Personal Growth: An Invitation for Leaders

“The invite is here!”

I ran through the house, leaving the big pile of magazines, bills and junk mail scattered on the kitchen counter. I was bursting with excitement. My youngest sister was getting married and knowing her and her fiancé’s vision, skills and creativity the wedding was sure to be an event to remember.

That was a few months ago. As I prepared my speech for the reception dinner I thought about how precious it is to be invited into the big and the little experiences of one others’ lives. It occurred to me, too, that in a very real way life is always inviting us.

Life invites us to live.

A bit of self-exploration is required with this invitation… what does it mean to you to really live your life? What would you do differently if you decided to enjoy the life you have even have more?

For me, it means to live my truth and to be one with my word (integrity); to dedicate myself every day to being even more myself than I was yesterday; to be willing to risk being seen; and to follow what brings me authentic joy. It also means to lead in my life, not be led by it, and to wake up with gratitude each day that I’ve been invited into this mystery.

Life invites us to Learn.

Some people just go through life, others GROW. I believe Life wants us to grow.

In the last five years I’ve learned how to move myself from the weakest to the strongest part of who I am, and how to support others while they do the same. This work reminds me that we are all growing together, and it reminds me daily just how powerful we all are. I am also learning how to laugh even more than ever, especially at my best laid plans. I’ve learned that when I observe my life and allow myself to get curious, I can see that something greater than my plan is at work. When it appears things aren’t going the way I’d hoped, I like to ask myself, “What if life has something even better in store than I can possibly imagine?”

Life invites us to Love.

This invitation is actually a dare… a dare to love ourselves without limits or conditions, so we can love each other more deeply than we ever thought possible.

In my coaching work, at some point my clients and I have a conversation about self-love. Most of us have long-held misunderstandings and misperceptions about what it means to love yourself, to really accept yourself as whole just as you are. One simple expression of self-love you can incorporate into your life is a small daily self-acceptance practice (especially when you notice you are judging and being hard on yourself). Try this self-love exercise:  close your eyelids for 30 seconds and ask yourself, “What would it feel like if I accepted myself just 1 percent more today?”