Help Others Feel Seen
There’s a hesitation when you set out to listen/read the next installment of someone’s autobiography.
Michelle Obama’s first book, Becoming was simply amazing – it touched on so many aspects of being a woman; career, relationships, responsibilities, motherhood, being married to a previous mentee (yes, not a mentor!), not to mention, being a woman of colour.
What more could I expect from these fresh unread pages?
The Light We Carry, for me, spotlighted the role we have as leaders.
Each of the 10 chapters addresses a lesson garnered while facing her many fears and failures with her flaws.
In particular,
· The importance of the messages you convey without opening your mouth or touching your keyboard helps people feel seen.
· Who you support and how you demonstrate this support in the presence of others.
· The decisions you make and how you follow through with them on being actioned
· Being comfortable with our own light and helping others find theirs
· If you get stuck, find other ways to make progress (don’t let others stop you from what you want)
· What it means to go high (when they go low).
The brightness of the light occurs when you use your stories to enable others. To show empathy, and vulnerability and to connect on a far deeper level.
I’d recommend both these books – quite different yet both impactful.
If you don’t get the time to read or listen, Michelle is launching a podcast on Spotify next month (March 2023) based on The Light We Carry.
What story have you shone a light on to support others?