SHOWING UP IS THE FIRST STEP.

SHOWING UP

I learned early in life the importance of showing up in the face of challenges. My mother and grandmother taught me the meaning of courage and rising strong in living their own personal journeys. We all encounter difficulties and opportunities in life, and we can either tap into our fears, or our courage. We can listen to the voice of fear, that inner dialogue that says, “What if I fail? What will people think? I’m not smart enough, not educated enough,” or we can somehow reach deep within to move forward.

Like many of you, I faced challenges that could have paralyzed me early in life. I became a teenage mom, and then a single mother in my late 20s. I was solely responsible for caring for my two children emotionally, physically and financially. It was during this profoundly uncertain time in my life, that I truly understood the meaning of showing up in the face of fear and uncertainty.

In business it’s no different. Society has taught us that vulnerability is weakness, but research shows that there isn’t a single act of courage that doesn’t involve vulnerability. From pitching a new idea to addressing an extremely difficult situation at work, to applying for a new job or having to tell a client that their project will be late…it takes what I call courageous–vulnerability to show up. There are defining moments when we are faced with how courageously-vulnerable we are willing to be. Mine was choosing to do what was right over what was easy in an extremely difficult situation with a leader. Someone who led from a place of division and fear, and pushed the professional boundaries consistently. The inevitable moment came when the boundaries were pushed much too far, and I had to choose. I chose to do what was right over what was easy.

I have often been told by those who know me that I have a way of authentically connecting with people. That’s because I truly care and listen. It’s because I understand the impact that cultivating trust, connection, honest communication, along-side accountability can offer.