Do Not Let Being Messed Up Stop You From Stepping Up

For many, many years I was hesitant to put myself out there because I was painfully aware of not having my own act together. No matter how far I progressed it would never be enough. I felt like a person standing on his tippy toes with his mouth just above the water. How could I offer support to others?

Often I would have others ask me to teach, but I still felt as though I fell short. Not in emergency or dangerous situations though, those seemed to be situations that were the only criteria of involvement I felt qualified for. That and supporting people in calming

In my own world I had tremendous evidence of success. At one point suffering from extreme panic attacks, getting to the point when I was no longer terrified, no longer mastered by fear was huge. Learning to shift anger, deescalate conflict and develop my ability to see the world through the eyes of others were all tremendous. In each of these global shifts of orientation I experienced change that was after the fact. I have seen this happen with clients as well. One day they mention that they did not notice when it happened, but that they have not had an anxiety episode for months.

Gradually it became clear to me that we are in a situation where we cannot not afford to wait. We can no longer wait for someone else to step up. It must be us. We have the ability to lead as long as we are not focused in our fear or need to control outcomes

It is important for us to celebrate this time. This is happening for us and not to us. In the flow of this we are coming to understand ourselves more fully. Many of us are used to holding back, allowing the more assertive or aggressive amongst us lead the way. The meek shall inherit the earth because they are the ones who truly listen. In deep listening we will find the answers we need. We can step up because we can stay in contact with kindness and compassion. We can step up through positive indifference, knowing that we are going to find the good in whatever direction we go. We do not need to know what to do.  By this deep listening we will find the flow of positive change.