticed the change in myself. From it being all about me and who I am, to the constant reminder that it was as much about all the “thems” I was serving. The role, the title, the position, and the achievements were just adornments that helped me become more effective. Sometimes when I forgot this and made it about me, I invariably stumbled and, in the falling down, got back in touch with the reality of what truly mattered.
More recently, I see other parts of my life through this same prism and that has in a way freed me from the roles I was performing. Instead, I am now able to step into those same roles with more ease and joy. Reminding myself that life was happening through me in those different roles as son, brother, husband, father, and friend. No longer the need to show up in a particular way to perform a role. But show up with realness and gratitude for the relationships I share with those that matter in my life.
The stages still call, the performance still goes on, the roles remain, but something has shifted as life flows through me.
What can be released? What need of mine can be replaced with a want from those around me? What old stories no longer serve me? What new stories are waiting to emerge? Growth is not always about adding more; sometimes it’s about letting go. Less is more. Making it less about me leaves so much more space for life to flow through me.
Like a sculptor, slowly chipping away at myself, so that my true self can emerge. Letting go a little bit of who I was to allow who I am to shine through.
The world of reputation would do well to also work on realness. The gap between “reel life” and “real life” is what causes so much dissonance today. Bridging this gap is a skill that a seasoned communications professional can help navigate. AI amplifies this gap because it’s so easy to access knowledge that’s not inherent. Standing in front of what generative AI generates with depth is what separates the real expert from the pretender. I am hopeful that we will learn how to navigate this world and step into our collective realness.
Great performers in the world of music, art, and sport have, in their own way, shared this wisdom. They say their finest moments felt like they were merely a channel or a conduit through which their brilliance shone.
I believe every one of us has a light, and when we allow it to shine bright, we illuminate the way for others. This truth is not just reserved for the exceptional. It’s there to be discovered by each one of us, and our light shines bright too.
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