“For it is in giving that we receive.” ~St. Francis of Assisi
Good morning and happy Friday from a bright and sunny New York City!
It’s been a pretty damp and dreary spring since I’ve moved to the Big Apple, but I’ve been completely adoring living amongst the people and energy of ol’ Gotham.
New York has been helping to fuel my will to give, my wants to create unique and brilliant work in conjunction with awesome collaborators, and simply to meet more and more amazing people.
So, what better time to share a bunch of great announcements, positive developments and share a new Social Good Friday cause to you? :)
“Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.” ~Albert Camus
What do you get when two brothers, 12 years apart, decide to dedicate their summers to traveling across the United States to be in the service of others?
“What we speak becomes the house we live in.” ~Hafiz
Quiet? Silence?
How could quiet speak louder than noise?
When could silence trump commotion — especially in the battle for attention?
Remember, we’re talking about leadership here. Human leadership. Examining, questioning and reclaiming what it means to lead, for all the right reasons — and in ways that effortlessly endure.
So, when it comes to the power of quiet, let’s think over these vital questions:
If you answered yes to these questions (and why wouldn’t you! if you’re here, you’re an unleader), I’m relieved — your “leader’s drive” exists to lead, first and foremost — with followers, finances and fame all coming secondary to the will to be a catalyst for positive change.
What fire burns in you?
Nah, we’re not talkin’ arson, here. I’m talking about the fires of your spirit, your love, your passion — those biz ideas, your sincerest interests and personal endeavors, those deepest (and maybe never-spoken) dreams that call your name every single moment of the day.
What fires do you need to start — in your life, in your world, in our world?
…What makes you come alive?
It’s an easy question to ask, but a tougher one to answer. I think you know the answer deep down; it’s not hiding. There are things you love. Topics and subjects you cannot stop consuming. Interests that grab the gaze of your eyes and won’t let go. Ideas that beg you to come after it, like a lone bread crumb that leads down some swirling, unknown path.
Fires. The ones that emblazon your thoughts obsessively, with drunken intrigue.
I want you to start those fires… we all need you to stoke ‘em.
A few years ago, I was beginning to learn the profound effects of “quiet leadership” while living in Washington D.C.
But you might not suspect that one of the most influential lessons I took away from living and working in the leadership capital of the world actually came from… my neighborhood supermarket.
At the time, I was coming off of an internship at the White House. That summer had consisted of things like:
In other words, I had never been closer to some of the most important, powerful and influential leaders in our world. And I had never witnessed more, or felt more a part of ”the modern leadership world,” either.
And yet, there was this one single moment — a fleeting, typically unmemorable exchange — in aisle 5 of my local supermarket that still, even today, continues to teach me about what it really means to be a leader in this life.
Please, never apologize for what is the best for you — because the best for you, I know deep down, is the best for me too.
Never apologize for what sets your spirit ablaze: the present-living, the heart-awakening, the self-actualizing glory. There are moments all around you. There are opportunities abound.
Embrace them, and never apologize for them.
Never apologize for being you – for living your life in ways that help you to be the most “you” that you possibly can be. Your work. Your living space. Your friendships and relationships. What you read, what you eat, the products you consume and the bullshit you reject. Align these as you must, and never apologize for it.
Never apologize for seeking, inviting and creating the radical change that makes people say, “What the hell is she thinking?” and “I feel like I don’t even know him anymore.”
Do not fear this reaction.
Can you really blame them?
They have never met Your Truth.
My name is Dave Ursillo. Here, we explore what it means to be a leader by practicing leadership from a place of love, creating brilliant lives for ourselves and helping others along the way — whether with, or without, followers. We call ourselves Unleaders. Learn more, and join us »
