What are we contributing?
There is so much being written right now, folks trying to process and I often don’t know what I can say to contribute. I feel unsure of my contribution. I get an idea; I process and work to articulate it in a professional way… and then I second guess myself or it doesn’t seem important any longer. And, I do nothing.
Do you ever do this?
I have so many thoughts though. Many opinions. I find myself reading social media posts and articles and wanting to comment – forming a refined comment in my head. Not an aggressive comment that we all too often see, those are useless and way too abundant. But a well thought out one, one that explains why I think differently. One that longs to engage in a meaningful dialogue. And then I realize, no one cares and actually it will only spark a fight.
Silenced. Again.
I write a blog draft. Then another one. And then, another. They sit in a folder. By the time I edit them, they seem so irrelevant. Eventually, I’ll post one because I actually love to think, to write and to share and I remember that my words don’t have to have meaning to others; they help me find meaning.
You may be asking, what is her point here?
Now more than ever, we are in a time when we need to process what is going on in this world, what things mean, how we think about it all, and most importantly – how we are to show up giving our gifts. And leaders, we must inspire others to do the same.
This world needs us to step up with our gifts. Have you ever noticed the negative folks share and man do they share loudly. They aren’t processing, filtering, or editing before they share. So, those of us that are wired to process, filter and edit before we share – when we delete (like I mentioned at the beginning of this post) after doing these things, we delete the positive gifts we bring to the world. Please don’t delete – and therefore my point starts here.
Let’s make a deal, release it!
When we get a nudge to say something, do something, be something to someone – process, filter, edit and then do it. With all the love and kindness you can do it with, follow through. How can we pour into others and not take from them? This applies to our words, our actions and who we are in the world.
I debated on whether I should include “process, filter, and edit” or just tell us to say it, do it and be it. I did include it because too often folks don’t do these things and so much toxicity is put into this world. Let’s not contribute to the toxicity. People use the excuse that others are toxic and mean so it justifies a toxic, mean response. By that justification, we should all be running around harming each other. Be the change, leaders.
Think about what you put into the world. Think of yourself as an air purifier. Leaders, we are purifiers. Put good out. The truth yes, but in a good, honest way. When people read it, they need to receive it. No one hears ugly, hostile, blaming words. Help remove the toxic from society. Self care is how we remove it from our bodies – that is another topic. Be a purifier. The toxic is out there, but we don’t have to contribute or put it back out. Process, filter, edit and put good in the world.
Acting on our nudges…
We must act on those feelings, those urges. We must follow our gut instincts. Some of us have had life experiences that make us question our worth. We forget where our worth truly comes from. Some of us are tired from a life of hard work, and the energy to follow through passes quickly. But the truth is – the worth is in the release of doing what we are called to do, not in waiting to see how it comes back to us. The energy comes from the release of our work, not from the anxiety of holding on to it. Let it go.
Say, do and be… Release your gifts into the world. Pour into a world that desperately needs what you were so uniquely given to give. This is where we are meant to live.
With purpose,
Kelly