Dear reader,
The story I am telling myself in my head right now is that you will be bored by reading the title of the article, and that ‘again’ someone is writing about courage and compassion. And still, I don’t know, but I want to write about it because it’s a topic that many leaders avoid, while it is actually the mother of all things when we look at our personal development and the life journey we make.
When was the last time that your parents or a friend told you that you have to be in the frontline of your life, or that you have to fight for your rights? It all sounds quite heavy. I often hear, when I talk about the intention of your message, that people want to blow away people, kick them, or smash the message in their faces.
How would it be if we set the intention that we only love them and want to open their eyes and their hearts towards new goals and new development? No communication about fighting, blowing, smashing or whatsoever. Just be there. And to be, is very challenging in this era.
We are all consumed and filtered. Whether it is the news we see on the television or hear on the radio, or in what our perception is of a perfect life or relationship. Of hatred or anxiety. Fear or love.
I want to emphasize this: your life is not an Instagram filter, it’s about what you feel and experience while walking around here. How you see and hear other people. Something that goes beyond watching and listening. Hearing what is not said, seeing what is not shown. That requires a lot of a human being, such as… compassion and courage.
Having compassion and courage means that you start looking from the inside out. What happens to you when someone says something to you that you don’t like? What happens when you feel hurt, or when you are totally excited? What does it say about you and your feelings? If you can fully control and understand what happens with your emotions and feelings, you can open a brighter mind and vision towards the people around you and act with compassion and courage.
What does courage actually mean? Brené Brown, shame and vulnerability researcher, explained that courage comes from the Latin word ‘Cor’ which means ‘Heart’ and stands for the ability to open your heart and show what lives inside. In the good or the bad. Just you as you are. In today's society courage is associated with standing in the frontline, being a superhero. I would appeal for the old style ‘Latin courage’ where you show yourself. That’s what being a real hero is about nowadays.
If we are courageous enough to know ourselves then we can build up compassion and know that we are here at service to others. When I teach Public Speaking I always say that it’s not about you, but about your audience. What do they need? What is their problem or interest? And how can you solve that or be a support to them?
Do you know their backgrounds, their struggles, their challenges along the way? What do you really from each other? How often do you share yourself, how often do you have the real courage to be?
Let’s talk about that. Let’s enlighten that little flame and see what we can do for the people around us and then… on a larger scale, what can we do for our countries and, even larger, for the world. The reasons why I publish this article here is that I have put all my hope and strength on my generation and those generations that will follow us up. We are the fertile ground where we can build on. And that’s the root we need to cure to improve, empower and enlighten this beautiful world.
I thank you.
Reinout
