"a soul generated by love" 💗
Do you trust yourself? Do you believe wholeheartedly in your ability to discern how to proceed and trust you will be equipped to cope with what comes next?
Do you have confidence in your greatness and the ripple effects of your efforts?
As we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the impact and death of his son, Dexter Scott King, I feel it's important to take a moment to reflect on how we each show up to live out his legacy.
Do you play big or play small when it comes to trusting yourself and your impact?
Remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s encouragement:
Everybody can be great… because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace – a soul generated by love.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.
I know this may be easier to promote to others than to believe about yourself.
This theme of discernment and trusting oneself...what to say yes or no to, when to push forward and when to pull back, how to embrace confidence and self-worth while experiencing the "thousand cuts" of everyday life...comes up frequently in conversations with clients, friends, and colleagues.
It's not just about discerning what decision to make, but about learning how to trust yourself to deal with the after-effects - whatever they may be - after making it.
I remember (decades ago!) agonizing over the decision of whether or not to study abroad. I'd made the preparations and was fully enrolled to do so...yet as the departure approached, I panicked. Even at the airport, I was overwhelmed and in tears about whether or not to board the plane.
I rehashed my questions and feelings of doubt, anxiety, an uncertainty again and again:
Where am I "meant" to be?
Where will I have the most impact?
How will I cope if I make the "wrong" decision?
Eventually, my father spoke up (likely with a bit of exasperation, though he hid it well!) 😄 "I believe you can do good wherever you are."
He reminded me that it was possible to make a difference and live my life with meaning in either location.
There wasn't a wrong decision.
Last week, I felt an echo of similar indecision as weather and mechanical difficulties thwarted my travel arrangements and I debated whether or not to proceed with my planned trip or cancel altogether.
I knew others were facing the same situation.
With snow, ice, and rain storms across the country and an entire line of planes grounded, participants traveling from all over made similar assessments.
What mattered most, however, wasn't what we each decided about whether to stay or go.
What mattered was how we felt making the choice.
What mattered was what story was attached to the decision. Whether it was one of self-trust... or self-doubt. Whether it represented confidence... or insecurity. Whether it represented success... or failure.
When you make decisions about how to expend your precious time, energy, and resources, how do you narrate your decision?
How do you:
Remind yourself that you don't have to be perfect...
Validate that the stresses are real...AND,
Trust yourself that you will be able to navigate what comes?
The good news in Dr. King's words were that everyone did not need to have the same credentials, strengths, or skills to serve and be great.
I feel the power in his phrasing..."You only need a heart full of grace - a soul generated by love." 💕 💗 💖
If you nurture, tend to, and protect that, you have all you need.
Of course, I know that the full range of emotions comes with it...and anger, sadness, heartbreak, frustration, and conflict come with the territory of changemaking as well.
In abundance.
But that's for next time... 😉. (For a teaser, Rebbecca Hemmings with Compassionate Cultures led a deep and practical conversation about tools and resources for managing difficult conversations, validating the emotional labor of changemaking (particularly for those experiencing the marginalization of the systems as they are), and tending to the nervous system as guidance for wellbeing. The YouTube video is already out, and the podcast platforms will have it available starting tomorrow).
In the meantime, please don't take for granted "your heart full of grace," nor "your soul generated by love."
You matter. You make a difference. I'm so thankful you're here.
