Are you a person who seeks the limelight? If so, what will this light bring to you? It is true that some of us like to be quite visible and “out there”, so to speak, in our life and work, and choose to be a leader in some fashion. On the other hand, some of us prefer to remain behind the scenes, and do our life and work quietly and subtly. Whatever your particular approach is, there will be an underlying need for recognition and attention for what you are doing. Most of us don’t realize this “hidden” desire is in operation, but it is, nevertheless. Our goal is to always be as conscious as we can be, so we can maintain a necessary level of control and awareness as we proceed. At some point in our life, we will be impelled to put ourselves out there, so we can understand the value we have, and gain experience as to the effectiveness and impact of our particular work, and who we are as an individual. In many ways, this type of experience cannot be avoided, for we must take the risk to know who we are and what we are able to provide. No matter our particular approach, we are in essence attempting to be “center stage” as we create our lives. This experience will most definitely have its upside and downside, as we’ll see. Let’s take a look.
Making a Mark
The entire purpose of our existence is to discover who we are. We need to know what we’re good at and then create a platform in which we can present it to the world. This is true at a personal level, as well as our professional life. It’s all about developing a sense of self-awareness so that we can understand ourselves as an individual. This is the first stage of our overall evolution. What we need to keep in mind in this process of self-discovery, is that there are two things going on at once. We must first recognize what it is we’re already good at or know how to do. The second is that we want to become something more and eventually be able to provide that to the world. The truth is that we already have achieved, but we intend to grow beyond our current capacity. This is a good thing, but it’s frustrating to find out what that is! In order to be successful in our venture, we need to start where we are. If our goal is to have a strong sense of purpose in our lives, we need to understand the value of our present knowledge and skill. We need to appreciate who and what we are. We do provide a necessary function and a unique quality to other people’s lives and the world. In other words, we’re all essential to make things work. This realization can help us feel more connected and overcome those feelings of monotony as we proceed. Working quietly behind the scenes is our foundation of living. We do, nevertheless, wish to have some passion in our lives once again, do we not?! Let it be said, we can always find better ways of doing what we already do. A renewed effort within our current job and our present relationships can introduce us to that necessary passion. As far as finding that “new something”, that will happen when the time is right. Go ahead and seek improvement, for this will add passion. Passion provides us with a willingness to proceed. We will one day take center stage and give something brand new to the world. When that time arrives, and it will, we will enter the most challenging experience yet.
Rise and Fall
If you feel ready to take center stage, make sure you’re adequately prepared. Seeking the limelight is a natural human desire, but it is riddled with pitfalls. It must be said that all of these pitfalls cannot be avoided, no matter how prepared we are. Making mistakes, being the center of attention, coming from selfish desire and personal aggrandizement are part of the process. When it’s time for the light to shine on us, guess what? Everyone can see us now and, unfortunately, we’ll be scrutinized in every conceivable way! Part of human nature is that if we see something in someone else that we don’t see in ourselves, or if we perceive them as having something we do not, we’re going to find a way to take them down. Are you ready for that? The reality is that most of us seek attention, we want to be recognized and acknowledged, and we want to feel important and have something of value to provide. As long as we’re honest, we’re going to be just fine. What we unfortunately see in the world today is a lot of individuals who seek wealth in order to have power they have not earned. This is not ultimately the correct motivation to be in a position of leadership. This is what we want to be careful of. If we have this improper motivation, what we will create is the idea that we can take from others what does not belong to us. In the end, the higher you place yourself on the pedestal you have created, the harder you will fall. No matter how you perceive your capabilities, it’s going to hurt! It’s inevitable. We all will have this experience many times before we get it right. If we desire stardom, we need to be in a position to give something of value in return. More often than not, we’re going to fall flat on our face until we realize what it’s all about. I’ll give you a little hint here, it’s not about us! There will come a time when we recognize that we don’t like all the attention anymore, we don’t necessarily want to be in the public eye. This is an indication we’re ready to proceed. Our intent and motivation have become clarified to the extent that we will not create the damage we fear. We now realize that all of us together can be center stage, we have arrived.
From Self-Awareness to Service
Whatever platform you have created for yourself, use it as a means to teach and lead. We want to use the center stage scenario as a way to share the wisdom and experience we have acquired. This is value. We have now reached a point in our individual development where we can truly be of service. This is the second stage of our personal evolution. We must know ourselves well at this stage. The more evolved in our understanding, the more power and influence we have. It must also be said that the more power we have, the more potential to abuse this power. Be patient, my friends. To know the need for caution is a very important level of self-awareness. Many of us, including myself, become so afraid of inflicting hurt, or fear creating a level of damage that can never be corrected, that we decide we will not participate at all. The truth is, we are exactly where we need to be. We can trust. The desire to be of help and create change must become so strong that we cannot avoid moving forward in our lives. We have something of value to provide, this must never be forgotten. We do need to provide it. When we choose to proceed, we will find that new level of passion, that new experience of purpose we’ve been waiting for. Now is the time, don’t you think? Fear cannot win. There’s too much to do!
We all seek center stage to some extent. We just need to weigh it all out in our minds to be as prepared as possible. Placing ourselves in important positions will lead to destruction without adequate self-understanding. We need to always be aware of our intent and motivation in all that we do. This requires honesty and humility. With these two well-developed qualities, we cannot help but succeed. Remember that we really don’t need all the attention. We’re ok. We’re already important as we are. This understanding will put us in a position to express our value in the world when the time is right. Don’t rush it. If we choose the stage, we give of our heart only. We acquire and require nothing in this simple act. Your willingness to read this article shows your willingness to do the work. I can say that I, and many others, are sincerely grateful!
All my love and support, be well