Gentle Leadership

Water Conquers Rock

Issue #77

Are you gentle in your relationships with others, or do you run over people with a Mack truck? The myth about creative leaders is that they are temperamental and self-centered. They abuse themselves and others. I think true strength comes in being gentle with others and in being gentle with ourselves.

As creative leaders, we can often be most abusive with ourselves. Our innovative work never lives up to our expectations. The product is never as good as we saw it in our mind's eye. We should learn to accept the gift that we have been given and not compare our work to that of other people. We are not them. We are each unique in the gifts that we have been given.

Strength comes from gentleness, not from overused muscles. True strength often appears weak to the uninitiated. Bullying is not strength. Overpowering is not strength.

Standing firm in the face of danger is strength. Strength is like water wearing away the stone. The stone is not stronger than the water. Yet, many would say the stone is strong. The water is strong by appearing weak.

Is your creative work like water or like stone? Does it have true strength or does it only appear strong? Embrace your inner strength. Believe in the power of your spirit to conquer the obstacles in your path, like water conquers rock.

Strength often comes from unexpected places. We sometimes misjudge people when we only look at the outside. Inside is what counts. Have you ever met someone you instantly liked, only to find out he was not the person you thought he was? Have you ever met a person who you thought was rude and uncaring, only to discover she was very warm and giving?

We can easily look at large oak trees and see how strong they are. They stand tall, and their root system goes deep within the earth. Many live to be 200 years old, and some have lived over a thousand years. They weathered many storms. And we can not deny that it does take courage to survive the hostile storms of time.

Have you ever looked into the face of an old person with pity and hope never to be like her? Or have you wondered about the storms she has weathered and the courage it took to live the hard life she led? We often misjudge the courage buried within the hearts of the people we meet.

Yet, it is the spring flower that survives a late snow that draws our attention. By nature, it is fragile, and its life is short. However, it has a rare courage that cannot be denied—to hold its petals high in the face of unwanted cold. We have all met that child who faces death with a courage we fail to see within ourselves.

As artists, writers, and storytellers, we must look deep inside and see the truth beneath the surface. We must find the courage to tell our story in words and images. Do you have the courage found within the flower poking through the snow? Are you as strong as the oak tree standing in your backyard? Are you able to look truth in the face and share the pain you have felt?

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Plant seeds of hope in the hearts of others!

Thank you for reading Creative Seeds of Hope. Have one fantastic week.