We are all leading something—our own lives, a board of directors, a child, a conversation, a hike, a dinner party, a congregation, a country, a business and staff…

Ultimately, whatever the whole of their responsibilities, a leader cultivates space for new and latent potentials to arise—their own as well as others—while facilitating, as much as possible, a stable environment for such change to take place.

“There are always excuses to be small and afraid.

But don’t think it’s only a coincidence

that you already know

that’s not the kind of life you’re here to do.”

~Brian Andreas, Songs of Starlight

We each have our own definition of an expansive life and what it means to lead it intentionally. It could be an accomplished, structured life or a wildly free spirited and nomadic one and anything in between. That is the point.

Leading your life means being tuned in to what is small to you, what is expansive to you, because that is where smallness and potentials, fear and love, regret and fulfillment are taking place.

That is where freedom and liberation take place that make all the things on the surface—accomplishments, travel, emotional freedom, dreams of all kinds—happen.

What is a potential? The word, potential, stems from the Latin that has to do with power. A potential is latent power. An ability that is already there and simply needs the right impulse, desire, challenge, word, reason, eyes, mirror, love, or inspiration to emerge into the light of day and mature.

That potential could as easily be a new relationship or an innovative business idea, as it could be an innate and latent gift to lead or heal, or the freedom from a limiting emotional burden or mental perspective.

Liberation is one of my favorite words for this because, though potentials can emerge every day with the right physical stimulus, they can flourish exponentially when we are intentionally liberating the subtle energy in the individual around their desired potentials as well as the limitations.

The scale of the thing—the potential—is immaterial, a relationship restructure or a belief shift.

“Compassionate leadership begins 

with the connection between individuals.

And a company is comprised of people. That’s all it is.

So, when you’re building upon a foundation of compassionate management,

ultimately what the company [a relationship, a family, a team, your life] is

about, its vision, its mission, its culture, its values, all that stuff is

manifested in the way its leadership is leading, the way the managers are

managing…the bedrock of an organization.”

~ Jeff Weiner, CEO of LinkedIn

Compassionate leadership is the connection you have with yourself to bring your own desires, and therefore potentials and power, to light. And compassionate leadership is also implemented in leadership positions with the opportunity to cultivate connection between individuals that bring group and individual potentials to light.

A successful entrepreneurial client spoke recently of how much she has to give as she seeks to meet the love of her life. When I asked a few questions, though, the important piece was not what she had to give. She was extremely good at that.

What she needed to shift to break open new potential was her ability to receive, to maintain power and open herself to love at the same time. Her giving was proactive and protective, but it wasn’t drawing the kind of partner who could share true power and intimacy.

Because we often project our love issues onto money, regardless of the amount we have in the bank, the same shift applied to where she wanted to go with her financial intentions. 

Where she could experience greater peace, confidence and increase in her already abundant financial wellbeing, as well as call in a partner who sees money as a resource for a mutually expansive life and not a tool to wield power or guilt over another.

Her self-defined expansive life is leading the way. Giving, though beautiful, showed up in this context as way of keeping herself small. To open to the greater life she desired meant liberating herself from the ways she stifled her power to receive. I can’t wait to see how her life—and love and financial affairs—continue to unfold into the light of day from here.

Here’s to more of you in the world, ❤️

Shelley