Dare to lead part 3 – Past is power

Past is power. We all come from different ways with different histories. Life has taught us think based on everything that has happened to us earlier in our lives. Are you aware of your thought patterns and why you make the decisions you do? It’s a big question but every leader needs to dig deep on their own mind in order to became great leader. This is because it would be very hard to lead if you don’t recognize where your actions come from and what motivates them. Of course, you cannot know everything about yourself right away, but you can have the mindset of digging deep and wanting to learn about yourself and from your blind spots. I mentioned that the past is power right in start and that’s because when you became aware of your past, you can use it as a strength and a source of motivation to be better and do better.  You don’t need to be a leader to became self-aware but as a leader you must be self-aware. When you find your blind spot and become aware of it, you can make a choice. Either lead from the hurt or lead from the heart. Leading from the hurt would be choosing negative and heavy emotions over peace and the way of love. Not really a hard choice when putted like that. You can choose where you give power in your mind and that energy will change the outcome. In good and in a bad.  The choice is yours. (Brown 2018.)

As Brené Brown mentions in her book called “Dare to lead” “Most daring, transformational leaders I’ve worked with have overcome hurtful experiences”. (Brené 2018) There you can see how the choice of peace and love has made the best leaders. They have gone through the self-reflection and gave the necessary time for it in order to get the positive things out from them. Usually the bigger experience, the bigger the outcome. This goes too both ways, good and a bad. It also can be a good thing to have big traumas if can master them and use them in positive and constructing way. I want to add that it’s only then good to have big traumas when you can use them in this way because if you cannot, traumas can have devasting affect on one’s life. I think it’s easier to work with smaller traumas and get the good out from them but of course the outcome might not be as powerful compared to these bigger happenings from the past and using them as a source of energy. Anyway, all this is important and a must for leaders and hopefully as many as possible can overcome their childhood’s and earlier life’s negative happenings. (Brown 2018.)

“I love you”. Brené Brown mentions how simply saying that is the greatest way to show vulnerability. When you are saying “I love you” you don’t know what is going to happen next. You might get the answer of your lifetime back or nothing in return. You have stripped your armor and there is nothing to cover you. It’s a scary place to be in, but if we are not ready to put ourselves as a leader to these kinds of situations, how we can be the examples the world needs? The armors we carry are usually created from those experiences in our past during a long period of time, that’s all we know. Getting nothing in return and we don’t want to experience that again so it’s easy choice to stay covered. There is one thing that those so called “covers” are covering you and that’s success. You cannot succeed if don’t show vulnerability and dig deep in it. It’s a necessity. Saying “I love you” to yourself is very important part of going through your traumas too. How can you love others if you cannot love yourself? Let go of your armor, let the love flow in when you are doing deep self-reflection, accept the past and move on in the way of the leader. You can use the same love for others as you use for yourself after going through all that and it will make a difference. (Brown 2018.)

In the end, everything we have experienced has a meaning so let’s not cover from it, but instead of, love and embrace it. I love you.

Sources:

Brown, B. 2018. Dare to lead. London. Vermillion, an imprint of Ebury Publishing.