It's okay to lose your way

I have just been reading some of my much older posts both on this blog and elsewhere. I don't know about you, but often when I have epiphanies they are fleeting and intangible. Rare moments of insight that bring my life and my place in it, into sharp focus.  Sometimes, if I am lucky, I will have an opportunity to write or record these moments of clarity on social media or the back of a napkin.

I have been thinking that right at that moment the flash fades and the thought is written down or recorded, that all that lies before you seems to focus, your way seems clear and you understand your worth and where to apply it.

In terms of leadership, these ideas can often come in "runs" or series, and you become the author of some quite persuasive and inspirational philosophies. An inspirational momentum if you will. I would argue that this quality is one of the essentials of a good leader. Like most authors, though, leaders are not immune to writer's block. Evidenced in point by the dates between my last post and this.

Was I uninspired or a non-believer in that period? No, I got lost in the detail of my beliefs. I was so focused on putting my nose to the grindstone that I forgot to stop and look up at the horizon. That delicate balance between demonstration of grit and  living in the moment. The difference between working for works sake and striving to achieve goals.

A Leader must have vision and the tools to achieve it by coordinating the efforts of themselves and others. One of the things that builds a leader's integrity and trustworthiness is their ability to get in the trenches with the troops when its required. Equally, it is their ability to know when to stop fighting the battle and stand up and direct the war.

“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favourable.”
– Seneca (4 BCE-65 CE)


I just wanted to say to you today. Stop, look up, breathe in and remember "It's okay to lose your way"

Refocus