I’ve missed writing. Especially, when there has been so much to talk about. I am often reminded of the image I envisioned while reading Elizabeth Gilbert’s book Big Magic about ideas and how they drop into our minds – offering us an opportunity to grab them and develop them – and then moving on to someone else when we fail to attend to them. I’ve allowed a lot of good thoughts move on but the ones I’ve recently tapped into have my attention and … “I’m Back”.
Even though I haven’t been writing here, I’ve been busy. I’ve been painting, publishing the podcast weekly, seeing clients, and imagining the next step. Covid has forced me to take my practice virtual and I haven’t minded. Yet, I want to impact a broader range of people. I want to teach, foster, and encourage self-awareness and maybe more importantly, self-mastery. I’ve been working on a template for a coaching enterprise to do; stay tuned.
In the meantime, I implore each of you reading this to add a couple of things to your ‘to-do’ list today and each day throughout the summer and beyond.
- Open your mind to learn those things that you don’t know you don’t know. LISTEN. I’ll be writing more about this but don’t wait for me to write it… learn to listen with an open heart – an open mind. Consider what people tell you and honor their perspective without criticism and judgement. This means you have to let go of being ‘right’ and seek commonalities. Find a place to connect and go from there.
- Practice mutuality in each of your human interactions. How can you support that human being you are interacting with to live their best life? Ultimately, mutuality works best when it is reciprocated but for now… just while we are all open to learning, be the one to start. Use the phrase “how can I help?”
- Become aware of your pain. What hurts are you carrying? What generational insults have you bought into? What do you fear? Only hurt people hurt people so if you feel injustice, prejudice, or judgement – understand why! Weeds continue to grow if we don’t pluck ALL the roots.
- Have difficult conversations.Stop being afraid of bringing up topics that are politically divisive. We have to talk with people who think differently than us and seek to find similarities or most importantly – hear their position in order to find a place where we can connect. Ask “why?”. Ask “ How?”. Check all of your assumptions… “I was taught….”, “I’ve always thought…”, “Is that true for you?”, “What has your experience been?”.
If we want to be a part of the healing in this country, we must begin by addressing the macro elements that keep pain alive in one another’s hearts. No social program will fix a heart of hatred. Only kindness, compassion, and empathy will suture the wounds that exist from eons of theft, torture, mistrust, brutality, minimization, demoralization, and misconduct both historically and in this very moment of time.
Entertain discussion in your heart, your home, and your community about your part in creating a humane world where each human being has an equal opportunity to thrive. We must figure out a way to recognize when someone is hurting and teach healing techniques so that it doesn’t fester and become the massive infection that is represented in hateful prejudice, no matter the source.
I’ll continue to talk about this and I invite respectful discussion.
Be safe. Stay well.
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You can also listen to me on Try This at Home – a series of conversations about making life better.
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This Is Leslyn 