“Until recently, I was not a courageous leader.” Say it. Go Ahead.
You’re going to say it again when you’re finished with this short series of courageous leadership articles. And when you do, you’re going to believe it wholeheartedly, in the present…without consideration for what’s gone down in the past or what you’re fearful of for the future.
So what is a Courageous Leader anyway? Is it someone who operates without feeling, doing what needs to be done without concern for win/win situations? Is it someone who feels comfortable bossing people around, because that’s their job? Or is it someone who has the ability to detach him or herself from people, so they can move forward without doubt?
Courageous Leadership is nothing like that.
What is Courageous Leadership?
When you’re a courageous leader, you give up the idea that you have to control everything, and instead, allow good things to happen. You live consciously by harnessing all the power the present moment has for you. And you know that no matter what kind of leader you are—leader of one, leader of a multi-national company, or leader of a country—you are worthy and fully capable of being courageous, with integrity and the best interests of all in mind.
Not what you expected? Well, that’s understandable. You may have been taught all the wrong things about leadership. You may have been taught that it’s about control; about being at the top of the food chain and demonstrating power over others. Maybe you believe that it’s about domination, and that by choosing to lead, you choose to be despised.
Not only are those conceptions untrue, they don’t work in a world that is under the control of a universe that always says YES—a universe that would be incomplete without you achieving the things it wants you to achieve.
First of all, the very best leaders may not choose to lead. If you open yourself to everything the universe intends for you, well then, if you’re meant to lead, you will lead. And secondly, courageous leadership is not a dictatorship. It’s an agreement. You’re part of a team. You’re an equal, with the responsibility of achieving more.
Where does the courage come in? Courage originates from the French word le couer, which means heart. Courageous leaders lead with their heart, even though they may have doubt. Another way to say this is courage = commitment + doubt + action. You may be committed and still have doubts about taking risks , but you act anyway.
Let’s get started with my first piece of advice for summoning the courage to be the best leader you can be.
For Courageous Leadership, Know that you are Worthy
You might be doubting your worthiness to be a leader. What have I done to deserve this? How can I possibly live up to these expectations? I don’t think I’m good enough.
This BubbleTalk is acting as a blockade to the vortex that allows you to receive all the good things you deserve to receive…and to give all the good things you deserve to give. The more you receive, the more you can give.
But when you don’t believe that you deserve to receive, then you can’t possibly give. Your resources will run dry.
BubbleTalk is made up of the subconscious beliefs bubbling to the surface; your ego trying to protect you from dangers that don’t exist. And it’s all wrong.
The truth is that you’ve already done enough. You don’t have to do anything else to make yourself worthy of your leadership position, or of the joys and benefits that come with it. You do, however, have lots more to accomplish…and in order to open yourself to all the good things the universe has in store for you, you’ve got to know that you deserve all of it.
You can train yourself to be a courageous, worthy leader by taping a picture of yourself as a child to your bathroom mirror. Every morning while you’re getting ready to meet this beautiful world, say to that little person, “You are perfect. You are worthy. You are innocent. You are good enough. You are powerful. You have integrity.”
See how easy it is to believe all those things when you’re saying them to that little kid? The one who knew anything was possible and never questioned whether or not good things were earned, or deserved?
Do that for a few days, until it feels so natural that there’s no BubbleTalk that comes along with it. Then, look at your own face in the mirror and make the same statements. “You are perfect, you are powerful.” Breathe it in. Say it ten times, with a deep breath between each one.
When you believe those statements with all of your being, change every “you” to “I.” Now, when you’re combing your hair in the morning, you can say with the utmost confidence, “I am worthy. I am innocent. I am good enough. I have integrity. I am perfect!”
Take those beliefs to your leadership position, whether that’s downstairs to get the kids ready for school or into the boardroom to enact major change.
Now is the time.
“Until recently, I was not a courageous leader.”
“Now I choose to lead with courage.”
Say it.
Believe it.
Until Next Time…
I will be back next week with installment number two of this Courageous Leadership series. Until then, remind yourself every day that You Are Worthy by practicing the mirror exercise.
And before that BubbleTalk has a chance to surface, declare, “Until recently, I was not a courageous leader.” Say it as often as you need to, in every situation that would have once caused anxiety or doubt.
That should keep you busy until next time, leading with ever-growing courage. In the meantime, I invite you to check out the Conscious Leadership Academy, where conscious leaders are discovering the many ways they can create win/win situations and make a difference in the world. Will you join us?
