Would you like to be part of a meaningful exploration of…meaningfulness?

Cheeky? Maybe, but the offer is sincere. I’m not here to sell you anything, just to offer insights from the lessons I have learned, and continue to learn currently.

If you’d like to join me in exploring greater opportunities for:

  1. Find peace in a world of crazy
  2. Antidote’s to anxiety
  3. More joy for (and in) the journey
  4. Foundations for true hope for the future
  5. The extra-in-orindary beauty and miraculous

Fresh Insight

I had an epiphany on February 1, 2021. After a dozen years of researching, writing, contracting, facilitating, coaching and speaking about resilience, I am finally coming to better understand WHY I do it. I had thought myself altruistic; I thought I needed to fix things that were wrong in the world and make it a better place — to be selfless in service to others — but as the old adage goes, “…we must become the change that we want to see…”.

Authentically Speaking

At times I find myself reflecting on my seeming lack of resilience. My emotions can get the best of me, and I have found myself afraid of the “darkness” that intrudes. I can be temperamental, followed by self-loathing as I judge my inability to be the steady voice of equanimity that others do actually appreciate in me. I speak of grace, and yet I can be as selfish as anyone when I don’t get my way. So, how is it that an authority on resilience finds himself in a state of rigidity, fragility, vulnerability and/or weakness?

Transformational Discovery

I came across a post on truity.com,a website on psychometrics — one of their personality tests happens to be my favourite: the Enneagram. In a post written by Deborah Ward, (author of two books on mindfulness) I found the following statement:

“Fours are naturally creative people because they are absorbing so much information from the world around them. But all that information needs an outlet. Without a way of expressing their thoughts, ideas and feelings that emerge from the constant input of sensory stimulation they receive, Enneagram type 4 can feel frustrated, depressed and stressed.”

I have held a penchant for the creative for many years, but I saw it mostly as a way of pushing back the darkness. I adopted a habit of creativity as a means of occupying my time and to provide a sense of satisfaction in something uniquely (not always “well”) done.  Similar to physical exercise, there has been a benefit in being creative – but this now goes deeper. Rather than creating to defend or distract, creativity becomes the means to process what has been absorbed, to extract meaning from it all, to inspire others, and even to expel toxin!

Your Invitation

You can join me in this resilience journey – and I invite you not as a relationship of teacher and student, but rather human beings reciprocally benefiting from the sharing of experience and encouragement.

You can subscribe to this blog: HERE

You can post comments if you like – or if you’re not up for that level of vulnerability, you can reach out through my contact page: HERE

 

David E White - Expanding Your Leadership Resilience