From the desk of Natalie Hughes:
Although I am now in full recovery from being passive, in my history I have struggled with getting the best from myself and the people around me. It’s easy to see why.. I’m female. I have been programmed for niceness, sweetness, goodness and gratefulness. I’ve been warned against being bitchy, aggressive, demanding and bossy. Nobody likes a woman who behaves like a man, right? There are many stories to be told of divas who stop at nothing to get what they want, barking mercilessly at those around them and crushing helpless souls in their wakes.
But what if there is another way.. an in-between? I’m discovering that there IS a way to emanate love while not compromising my vision for a project, business idea or even a relationship. I’m working on a huge project personally–an album of original music–and I’ve had to tap into a kind of ‘love-leadership’ to get all of my team working alongside me.
The problem is that very few of us have seen this kind of love-leadership in action. What we have seen are generations of mothers buttoning their lips for centuries to keep the peace, because it was simply necessary for survival. In those same households were fathers who used a more aggressive kind of power to push forward in work, in the battlefields and even with their own children. We either witnessed the ego in fear or in anger, but rarely saw the great works that love can do.
One of my favorite passages that is often read at weddings and religious services is: “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” I don’t know if anyone else has ever tied this scripture into achievement, but be warned, I am about to.
Think along with me:
Love bears all things. Love in itself is the creative force. Love wants nothing more than to be of service and to make things happen!
Love believes all things. Truly that must mean that whatever your mind has conceived is possible to be done. Doubting your innate ability or compromising what your heart desires just does not jive with love.
Love hopes all things. This is faith… in yourself and in the people you are entrusting with helping to carry out your vision. Know that if you continue to communicate, update, redirect and validate that people are capable of more than they ever knew… including you!
Love endures all things. It does not give up. It does not. Ever. Love tells us to keep going and to stay strong in the path we are setting for out lives.
Love never fails. We’ve heard extremely driven people say, “Failure is not an option.” Well, love agrees with this statement. We may as well adopt this philosophy!
I know this: love has vision, clear boundaries, and gentle assertiveness. It does not speak from the need to be right or the need to rise above other people, but instead speaks clearly and without judgement.
Where can you use this gentle strength as you move through your day? In business dealings? In parenting? In your relationships with your friends and spouse? Being that love never fails, I’m suggesting using it everywhere.
Peace,
Natalie Hughes
Singer/songwriter
Musical Director, Crystal Andrus Productions
www.nataliehughes.com
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“Strength” is one of 6 songs featured on the upcoming EP, “Beauty,” written, co-produced and performed by Natalie Hughes, available on iTunes December 2011.