Your place matters…

your-place-matters

There would be a hole if you weren’t here…

Don’t laugh.

Please pause and listen to what I am saying. Your place matters.

The things you notice, the voice you use. The connections you make, that would otherwise be missed.

The ‘you’ that you bring – with all that you are – matters.

But as thoughtful changemakers, we sometimes don’t hear and see ourselves. And we can feel small and insignificant.

Lostness

During the week I found myself feeling invisible.

On reflection, I realised that in part it was because I had been doing things that I personally find draining and I was well spent.

I wrote the following to capture this.

LOSTNESS

I am feeling a little lost.
Not the kind of lost
that has mislaid the way,
or taken the wrong turning.

I know the road is still there
waiting to be walked.

It’s the feeling small, invisible,
too small to see.
Little, like my voice is a whisper
no-one can hear in a room of giants.

Time, slipping through my
fingers.
Missed opportunities flowing away
like water down the drain.

But this is an illusion
of smallness.
Concave mirrors distorting reflections
and clocks in my head to loud for their own good.

So the road beckons –
the reality of steps taken,
and to be taken,
one at a time…

To the rhythm of calling.

Sue Heatherington

The emotional insight opened up a way of thinking about how we could remain in a healthy space as changemakers. Finding a balance that enables us to keep moving forward and crossing thresholds, whilst remaining connected to our sense of meaning.

But perhaps more of that another day…

Your place matters

You probably have no idea how much you, your voice and what you have to say matters. You can’t – because you can’t be every single person who encounters you during your day, your week and your life.

But what you can do is to reflect on what shapes you, the place that forms your identity and infuses your work.

This is your sensemaking, your self-care. However, you are not on your own.

There are many – far more than you realise – cheering you on. Waiting for you to use your voice and become the change you want to see.

Enjoy finding your place.

Sue

This week

It’s really been all about expectations and perspectives, homing in on who we are and where we are in the world.