By Laura Pedro, Transformational Business Catalyst
Where is your voice –
your beautiful, beautiful voice –
singing the dream you were born for?
It seeps into your dreams at night. That bigger dream – a vision of what could be possible. Of what SHOULD be.
Is it a vision of people set free from their own inner constraints or from a societal issue? Of lives fulfilled and joy unleashed in the world? Of a country responding to challenge with unsurpassed creativity? Of a planet and all its species flourishing?
Or is it a vision of a business that so serves its clients and customers that it thrives because of its enormous contribution?
Does it take the form of rebellion or revolution? Of people taking a stand to change an injustice? Or something more subtly powerful, like people being happy in the work they do?
It can be simple or awesome in its scope, but it captures your imagination and lights up your soul.
That’s what happened to people who’ve left an indelible mark on society – who’re known today as great leaders. People like Martin Luther King, Maya Angelou, John Kennedy and Joanna Macy all felt that call.
And they responded – out loud! And other people’s hearts were stirred and they stepped up. It started with one person moving in congruence with their vision, talking about it, sharing it, PLAYING BIG, and it inspired true and lasting change.
If you’re willing to Play Big in service of your dreams, read on.
No matter how our dream is expressed, we can’t accomplish it alone. We all need partners who share our vision and want to be part of it in one way or another. If we’re in business, we need clients and customers who want what we uniquely bring to the world. If we have a social impact in mind, we need people who’re willing to take up our cause.
If we don’t attract others to join us, the impact of our dreams will stay puny.
People talk about charisma – that ability to move others and have them drawn to you – like it’s genetic. ”She has blue eyes and a charismatic personality.” In fact, it’s very much NOT genetic and it can be learned (or rather, what’s covering up your charisma can be un-learned).
Think of a small child.
For that matter, think of a baby anything. Why are we drawn to them? What’s true of them that we somehow seem to have lost?
I suggest that there’s an innate attractiveness waiting for you to tap. Attractiveness not for the sake of your ego but for the sake of something that wants to happen in the world. Some positive change that lives in human consciousness but hasn’t yet found its place in form. And it wants you to help bring it to life.
All THAT takes is letting go of conditioning and rediscovering your own voice. You can tap into what my friend and colleague, Lissa Boles, calls your Charisma of Cause.
Of course, this takes practice, but people love to have the “three steps” or the “five stages”, or whatever, so here goes. These are three things to stop doing instead of allowing the open and free expression that wants to come through.
Find what you love and share it. Stop hiding your deepest heart. Of course that’s a vulnerable thing to do, but is what you love worth it? Vulnerability is actually something of a super-power, and if you want to learn more about THAT, study the work of Brene’ Brown. You can get a taste of it by watching her TED talks.- Stop censoring yourself in order to look good. Be willing to be different. If everyone already accepted and wholeheartedly embraced what calls to you, it’d be done. The world wouldn’t need you. But it’s not done and we do need you. Someone might think you’re foolish. Someone might laugh at you. So what?
- Stop apologizing for being moved (or stifling its expression). Be in the presence of your own inspiration, openly and without apology. The word “inspiration” comes from a root word meaning “the act of moving the intellect or the emotions”. Only when you stand in the experience of your own inspiration will those listening to you share that experience.
Playing Big means getting out there with your true, authentic self. It can seem like a huge challenge AND sometimes when we “get in the flow” it can feel like we’re nothing but a channel of expression for something bigger than ourselves.
Here’s to the genius of being bold!
If something in this post resonated with you, I invite you to check out what fun is being planned the first two months of 2016…
HOLD the Date and Play BIG
