Outside the Comfort Zone: In Hot Pursuit of the Vision!

Change is growth.

Change is growth.

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This week I realized that it has been 8 months since we agreed to turn an unwanted opportunity into an adventure.  Today as I type this the last box has just been unpacked, the pictures are hung, and we’ve taken one quick spin around the compound on the Harley – celebrating that we are finally settled!

This weekend we shopped at one of the stores that we were in, on my first day here, causing me to reflect on that day:

  • Shortly after 3 AM the anticipated call to prayer blared from a speaker.
  • Once we were up we drove on roads that have lanes painted on them, however those lanes really don’t mean anything, as drivers simply drive wherever they want, whenever they want with no driving protocol or enforcement.  
  • As a woman – driving is not a wise option for me.  (It’s not a law, but you can get arrested if you do it!)
  • I was wearing my new black “cloak of invisibility.”  (In case you wondered, it is effective – as my husband quickly discovered how difficult it was to identify his wife when everyone is wearing a cloaking device!  Since that day we have wondered how small children learn to identify their mothers in a crowd and joked that perhaps I should add a huge Harley Davidson decal to the back of my “cloak” so he can spot me in a crowd!)

Who sees further a dwarf or a giant…?

“Who sees further a dwarf or a giant? Surely a giant for his eyes are situated at a higher level than those of the dwarf. But if the dwarf is placed on the shoulders of the giant who sees further?

This quote was the inspiration for a virtual community called Lead With Giants It is made up of people from all over the world that are passionate advocates of uplifting leadership.

Lead With Giants is one of five virtual leadership communities that I frequently connect with and learn from.  (This particular group is highly engaged, collaborative and as the quote indicates each member has had the benefit of being the dwarf and the giant.)  You are welcome to connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+!  

Each month leadership articles that have been written by Lead With Giants Members are compiled to create The Best of Lead With Giants.  

  • These articles are written to refresh you, to encourage you, to help you, and to challenge you.  
  • This month 17 articles are included.  

So grab a cup of coffee, pull up a chair and enjoy!

We hope to see you in one or more of our community hangouts soon!

~~~

If you are new to virtual communities check out this link to learn more about why I value them so much!   

 

 

Understanding Change: What goes down, will go up again!

“Toto, I’ve got a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”  Dorothy

We are definitely not in Kansas!  We are across the ocean in a dry and dusty land that we asked not to move to.  After months of planning and more months of being apart we have had one month in the same place.  We are convinced that we are here for a reason and determined to turn that unwanted change into an adventure!  This is an update on our expat journey:

Throw Yourself!

I discovered this quote this morning…

“The only way that we can live, is if we grow. The only way that we can grow is if we change. The only way that we can change is if we learn. The only way we can learn is if we are exposed. And the only way that we can become exposed is if we throw ourselves out into the open. Do it. Throw yourself!” ― C. JoyBell C.

It beautifully emphasizes the heart of a message I shared in the Lead Change Blog last week….  

“I recently spoke with a friend that has an extraordinary gift, and an opportunity to use that gift at a much higher level.

  • If she chooses to pursue that opportunity she has to push through whispers of doubt that her mind is already generating about all that she is not.
  • She must push through her own comfort zone and perhaps the comfort zones of her friends and her family.
  • And then, she will have to risk being vulnerable to the people that will decide if her gift is what they need right now….”

Click here to read the full post!

The Impact of a Mother ~ From a Variety of Perspectives

I am not a mother.  However, as Mother’s Day approached this year, I thought of multiple conversations I’ve had with mothers over the past few years.

  • Conversations with new mothers that are in the midst of raising little children and have no time for themselves.
  • Conversations with stay at home mothers that feel like they are frequently treated as if they are less intelligent, less creative, or have less to contribute to our world because they don’t have a full-time job outside of the home.
  • Conversations with mothers in blended families, as they work to be peacemakers that are consistent, fair and explainable in all they do.
  • Conversations with mothers that are a guiding light when their families go through trememdous change.
  • Conversations with mothers that haverecently lost a child.
  • Conversations with mothers that are raising children with cognitive challenges, health issues, mental health challenges…

As I think about the mothers and grandmothers I admire, these traits float to the top: