Leaders of the Heart
If your actions inspire other to dream more, learn more,
do more and become more, you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
If your actions inspire other to dream more, learn more,
do more and become more, you are a leader.
John Quincy Adams
I’m watching the student “March for Our Lives” in Washington DC, choking back the tears that are streaming down my face, touched to the very core of my being. Young people from 6 to 18 years old voicing their pain, their passion and their persistent plea for peace and sanity in a world gone mad… This is real courage, wisdom and leadership. No one owns them, pays them or promises them that they will help to get them elected. These are the voices of hearts broken open, their passion drowning out the voices of fear in their own heads. The tragedy of their loss still fresh and raw. Innocence drowned in the face of tragedy. This is the many speaking for the One, for all humanity. The voice of the global heart awakening!
People all around the globe are inspired and longing for a world that works for everyone with no one left out. It is time to stand with and for the youth of today, for the future of life on this planet. It is time to take their example and step into our own leadership role, no matter how large or small. They are depending on our support, but not waiting for it. We need leaders who are committed to honesty, authenticity, compassion, empathy and integrity - leaders who put service above self - we need leaders who act locally, inspiring by their everyday actions and the way they live their lives. Forget about the grandiose global plans, or saving the world, what we need now is for people to act in and for their Naeomi Wadler (11 years old) communities’ safety, sanity and security. You do not need to have followers to be a leader. You just need to be true to the calling of your own heart.
Facing reality is an empowering act - it can liberate our mind and heart to
discern how best to use our power and influence in service for this time.
Margaret J. Wheatley
discern how best to use our power and influence in service for this time.
Margaret J. Wheatley
The old systems, structures and institutions are crumbling. It was only a matter of time. The possibilities for change that we envisioned in the 60s and 70s have passed and now we must deal with the consequences of our inaction. Perhaps it was inevitable. We cannot have a system built on continuous growth with finite resources, we cannot live in separation from the natural world and all of its inhabitants, without the planet and natural systems responding. We are in a global cycle of chaos and we cannot depend on our elected leaders to fix things. There is no saviour that is going to step forward and bring things back into balance, insure peace, or give us the meaning of life.
No! It is up to those of us who hear the calling. That still voice that lives beyond the fear, uncertainty, chaos, doubt, skepticism, apathy and resignation. That voice is the sound of our own heart, which is softly and silently calling us forth. We must become still enough to hear. We are drowning in the distractions of the digital world. It is time to turn inward, to the silence, where everything waits. It is time find our own voice. How will we use the life we’ve been given?
We are not broken, we are disconnected. There is nothing to fix, we only need to open our hearts to the sacred connection with others, with life, with the world. The time for real leadership is here. We need leaders who can bring sanity to their communities. It is time to take our attention off of ourselves and offer our innate gifts, strengths and talents to the world. Who will we be in this new world which is emerging from the ashes of yesterday’s dreams?
I don't know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know:
the only ones among you who will be truly happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.
Albert Schweitzer
My experience has taught me that one of the fastest ways to heal and transcend our own antiquated wounding and personal problems is to shift our focus from ourselves, to how we can be of service to the world. For the most part we are trapped in a reality centric to a self, which keeps us from realizing our deep interconnection with each other and all of life. We are not separate parts of a whole, we are the whole. In spite of the illusion that we are bodies (objects) in a world of things, our words, thoughts and actions matter. Everything we do and say impacts the whole, regardless of whether the impact is large or small. We are inseparably connected and we affect everything and everyone else.
The best way to make a difference is to be our best selves. Everything in nature has a purpose seed within its heart. A maple cannot be an elm, a grain of rice cannot become wheat and tiger will never give birth to an elephant. We too have the seeds of our true essence planted deep within our own heart of hearts. It’s easy to get confused in the chaos, distraction and unnatural environments that we have created, but the seed of our longing has alway been there. Purpose is not a place to get to, like a goal, it is a place to come from that will direct our actions in these turbulent times. The first thing to do is to be still and listen. In the fathomless depths of silence we can discover what breaks our hearts open and what we truly love. This will inform us as to how to act from a place of sanity and coherence. Learning to move towards love and away from fear, inspires us to share our natural gifts, strengths and talents. This is our birthright.
If there is a book you want to read but it hasn’t been written yet,
you must be the one to write it!
Toni Morrison
you must be the one to write it!
Toni Morrison
It’s easy to be stopped, distracted or derailed from our soul’s essential purpose. The stories in our head that tell us we aren’t ready, smart enough, deserving enough are just that - stories! Love them, embrace them and do what you are here for - just take the first step - and then another… Write the book, sing the song, share your love, and your light with the world. If not now, When? The world is looking for leaders, people who live in their heart, are grounded in their body and live from a place of unity with all life. We are being called. Listen! What are you here for…? Step forward. Like the students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas School, let us be unstoppable.
To the leaders, skeptics and cynics who told us to sit down,
stay silent and wait your turn, welcome to the revolution!
Marjory Stoneman Douglas School student, Cameron Kasky
stay silent and wait your turn, welcome to the revolution!
Marjory Stoneman Douglas School student, Cameron Kasky
Meriel and I are here to support you in anyway we can. We know that is what we are here for, so please let us know what you need to live a life you love, to be of service to the world and to express your innermost longing into the world. Your creativity, passion and authentic self expression are needed and they are needed now. Have faith in the human heart! Join the revolution… Be a leader of the heart.
With love and gratitude,
Michael & Meriel
With love and gratitude,
Michael & Meriel
I slept and dreamt that life was joy.
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.
Rabindranath Tagore
I awoke and saw that life was service.
I acted and behold, service was joy.
Rabindranath Tagore