TheLeaderInside.com

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous.”   Actually who are you not to be?  Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people do not feel insecure around you. 

We were born to make manifest of the glory that is within us.  It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.  As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Nelson Mandela

April 17, 2006

“Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment.”

~~~ Mohandas Gandhi

=======================================================

“Compassion is, by nature, peaceful and gentle, but it is also very powerful. Some may dismiss it as impractical and unrealistic, but I believe its practice is the true source of success.”

~~~ The Dalai Lama

=======================================================

Power of empathy — leading with an open heart.

I have to say — this can be so difficult in our lives — not only on a personal level, but also in our business world as it pertains to our leadership abilities.

This world of ours gives us such a full plate of experiences. Our lives can give us so much joy, love and light — but they can also show us a fair amount of pain, sadness and suffering.

This can be magnified when we are dealing with life with an open heart. When we do this, we tend to take everything into ourselves. We become more deeply affected by what we see. We find it difficult to hold ourselves separate from the pain of the people in our lives — including ourselves — even our own disappointments may begin to take their toll.

When we take in all that is around us in our daily lives, and hold it within ourselves, the tendency is to become overwhelmed and to feel that we aren’t able to keep ourselves open to others. We may begin to shut down so that we don’t “feel” too much.

One thing that can help us turn this situation around is an awareness of the power of empathy. The leader within has the power to open our heart to another person’s suffering and still be be full of helpful energy. Many experiments with meditation have proven that we can reach far beyond the boundaries of our selves and help others — when our hearts are open. One such example is the “heart meditation” where we awaken the power of empathy and help ourselves to remain strong while, at the same time, we are helping the person who is suffering.

What a powerful tool for the leader. Instead of shuttering your emotions, resolve to hold your feelings in your heart. Then tap into the energy of love that resides in your heart — the power of empathy. It will protect you while also transmuting the pain of others. You can allow yourself to feel the pain of the situation knowing that your heart is big enough and strong enough to hold it. Not only will you be able to be a truly helpful leader — but you will also find a new strength within you that you didn’t know existed.

~~ DBL-R

“Happiness Is Not A Fish That You Can Catch”
                                   ~Our Lady Peace

What exactly is happiness, anyway? What does it mean to feel “happy”? Well, all dictionary definitions aside, I think we can agree that happiness is that ‘good’ feeling that makes us want to smile.  That feeling of contentment and overall well being. It’s something that most people strive for in life. Sadly, most people seem to look for it outside of themselves, as though its some sort of external, tangible ‘thing’ that can be found.

People commonly assume that their happiness (or lack thereof) results from the things that other people say or do, or their current life situations, or their material posessions, or even the weather! The possibilities are ENDLESS!

I think to a certain extent ALL of us get caught up in these limiting ideas. Its hard not to, especially with the constant influence from a variety of external sources.

TV (media in general) in particular can have a huge impact on how we look at the world, and how we determine what is required to be happy!

“Once I lose 40lbs”, “Once I get that Big Screen TV”, “Once I find my true soul-mate” – “THATS when I’ll truly be happy!”

The sad irony is that this ’pursuit of happiness’, this constant chasing of that magic happy pill, will often lead to an unhappy, unfulfilling life. It causes people to live their lives in the future, never really appreciating what they have in the ‘now’.

Ron talks about perspective in his recent article, and there is little doubt that this is a hugely important tool (depending on how you look at it! ) when it comes to generating happiness in our lives…THATS RIGHT – we are the ones who are solely responsible for creating our own happiness! It all comes down to our perspective – the particular way we chose to view/interpret everything in our lives.  

Over the years I’ve watched my levels of happiness increase dramatically as I’ve continued to work on developing a healthy sense of perspective. Considering all the horrible things occuring around the world, the unbelievable challenges many people face every single day, I just can’t help but feel INCREDIBLY grateful for my life!

Just look to Hollywood and you’ll quickly see that heaps of money and fame don’t necessarily lead to the ultimate levels of bliss and well being. Last I heard there was a pretty hefty divorce rate, rehab enrollment, and even suicide, among the stars. No matter what your current life situation, it still all comes down to YOU and your decision to create happiness in your life.

I strongly urge you to take a CLOSE look at your life, and start to take stock of all the things you are grateful for, all the things that perhaps you tend to take for granted!

Are you alive? Do you have clothes on your back? Do you have family and friends?Do you have a job?

Get out a pen and paper and make a list of all the things you appreciate about your life – then stick it someplace where you will see it every day! Sometimes all it takes is a gentle reminder to provide us with that healthy dose of perpective we all need on a regular basis!

A powerful source of true happiness is waiting inside each and every one of us – tap that source, and start smiling today!

~BC