Living Thoughtfully: Listening to Your Wisdom

Guest Blog from Carpenter Smith Consulting, LLC.

“This morning, I found myself unable to access my wisdom, unable to calm my body, and unable to think a single thought through to its completion. Not knowing what to do, I sat quietly and asked,

‘What would you have me do?’

Then, I listened. At first, there was nothing but noise, fear, and panic. It was loud and demanding. I breathed and asked again, ‘What would you have me do?’

What came to me was a surprise. Not a list of activities, emails, tasks, but . . .

Breathe. Quiet. Listen.

It was a powerful moment of calm, and I found I could think again. I was able to gain some clarity about my priorities, and I was able to trust my wisdom and expertise once again.

We have important and difficult things to do as leaders. We have to find a path to our wisdom, and that is often found in stillness.

This pandemic will test who we want to be as individuals and as a people.

Is this the darkness of the tomb or the darkness of the womb? Will we succumb to fear and self-interest, or will we double-down on love? Will we let social distancing isolate us, or will we find new ways to reach out and deepen our connections, to step up community care, and tend to the most vulnerable in our communities?

I believe this is a time to love without limit.

This is a time to see that we’re more alike than different. In doing so, we gather information for the kind of world we want — where no one is uninsured or disposable and where our policies and public institutions protect all of us.”

If panic or grief or rage suddenly seizes you, it’s okay. It means you’re alive to what’s happening.

The work is to breathe through it. In some ways, it becomes a unique dance — panic, return to wisdom, retreat to fear, and then finding the courage to show up with love. Always with love.