I stopped writing…
Why??? You can ask.
I couldn’t write without being the real me. I was searching for my core self. For most of my life, I spent validating who I was to others who had no voice. I was not accepting my own authenticity. It felt good for the moment to be lost in someone else’s world. I would show up to events with imposter syndrome, hiding my true gifts and talents. It wasn’t until a small group leader at my church asked me to lead the group. What what??? To me? It felt unreal. In the past, I always felt more comfortable being in the background letting others get ahead of me. Although, I didn’t realize that I was already a leader. I was a mentor, tutor, mother, sister and aunt. In these scenarios, doing my best as I knew how.
Being a leader taught me the importance of true leadership, how to care about others. Wanting to see people develop and grow to reach their true potential. Also, teaching them to value themselves to be effective leaders for others and their communities.
When I was able to be my authentic self, this gave me a sense of peace. And by sharing my own story, people were able to see the real me.
Your voice is what lights up the world. Lives can be transformed through the power of your conviction when you lead with your story.
Leadership begins the moment you decide to be the kind of leader you would follow. We all come from different walks of life with our own stories. Our trips give hope to others and the promise of a brighter tomorrow.
As the youngest of six children, I would often listen intently as my parents talked about growing up, ‘back home’ as they would call it coming from the Caribbean. The stories seemed so real that you can almost see them in color. Like the African folklore of ‘Anansi’ turned into a children’s book about a spider that has a lot of wisdom turned into a lot of fun and laughter. My father knew them all by heart. It was like it happened yesterday. We can learn a lot from the ‘Elders’. Some had to go to war to fight for their country, their rights and their freedom. My mother has passed away and my father is now in his eighties, but yes, they knew how to tell great stories before the digital age arrived. Simple times… weren’t they the best? We heard about it, but they got to experience it in real time. Now, we’re lost in a world of microwave popcorn and televised dinner parties. I’ll have a breakfast sandwich with my cell phone, please.
But, all stories are good stories. Yesterday, today and those that we will tell our children and grandchildren tomorrow. What matters is not so much what you say, but how you helped others along the way. Now I can write comfortably because I’m not starting from scratch. This time, I’m starting with my experiences and sharing my story without any expectations, except to share the lessons I’ve learned, in the hope that it will impact those who read it.
Follow me on Instagram @christineg_inspires for upcoming Memoir Writing/Storytelling and Purpose workshops.