Boundless

Sinking deeper into the message outlining the presentation I’ll be giving in a few weeks my stomach unexpectedly churns.  The sediment of real fear I try my best to leave undisturbed stirs turbid as I think through what will be required of me to deliver a passionate message about my business with a prescribed number of slides cycling precisely every fifteen seconds regardless of whether I’m ready to move on to my next thought. What appears to be required to be great in this arena feels like more than I can bear.

My guts spill out on the table with a vulnerability most would never dream of revealing in the workplace, but he is a safe place.  After more than a year on the front line of the most arduous battles, I question whether I’ll do more damage than good for myself taking on yet another assignment in ambivalence. How ironic that I decide quickly success looks like not only a deck of the most forgiving slides I can create, but a willingness to stand naked on the stage revealing what the business looks like through my eyes.

What I love about him is he doesn’t belittle, bemoan or belabor my fear. He respects my feelings and allows me to express them. He doesn’t just attempt to convince me I’ll be great.  When he tells me we’re going to do this together he commits to showing me how to unleash the greatness he sees inside.  His generosity makes me want to cry.  And I do (but not until I get home).  He knows what a stretch this past year has been, but he also knows I’ve got more in me, and he can set it free.

If you’re serious about pursuing your dreams it means taking up residence in foreign places and figuring out how to feel at home. At first it’s lonely.  You’re unsure of who to trust.  You’re worried you’ll look silly or stupid pitching your idea or perspective to strangers who haven’t yet revealed where they stand. We grow weary watching countless individuals try us on only to discard us because we’re not quite the right fit.

 

But with the tenacity to share the very best of ourselves all the time those precious allies who recognize and appreciate our worth become known to us. And this is the precise place where we most need to surrender to our vulnerability, recognize this magic is a rare gift few are brave enough to receive.  For these precious few want nothing more than to sustain us when we’re battle-worn, pick us up when we fall, walk beside us when we’re at our worst, but only if we let them.

 

I’m beginning to realize these individuals don’t just support my dreams, they are my dreams.  They are the people who love me for who I am, who believe I’m capable of everything I’ve ever wanted to be.  They show me how to do what’s far more difficult than giving love could ever be; they show me how to receive love.

There’s more in all of us.  Who do you want on the journey with you to set it free?