Remember Who You Are...
Personal Development
May 7, 2013
Chery Gegelman
President, Giana Consulting LLC
Topics
Actions, Authentic, Inspiration, Leadership, Self DevelopmentEarlier this week I spoke with a friend that has an extraordinary gift, and an opportunity to use that gift at a much higher level.
- If she chooses to pursue that opportunity she has to push through whispers of doubt that her mind is already generating about all that she is not.
- She must push through her own comfort zone and perhaps the comfort zones of her friends and her family.
- And then, she will have to risk being vulnerable to the people that will decide if her gift is what they need right now.
When we spoke about that opportunity, I encouraged her to pursue this with all of her heart. I believe that she was given this gift for a reason, that she will inspire others, and that her choice to take the risk is something her children will always remember.
As I think about the decision she has to make I am reminded of the movie The Lion King. There is a scene in the movie where Simba has been away from home for a long time because his evil uncle convinced him that he was responsible for his father’s death. After years of running away from the pain and trying to cover it up with play, his father appears to him in a vision and says, “Simba… You have forgotten who you are, and so forgotten me. Look inside yourself Simba, you are more than you have become! …Remember who you are…”
This morning, I opened Google+ and watched Botlahle, an 11-year old girl, audition for South Africa’s Got Talent. (Thank you Ande Lyons for sharing!)
What strikes me in this video is that this young lady knows who she is. When she speaks the beautiful words of another poet, she brings her unique light and style and instantly engages the audience. Then when she is asked to share her own words her light becomes even brighter…
Please share: How do you remember who you are? And what are you doing with your gift?
View related posts here:
Courage ~ The Testing Point of Every Leader
Accepting the Tension between The Vison and The Reality
Will you lead from who YOU are?
Photo Credits: iStockphoto
#ElPatojismo ha sido posible también, gracias al apoyo, inversión, donaciones y acompañamiento de nuestros socios @JustWorldInt quienes por años, han respaldo nuestro trabajo para dignificar a la comunidad y generar oportunidades de desarrollo local! Gracias! #LeadChange
Change Within to Create Change on the Outside #leadership #bethechange #leadchange https://t.co/8tsP4bp8qH
Dear Chery:
Thank you for this encouraging article. I agree!
Linda
Really thought-provoking questions.
I remember who I am by connecting with my Mom and Daughter, by picking up a paintbrush, by writing about what I know, and by torturing metal into jewelry. I remember who I am by engaging in deep conversation with others and by facilitating visioning. When life gets difficult I will connect with myself, who I am, and what I know to be my inner guiding strength, by getting quiet.
It’s not an activity – it’s inactivity. It requires little. I lay on the floor and let thoughts race through my head until there is nothing to left to race. In the moments of true quiet I connect with who I am, who I’ve been ever since being.
I live my gift. Until the day I cannot put forth another breath, I will facilitate visioning. Through my talent I connect others with their own ability to create their future by removing barriers and connecting them with their power to determine their vision and how they will make their vision real.
I came to discover my talent after visiting Kenya. I was disturbed because a friend had been killed for the twenty dollar bill he carried. I wondered how a person could put their own life in jeopardy by killing another for $20. After many years of pondering I was guided by a leadership coach to read The Soul Of Money by Lynn Twist. That was when I recognized the struggle for Kenyans – it is extremely difficult to invest in your own future if you don’t believe you have one because you can’t see a future. In Kenya, many people struggle to exist from one day to the next.
And then I realized that people all over the world struggle with investing in their own future because they don’t have personal visions. It doesn’t matter your financial status – living without a vision for your future can feel meaningless and soul-less.
Since that early time, I have worked with a developing Kenyan community, a nation-to-nation aid program, with small businesses and indviduals.