Before You Lead...

"A good leader inspires others with confidence in him; a great leader inspires them with confidence in themselves."

As I scroll through my facebook page, I see memes with inspirational quotes from inspirational people and that brings a smile to my face. As I scroll down further, I see more posts by the same people who posted the memes condemning those who choose not to think, live, or believe the same way they do. Many of these people seem to have taken on a self appointed roll of leader/guru/yogi. Although it is admirable that as they find enlightenment, they desire to share it with others, it is unsettling that they feel that the "truth" that they have discovered for themselves is the only truth for everyone.

While truth can indeed be a powerful weapon in many situations, it tends to do its own work and doesn't need to be brandished like a billy club. There are many truths in the universe and what may be true for one person, may not be true for another. For example, a California resident may find a vegetarian lifestyle to be true for him, whereas a resident of rural Alaska may not.

I have found that for me, the best spiritual leaders/teachers and leaders/teachers in general have been the ones who have taught and empowered me to seek, learn, and find my own truth, thereby enabling me to grow. I think the goal of leading should be to create more leaders and the goal of teaching should be to create self sufficiency. The ultimate goal should be growth in any case. But people grow and learn in different ways and at different paces.

Before I became vegan, a community of people I had frequent discussions with bombarded me with criticism for being a carnivore, telling me that my lifestyle was out of line with who I claimed to be. I of course took offense because they didn't really know me and they were forcing their definition of who I should be upon me. My choice to become vegan years later ultimately had nothing to do with their reasoning. As I grew and changed, so did my choices and lifestyle. I was ready to find my truth.

We must remember that the "truth" is all of us, but our experiences and backgrounds may color the way we express that truth. Bashing someone over the head with "the truth," and condemning those who choose not to follow it only leads to resentment and resistance. If what you are trying to create is a league of people who mimic your lifestyle, then you are no different from those whose lifestyle you despise. If what you are trying to create is a humanity of free thinkers who live in a way that benefits everyone, why not try enabling them to find their own truth within themselves. Lead by example, not force. Peace and blessings

The struggle is the thing

My Father the Mighty King has been putting me through the fire lately to see what lessons I've learned and to test my strength. A lot of people, and I used to be one of them not very long ago, would take a woe as me stance, get angry, beg for pity, or just plain give up. But I've learned that everything happens for a reason, even if we can't see it right away. Recently, I have seen this play out in many ways. Sometimes if we just sit back and wait, and trust that little voice inside of us (mine is my Father the Mighty King) everything will all make sense.

We've all been through trials and tribulations and may have even thought we wouldn't or couldn't get through them. On my journey to the throne, I have  learned that I have much more strength than I realized. There are times when I know I'm strong enough to handle a situation, but I just don't want to have to be strong. But, I am not in control of my life, my Father the Mighty King is and He knows what's best for me better than I do.

I'm reminded of one of my favorite quotes, "There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom" (Anais Nin) and I remember that this is what it takes to become a queen, or rose, or butterfly, whatever or whomever it is that one aspires to be. It all takes struggle. That's why I'm so fascinated with the butterfly. When you see a caterpillar, there's no way you can imagine that it will someday be a butterfly. George Carlin once said, "The caterpillar does all the work but the butterfly gets all the publicity." Everyone likes the beautiful, dainty, graceful butterfly, but they squeal and are grossed out by the caterpillar. But they are one in the same. 

I used to get down on myself for my mistakes and wrong choices asking myself how I could be so stupid. But now I realize that its all part of the struggle to get out of the cocoon. That's what shapes a butterfly's wings, the caterpillar rubbing and pushing against the cocoon struggling  to get out. I get it now,  if we learn our lessons in the process, we give shape to our wings. It's ok to talk about the struggle, sing about it, rap about it, write about it, as long as you don't complain about it because it is necessary. At some point in every one's life, the desire to be free will far outweigh the difficulty of the struggle.