Lately I’ve noticed my increasing loss of direction. I used to think I knew exactly what I wanted, and how it would happen. Now, I doubt more. Much more. As I approach what may very well be the
median of my life, this can be unsettling.
It may be from the many distractions due to the variety of roles, and my
desire for each of those roles to be performed flawlessly, at least in the eyes
of others. But so many roles in a day…a
spouse, a parent, an educator, a leader, a friend, a person…how can I reach my
goal of becoming the servant leader I desire to be?
Removing myself from the many roles may be what is needed to
remind myself of my true compass. Not
permanently, of course, but momentarily, if not for just minutes each day. And during that brief moment of
self-preservation, the best action I can take may be to assume the role of one that
listens. A recent quote I heard was “listen
to understand; not to reply.”
Sure, listening to others may be a part of that. Empathetic listening, just for the sake of acknowledgment,
does wonders to lift the soul of another.
But the listening I’m referring to is setting time apart to withdraw
from the noisy, distracting world. It
requires the need to slow down, and in reverence of your simple being, listen less
of what you say and more of what you hear.
Discerning an inner guide is not as difficult was we might
believe. And when we take such an
opportunity, we become more aligned with our true compass. The blurred lines become clear, the everyday challenges
become opportunities, and our priorities become evidences of our purpose-driven
existence. The search for meaning and
understanding turns our tacit beliefs to explicit behaviors. With this comes a greater understanding of
servant leadership. To serve others and
to lead others, we must also serve the need to connect and be lead by our inner
voice, our leadership compass.
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