Sometimes we feel a little less than others.
We feel that we are not that strong.
That we have not really stood on our own.
That relying on others has made us weak.
And these feelings are very real.
They affect how we see ourselves and what we can accomplish.
Other people may not see us that way.
Yet we do.
We feel we are not that strong or not that capable.
After all, other people have been supporting us our whole lives.
Or maybe when they didn’t, we made a big mistake.
That one time when we struck out on our own it blew up in our face.
So we meekly return back to home.
Either metaphorically or actually.
We feel like we failed, we blew it, we messed up.
And we become scared to go back out and try again.
Maybe it even happens a second time, or a third.
And then we are truly convinced that we are a failure.
That nothing we ever do will be right.
We’ll never make a difference.
We’ll never measure up.
We feel weak because we’ve always been protected.
Perhaps what we really need to be thrown back into the cold water.
To face the harshness of reality and still survive.
Sometimes we just have to stand alone, be on our own two feet.
Only then will we have the confidence that we can do it.
We can survive.
We can make it on our own.
Then we can come back with our heads held high.
After proving to ourselves that we are good enough we can rejoin the tribe.
Not as a dependent person, but as a strong, capable member.
One who contributes from their confidence.
One who can stand side-by-side with the other leaders.
Not because they are better than anyone else.
Because they have proved to themselves that they have value.
Sometimes we need to let people go through their challenges on their own.
So they can find their own way.
And be the person they were always meant to be.
So we can all benefit from their example.
And the tribe is stronger because of it.
So where might you need to stand on your own so you can come back stronger?
~ Sam Liebowitz, The Conscious Consultant