Growing: Courageous, Powerful and Connected
I hope this note finds you healthy in these extraordinary times.
I have been spending the quiet time that I have in this very full “nest” of ours ;) reflecting on how to get really creative in the midst of these unusual times. The theme of growing has been front and centre for me, even more than usual.
My intention is to help us all feel even more grounded and connected to ourselves and each other so that we can be courageous and can grow into this challenge, finding the opportunities in it.
It's crucial to be connecting at all these levels right now.
Together let's remember WHO WE ARE.
Let's Make Room For WHO WE ARE at our most courageous, powerful and connected.
Our families, colleagues, communities and the World need us to be showing up powerfully like never before in our lives.
And the truth is that we were made for these times.
Let's find the courage together to grow into them!
And here are some of the ideas and resources that have been inspiring me:
Carol Dweck’s work on the growth mindset from her book Mindset: The New Psychology of Success - you may have seen my previous posts on this – I have referred to it many a time, for example here. One thing I know for sure in the midst of this uncertainty: we have the capacity to keep growing as long as we are alive – I like to say, “We were designed to grow”. So, I have been wondering, how can we be growing right now? What are the opportunities in the challenges that we are facing in these new unusual days? Looking at our situations through the lens of a growth mindset turns us into creative and resourceful beings, rather than victims.
Brené Brown and her new podcast Unlocking Us – first episode on FFT’s all about “first times” – when we do something for the first time it can be really hard… how many first times are so many of us experiencing right now in the midst of the virus??
AntiFragile: Things That Gain From Disorder by Nassim Nicholas Taleb – I am only a short way into the book, which I picked up on what I knew would be my last trip to a book store for some time. However, I have been familiar with the concept for several years, because Claire Zammit, in our Feminine Power Leadership Trainings, introduced us to it. The idea is sooo relevant right now. As the book’s back cover says, “Taleb stands uncertainty on its head, making it desirable, even necessary. Just as human bones get stronger when subjected to stress and tension, many things in life benefit from disorder, volatility, and turmoil.” So, in the Circle, I will be inviting us not only to grow in the midst of these uncertain times but to also be antifragile in them.
Being courageous, even emboldened, by the sense of urgency for growth and change during these times. Here’s a post on courage I wrote last year for more on the subject: Did You Know Personal Courage Cannot Exist Without Fear? I am wondering how we can be really honest with ourselves and others about the fear we are feeling, naming it out loud, and acting anyway, in intentional and powerful ways. It brings to mind a famous book called Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway by Susan Jeffers.
Again, let's Make Room For WHO WE ARE at our most courageous, powerful and connected.
Our families, colleagues, communities and the World need us to be showing up powerfully like never before in our lives.
And the truth is that we were made for these times.
Let's find the courage together to grow into them!
Sending encouragement, Milisa
Photo by Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
