'You will love again the stranger who was yourself.'
- Derek Walcott.
About You, Power, Money, and Glory.
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With an audience of hundreds listening before him,
The revered CEO stuck his landing:
"As you are graduating,
Soon you'll be engaging,
One of them is money,
Another is power,
And finally, glory."
From one quarter to the next,
You've learned to play the money game.
You've delivered.
But there is a new game in town.
It's not just about building good businesses anymore,
It's about building businesses that fix the mess that we are in,
And do some serious good in the world.
You must play by a new set of rules,
Re-invent the models,
Trust that profits will flow from a net positive impact,
Find the courage to make hard choices,
And lead consciously.
From one quarter to the next,
You've learned to play the power game.
You're well on your way up the pyramid,
Over many, powerful.
Then came the great resignation.
How ready are you to empower, to share power?
How comfortable are you with vulnerability?
How well do you balance and harmonize the yin and the yang?
About the accolades, the trophies, the cover pages,
Please allow me to ask:
So what?
And when your eyes shut for eternity:
Will you have finally become the one that you were meant to be?
How will people feel when they remember you?
There is a quote I'd like to share with you,
It's from Boston Philharmonic conductor Benjamin Zander:
"I have a definition of success.
For me, it's very simple.
It's not about wealth and fame and power.
It's about how many shining eyes I have around me."
So,
As you keep walking on your path,
Please allow me to ask:
How many shining eyes do you want around you?
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About You, Peak Performance, Peace of Mind, and Relationships
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You strive for peak performance.
So what's a better way to reach your next level of impact?
And what fuel are you riding on?
Is it willpower, peer pressure, or stress?
What else?
Yes, we've heard it all,
"No pain, no gain,"
Right?
In your belly,
Knot or bliss?
What if you could move through your days with ease and flow?
What if you could start to play at the speed of your joy?
And from one finish line to the next,
In life, at home, at work,
How would you qualify the state of your relationships?
There is no need for trade-offs.
What if you could have it all?
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About You, Mind, Body, and Spirit
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Here we speak not of Ashrams, Temples, or long meditations
But of a gate to the well of your inspiration.
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Would you slow down,
Breathe mindfully,
Take long walks in nature,
Write,
Draw,
Sing,
In all things, seek beauty?
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Would you make it a practice to lift not weights but spirits?
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Land on the ball of your feet, not your heels.
Your spine, hips, and knees will thank you.
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Breathe through your nose, not your mouth,
Inhale, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1,
Exhale, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.
Silly?
Not.
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Have a minute?
Engage your core, and connect to your gut.
Five short minutes a day.
One minute at a time.
Your body, your buddy,
With compassion, love it dearly.
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And then, your mind.
Are you the true master of your thoughts?
Do you ever feel, at times, a bit of guilt, a bit of shame?
How hard are you on yourself?
What about this tricky monkey,
This judging inner voice,
Whispering in your ear,
Raining on your parade?
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Can you, at will,
Switch off the triggers that set you off balance,
Re-center,
Find peace,
Speak from a place of wisdom,
Embrace your true powers,
Emphasize, explore, innovate, navigate, activate,
Offer your sacred gifts?
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How do you,
Each day,
Like a Jedi,
Train your mind?
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More About You
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The time will come
when, with elation
you will greet yourself arriving
at your own door, in your own mirror
and each will smile at the other's welcome,
and say, sit here. Eat.
You will love again the stranger who was yourself.
Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart
to itself, to the stranger who has loved you
all your life, whom you ignored
for another, who knows you by heart.
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf,
the photographs, the desperate notes,
peel your own image from the mirror.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Love after love - Derek Walcott (1930-2017)
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