Light is defined as the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible.
Dr. Bernice Berry posted on Facebook, a poignant video message about taking care of your personal light.
The light that she referred to was the portion of yourself, the authentic power in you, that animates and gives life to your individual existence. She urged listeners to remember that the life giving portion of our beings, deserves attention and care in order for us to navigate and live a life of clarity.
Amidst a global pandemic and all that it effects, we as leaders, not only deal with our personal “darkness” but we are also aware of the clouded visibility that is our company’s, organizations and our teams future. We are joined together on equal plain, colleagues and employees alike, having unanswered questions and uncertainty as to how to navigate thru this new world. Nothing is the same and it doesn’t take a yogi to tell us that life, as we know it, is forever changed.
So, what do we do in this the complexity of times; do we continue to stumble in the dark?
I would like to echo Dr. Berry, as she admonished her listeners to turn to our Light.
What is this light, how do I find it?
It’s rather simple actually. All it takes is memory. The light, your light was the most brightest as a child... that carefree, leading of your deepest yearnings. This is when you moved your body to music that felt good, without being concerned if you looked cool or was on beat. It was when you laughed at jokes, just because it tickled you, not giving thought to if it was too silly or not. You gave hugs and kisses when you saw someone down and out and you sat with a friend, quietly because they were sad... these were the days of simplicity and when our light was seen at its brightest. Times were not free of worry, our parents had their own darkness to stumble through, but for most of us, we were oblivious to anxieties of the world around us. We tended to our light, were limber and pliable. It was when we were true to ourselves without judgment. When we were younger our imaginations were free to develop and we were the most creative in our thoughts.
So how does this help us as leaders? Simple, the more we take the time to be true to our authenticity, that “light” will be the very “agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible” to those who follow us.
When you take the personal time to tend to your “light” as Dr. Berry suggests, we will show up differently to the people who look for our direction.
In a time when we all share the same concerns and uncertainties, stimulate clarity by way of your example. Do this before tackling the office emails, taking the calls. Take time in between, emails and calls and return to your light once you turn it all off, (please turn it all off)!
Self care is “Light” care! Return to you! Return to what makes you, you because that my friend is when you are irreplaceable and the most influential. If social distancing showed us anything, is that we need to return to the simpler things and that we need each other.
Tend to your light, you can’t afford not to and you have the time... your teams, company’s and organizations are waiting!
https://www.facebook.com/bessie.freeman.35/videos/922748594836040/