Positive energy is a powerful tool for powering us through our lives. It’s also vital for inspiring others to be a part of our journey. Last week I discussed the value of vision and purpose in knowing who we are and where we’re going. Knowing who we are and what our mission is creates confidence which in turn powers positive energy. It’s hard to be positive and upbeat about the things we do if we’re not sure where we’re going. Now that we have a vision of our journey, a direction for us and our passengers, it’s time to get more people to join us. It’s awesome to have a vision and understanding of who we are, but getting to our destination requires help and that means attracting others to join us on our journey. The only way to inspire others to join us on your path to success is through positive energy. Nobody wants to join a journey, no matter how powerful or great the mission, if the leader/driver is a Debbie Downer. That’s where this week’s post comes in. In order to truly inspire those around us to be part of our journey there must be joy and love surrounding our mission.
Let’s start with joy. Joy is a powerful emotion. It has the ability to make the hardest tasks easier and brings light to dark moments. Joy opens our heart. The only way to truly feel joy is to let down the protective barriers around our heart. We must open ourselves up to others and be the light in an often dark and cynical world. This is scary for a lot of leaders, it’s difficult to show and share joy with others. This is because joy also makes us vulnerable. The happiness that joy brings also brings down our walls around our heart and opens us up to potentially getting hurt.
Take a moment to think about the last time you felt joy. Think about how it made you feel, how the moment passed and how it affected those around you. Now think about what happened immediately after. Did you find yourself thinking about something bad that could happen? Did you think about a potential damaging or negative outcome? If you did you’re not alone. I recently heard that 90% of people when in a joyful moment immediately think about a terrible or negative outcome. I know I do this sometimes. I don’t understand why, but for some reason I have awful thoughts following feelings of joy. For example if you are experiencing joy watching your kids play a game, do you find yourself thinking about some terrible injury or accident that might happen? Or if you are enjoying a moment at work, did you think about missing a deadline or getting fired? Why do we feel the need to prepare ourselves for a dreadful or negative moment when feeling joy?
From what I’ve gathered its our way of protecting ourselves. Because joy is vulnerable and when we open ourselves up to feeling joy, there’s a risk of getting hurt we prepare ourselves for that hurt while in the moment as a way to negate potential future hurt. It’s a way of putting on armor or a wall around our heart. If we prepare for the worst, maybe it won’t hurt so bad. The truth is no amount of preparation can stop the hurt when it comes. So, instead of preparing for the worst, when experiencing joy, let down the walls and open our hearts, and appreciate the special moment we’re in. It might be scary and there is a chance of getting hurt or future pain, but the moment we’re in isn’t one of them. Enjoy it and soak up all the joy you can. Be joyful and love that which we do. Lead from a place of love and joy.
This leads us to our second word, love. To truly lead from a place of joy, we have to be willing to love. We have to let people into our joy by opening our hearts and sharing it with them. We can have joy for what we do, but if we want others to experience our joy, we must also show them love. Love is what allows us to remove our armor and take down our walls while letting others into our moments of joy. As a leader, leading with love allows us to connect better with those we lead. Our love for those we lead connects us to their success. It drives us to see them succeed, and celebrate in their moments of triumph. With love it is no longer about us, but about them. Then, when they do achieve success, it is a moment of joy we can share together.
For us as leaders to show and experience love for those we lead and work with we must build real connection. This connection is another example of vulnerability. We must open up to the people on our journey with us. This means letting them past our barriers, being honest with them, empathizing with their pain and struggles, and allowing real connection to be made. This is scary because there is a chance of getting hurt, of being betrayed or being let down. But without letting those we lead in we will never fully get the most out of our journey.
So, in order to ride the wave of positive energy and be a beacon for those around us, it’s important for us to give into vulnerability and open our hearts to love and share the joy we have with those we lead. What I’m asking isn’t easy. I still find myself blocking myself off at times when I’m unsure of how those I’m talking to or teaching will react to the way I lead. However, I do this less than I did before. I openly share my joy and give my love to those on my journey with me. I’ve become better at giving into vulnerability and understanding that the best way for me to lead is with positive energy, love, and joy. If it leads to someone not believing what I do, I am willing to continue my journey without them (but only after exhausting every option). I don’t just jump ship or close myself off, because I know that everyone needs support on their journey, and if I’m too quick to ban someone from my team I’ll be on this road alone. Be open to love, be open to joy, and give in to being vulnerable with those on your journey with you. Lead from the heart and let the joy you have in your vision and purpose guide your actions.
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