In 2002, I attended a leadership workshop. One afternoon, the facilitator asked us to reflect on what we truly wanted, what was standing in the way of achieving it, and to write a poem about it. At the time, I was in the process of documenting the Managing Thought® process and writing the workshops. Although I was very clear about my life mission, that I am doing what I am here to do, I was fearful. I had learned as a child, that if I wanted to be loved and accepted, it would serve me to keep my “out there” thoughts to myself. Now I would be sharing these “out there” thoughts with the toughest audience — CEOs– and putting it in writing–for all to see for all eternity! I cried as I got ready to conduct my first workshop. I felt like I was coming out of the closet.
So I wrote my poem. (I always write acrostic poems – where the first letter of each line of the poem, when read vertically, spell a word, that the poem is about.)
LETTING GO
Leaping from the top of the highest mountain into the sea of possibility,
Embracing all that there is–in the world and in my soul,
Trusting that the doors will open, and I walk
Through those open doors
Intuitively,
Naturally,
Gracefully, filled with faith and
Gratitude,
Opening myself to the experience of miracles…
I woke up the next morning with an expanded radiance and a knowing that it wasn’t about me being loved and accepted. It was about me loving and accepting others. It wasn’t about me seeking to be understood. It was about me seeking to understand and sharing what I am learning without an attachment to the outcome. And so it is!
What’s standing in the way of what you truly want? What’s your poem?
Thanks to my Facebook friends Macrobiotic Guide for sharing this photo with us.
© 2012 Mary J. Lore and Managing Thought LLC All rights reserved.
This blog is the second in a series of reflections on the lessons in Managing Thought during the recent sudden move of my parents—lessons that apply equally to the big changes and challenges we face every day at work and in life.
