Photo by Yoal Desurmont on Unsplash
My son and nephew love cars! When we are driving they can tell you what car is next to us. How fast it can move. What type of engine it has. How long the car engine can last. What needs to be done for maintenance. They love cars! My son’s favorite is the Dodge Charger Scat Pack. Last year, I remember when we went to a car dealership there were two Dodge Scat Packs on the car lot. My son said, “Mom, let’s get this orange Scat Pack for your next car.” I said, “not today, son!”
Today I am connecting these concepts to paint the picture for our breakthrough. At my house, we have at least one weekly family meeting. Family meetings provide time for us to discuss our schedule, set our expectations, and collaborate on how we approach things that impact our family. Today we had a discussion about blending into our environment. It is our responsibility to maximize our full potential. The only way to maximize our full potential is to be open to being seen. This post is not about handling a motor vehicle; this is to encourage individuals to let their light shine and contribute to the collective good of the world. We all have gifts, abilities, and resources, but we do not allow them all to be seen.
Sometimes being seen and vulnerable can be uncomfortable, especially if you feel you are different from individuals or environments. There must be a mindset shift. You have to see yourself as something to contribute to a greater purpose. My husband shared a powerful metaphor about a Scat Pack. In this metaphor, he took us back to a conversation we had driving one day. Our son said that sometimes these Scat Packs drive too slow on the highways or roads. Why? Do they not know what they have in a Scat Pack? Scat Packs are fast and sleek. Man, if I drove a Scat Pack, I would drive it. My husband broke it down. He said why would they drive fast when there are police officers on the highway, which represent authority, and loss of pain or freedom? The loss depends on the speed of course. My husband took it further; he explained that the car already has a sleekness and design that makes it recognizable. The ability to be easily identified can draw unnecessary attention based on identifying markers and distinct sounds. The senses have been alerted to the sight and sound of the Scat Pack.
Let’s break this down to our lives: our attributes, businesses, values, and professions. Some of us hold ourselves back because we do not want to be seen by ourselves, individuals, communities, and groups of people. Do not remain in the background; emerge to the foreground. We are robbing ourselves and our communities of our greatness because we are fearful of the judgment. When you hide, dim your light, or shrink yourself! Most of the time it is because we do not want to have to process certain emotions or experiences. There are certain thoughts or actions that are too difficult. They have been part of our identity and way of being. However, today you can decide to maximize your full potential.
We have to do the work to grow through these emotions. First, identify the situation. Then communicate the thought around the situation. Through personal reflection and/or coaching sessions. Next, acknowledge your feelings about the situation. We have to make sure we ask ourselves how we feel about the situation. Then process the response concerning our feelings. You may consider journaling, conversing, exercising, or another way of processing. Then determine what action you will take to get the short-term and/or long-term results you desire. It is usually not someone else holding us back. We can be our own worst enemy!
Call to Action: Please take some time to personally reflect on the big ideas in this blog. Then consider leaving a comment in the text box below or speaking with someone else about some aspect of this blog post. Additionally, you may contact me for a coaching session to explore being seen and exploring your thought patterns.
