Claiming our Truth and Power
A couple weeks ago, a dear friend invited me to dinner at her home. As we’re all starting to come out of our covid-induced cells, I’d forgotten just how incredibly lovely it is to sit in the company of a small group of women and laugh and explore the world we live in together.
We talked about our lives, our work, the books we’re reading…everything. The simple joy of sitting together, around the table, mask-less (literally and figuratively!) was amazing. Simply amazing.
Grateful, joyful, inspired, enlightened, thoughtful: that’s how I left my friend’s house that night.
Thoughtful, too, as we ponder the final stage of the hero’s journey that we’ve been writing about these last few months. The last stage of the journey: Claiming our Truth and Power.
In this final stage, the hero returns with a new truth and the power to help others with this truth. It’s not about speaking truth to power; it’s not about having power over another…it’s about power from within, and the courage to claim that power. Knowing what is true and right in your own world, and living into that truth.
Navigating the path of our own heroine’s journeys, here are a few truths we claim in our work and in our lives:
Asking for help is, in fact, a sign of strength.
The best leaders are the those willing to say, “I don’t know” or “I need help.” We have so many demands for our time and attention, and so many roles that we play in our lives. The ability to surrender our ego or our own unrealistic ideals of what we can and should accomplish and ask others for help can be empowering.
We can get more done with and through others than we could ever accomplish solo. The hero doesn’t make the journey alone; the Allies along the way play an integral role.
You can be your biggest obstacle – or your biggest advocate.
The talk track that runs in your head can build you up, or hold you back. Find ways to be kind to yourself, to acknowledge your wins and your accomplishments.
Each day, remind yourself of the good things you’ve done for yourself or for someone else. Consider what makes you uniquely valuable and uniquely wonderful. Find one thing each day to be grateful for…and focus on the positive.
Adversity is a necessary part of the journey.
As a colleague of ours says, “the strife comes when there’s dissonance between what you want and what is.” If there’s anything we’ve learned in the last year and a half, it’s that adversity comes in many forms - and never when we’re ready.
We can fight the adversity and let it get the best of us, or we can view adversity as a step on our journey: a lesson to be learned. What is any great hero without a Dragon or two along the way?
Never underestimate your impact on others.
You are a role model. Whether it’s to your team, your children, your colleagues - your words and actions have meaning. People pay attention to what you give your time and energy to; make sure that your values are reflected in your words and actions. Want to see a superhero? Take a look in the mirror.
We are meant to be in community.
If there’s one thing that was crystal clear after dinner the other evening, it is that we are meant to be with others. We are better with people who support us, challenge us, and make us think. Being part of a community gives us a shared sense of purpose, expands our social, professional - and neural networks. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, increasing social support and community is one of the five key determinants to overall health.
Community is at the heart of our work.
In this final stage of the hero's journey, the hero re-enters his or her life a changed person. The hero returns to where the quest began, but things will never be the same...because the hero is no longer the same. Claiming the truth and power of the journey, the hero returns changed, and equipped to change others…maybe even to change the world.
Ready to explore YOUR Hero’s Journey?
Our next Mastermind series starts in September “I can’t say enough phenomenal things” Join us for a six-week exploration into the Hero’s Journey to identify your Truth and Claim your Power. Find inspiration and build your community. “It has truly changed my life – it made an impact.” Learn more here.
We’d love to work with you 1x1:
Experience what it’s like to have the extraordinary support of your own executive coach. So many of our clients are doing deep transformational work - which is far less scary with support. Reach out to Kathleen or Lisa to discuss how 1x1 coaching can make all the difference to what you’d like to explore or achieve.
Or….start looking at your 2022 travel calendar:
Go deep for a week. Join our waitlist to be among the first to know when we, once again, schedule our signature Leadership Immersion Retreats. We bring women together to find the inspiration, ideas, and insights that only come when you step away from your normal routine with space to reflect and grow. 2020’s schedule was Florence, Santa Fe and Napa – and we’re looking at the 2022 calendar now. Join our waitlist to see what’s coming.
Here’s to you, hero!
Kathleen and Lisa
