Month: August 2015

I was just thinking.

Wouldn’t it be nice if words were like Chinese paper yoyo’s or birthday party blowers?  They could extend and retract by the simple flick of the wrist or switch of breath in and out.  Instead, once words are out, they are out!  They forever escape our control the second they leave the recesses of our brain and exit our mouth.  Once we give them away, they are open for others to do whatever they want with them.

I remember being a little girl and demanding my sister “Take that back!”  Or, I would hurriedly say “I take it back! I take it back!!!,” when I knew I had crossed a dangerous line.  I guess that is a child’s futile attempt at modeling words after paper party supplies.  By adulthood, we know this hopeful strategy doesn’t work, even when we genuinely try to reverse the direction of our words.

So, knowing that verbal retraction of foolish, unplanned syllables that escape our mouth is not possible, why are we so careless with what we say?

We live in a cyber-world where blurting out anything seems acceptable.  With more words “out there” than ever, why do our words say less, yet somehow hurt more?

The truth is, words will forever be filled with great significance and consequence.  Words express information, intent, views, thoughts…feelings!  Words often translate into actions.  Words can unite or divide. Words hold power!  Real power.

As a leader, no matter if the relationship is parent-to-child, manager-to-employee, friend-to-friend, or stranger-to-stranger, treasure the value of words.  Treating the “how” and “what” you say with great care is part of leadership integrity.

Words can’t be pulled back with a swift breath in or snapping of your wrist.  Blowers and Chinese yoyo’s are only for parties; words are far more serious.

I walk.  I write.  I’ve been doing both for as long as I can remember.

A little over a year ago, I had just gotten home from a writing weekend during which “Connective Living” was born.  The phrase captured how I live, what I teach, and the leadership work I’ve been doing throughout my career.

Words were surging through me as I began my daily walk.  Highly alert for a Monday, I felt the creative pull between my brain and feet.

As I moved up my street, it was exhilarating to feel my thoughts jump from one positive, hopeful place to the next.  It was the ultimate game of mental hopscotch as I leaped from cloud to cloud only to intersperse a slide down a vibrant rainbow.  Ok, you get the point: I was inspired!  So very inspired.

I was looking up!

Interesting phrase: “Looking up!”  You hear this about the economy, “Things are looking up! Unemployment is down.”  They tell you, “Keep your chin up!” when a situation is bogging you down.  If you’re up high and afraid of heights, someone might say, “Keep looking up.  Don’t look down!”  No matter what the exact wording, “Looking up” is always geared toward the positive and away from “down.”

So on this particular day, I was looking up the road ahead.  Not just the metaphorical one associated with Connective Living; but, I was also looking up the actual road I was walking on.  I appreciated how perfectly the inclines and declines were interspersed.  It was like a perfect, natural treadmill program with varying grade levels.  I thought, “How lucky am I to live on this street?!”

So bouncing forward in Tigger fashion, I kept moving my feet and thoughts from one happy place to the next, until something caught my eye.  Just steps away, down on the street, sprawled a snake.  Not moving…just waiting there.  I quickly halted.  I could have stepped on it!  I had been looking up!

Fortunately, he was not of the sort to tout a rattle or threaten with its highly publicized poisonous venom.  Instead, he was harmless and serving as a simple reminder to me.

When you need to get somewhere meaningful, there will always be challenges, obstacles, and threats right where you start.  Acknowledge that fact.  Know where you stand.  Make necessary adjustments.  And then, keep looking up.

Strong leaders do this all the time. Any worthwhile endeavor requires hard work, risk, and even struggle, at times. New things can’t include fear. Instead, authentic leadership radiates a courageous spirit that propels progress.

I’m not going to forget this point as I move forward.

So after the snake stopped me dead in my tracks, I took a picture. And then, I cautiously continued on my way. Smiling and looking up!