So I've been tardy with the blogging. Seems I get "blogged" down with life and chronicling my life just isn't a priority. Or is it?Today something happened that was blog worthy. Well really, lots in my life is worth writing about but today I saw a short film that resonated with me in a way I haven't experienced in a while.
At work lately we are working on building Teams through Leadership. Learning about Leadership, learning about how to work with people and how to look to yourself for the solutions to your everyday hardships and problems.
For example, you have a conflict with a fellow coworker or friend. Very quickly we lay blame on the other party but really, is it not in our reactions that we are the most vulnerable. What if we understood where the other person was coming from. Would we react the same way? If we just took a second to consider it.
So the person in charge of teaching us these Leadership skills at work lately knows I LOVE learning and I'm like a sponge with this kind of thing. I love learning about people, I love learning about myself and I am on a road to trying to be a better person, a better daughter, a better sister, friend and lover. I have a lifetime of lessons to learn and if someone is willing to teach....well I have open ears and heart.
He came to me this afternoon and recommended I watch a video. It's a short film called "The Butterfly Circus". He simply said, "It's "MY" Journey" meaning his journey not mine. I opened the link and learned it was 20 minute video so opted to watch it after work. I was grateful for that decision after watching it.
When you watch the movie (link provided below), please keep an eye on the "limbless man". Watch his eyes. If eyes are the window to someones soul, this man deserves an Oscar because it is as if he doesn't even need to act to display his feelings.
I saw the "Leadership" message in the film. The Circus Ring Leader with both Circus's are perfect examples of the kinds of people we have in our lives. We have people who knock us down and we have people who lift us up. But why do we allow one more than the other into our lives?
What makes us not believe we are loved enough, valued enough, skinny enough, pretty enough, smart enough, talented enough, funny enough......
Why is it we believe people? People who want to knock us down, people who don't care about us. Often it is those people we entrust our "lives" to. We don't aspire to do better or be better because someone made us feel or told us we couldn't be. And WE BELIEVE IT.
Yes, often times we are strong enough to push these people aside, we choose not have them in our lives, but often we are so vulnerable we don't believe we deserve better.
"You're not sophisticated enough", "You think you're a good father? / Mother?" "Do you REALLY think he's attracted to girls like you", "I'm so not his/her type", "I can't do better", "Maybe I don't deserve more".
SELF DEFEATING Thoughts. Thoughts we have put in our heads or people have put in our heads for us. Thoughts we have chosen to believe in moments of weakness.
But then there are the people in your life. In your Butterfly Circus. They lift you up, they make you believe you can do better, be better. Their mere presence in your life makes you want to do better.
You believe you deserve good things. You feel empowered. THESE are the people we need in our lives. These are the people we should listen to.
I have been so fortunate in my life to have a Butterfly Circus of my own. It's a small group of people who believe in me, who believe I can do and accomplish anything and with them beside me, I feel like I have. At different parts of my life they have played different roles but they are my absolute diamonds in my life. They have made me feel beautiful. They have made me feel successful, they have stood by me and believed in me when I didn't believe in myself. Most of them, stand by me still.
I love my Butterfly Circus. I might be the oddest of the bunch but I'm learning and growing everyday and I know I never want to be part of a Circus Sideshow. I'm worth more than that.
I hope you enjoy the video as much as I did. The meanings and metaphors in this small clip are countless.
http://thebutterflycircus.com/short-film/
