Listen to the whispers of your heart
This article addresses one of the core tenets of Rebellious Leadership for women. Over three months, my flagship program brings a group of women together to step into this paradigm so they can feel more freedom and regain agency over their own experience.
Rebellious Leader core tenet: A Rebellious Leader DARES TO DREAM.
A friend recently reminded me that we have at least another 20 years ahead in our careers. That means, for me, that I’m at a halfway point. 20 years behind me and 20 years ahead. This idea of halfway has bubbled up in other conversations too. A senior group of women I support had this on their hearts - wanting to design the second half of their careers.
We think career growth is about doing the same thing at higher levels within an organization. That's what society tells us. Under that context, the second half of our career means doing the same thing with increased scope. We only look backward to determine our future direction. And we wonder why we feel so stuck
You’ve likely collapsed your goals and dreams. You’ve stopped asking yourself what you really want for yourself. Untethered from what’s already happened. Dreams give you permission to imagine things that you don't have a clear path toward.
There is freedom in dreams
Dreams are a window into your heart. They are fluttering inside of you, waiting to be re-discovered by you. They represent a feeling of freedom, creativity, and inspiration. You may have swayed away from them and toward things you should want for yourself, but they‘re still there. Acknowledging them surfaces a sense of freedom to want what you want. And allows the possibility of opening doors you’ve already closed in your mind or heart.
Why dreaming is rebellious
After years of asking women what they want, I’ve noticed 2 things:
We rarely stop to consider what we want
It’s hard to answer this question
This makes dreaming rebellious. We're unpracticed at dreaming. It’s by design.
Society conditions women to want things for others more than for ourselves. We trick ourselves into thinking that when those around us feel cared for, we’ll feel satiated. Your team, your families, your company. You can include those people in your dreams. But your dreams are yours. Not theirs. It’s the difference between supporting others to get what they want. And including your vision. In the latter, you know the impact you want to create in your world and allow that to guide your actions.
Why we must dream
"What women want IS dangerous, but not to women. Not to the common good. What women want is a threat to the injustice of the status quo." -Glennon Doyle
Inside womens' hearts lives a future of dreams that will shift our culture in necessary ways. It’ll take reimagining. It’ll take learning how to dream again. And it’ll require that we turn toward the whispers in our hearts and believe they are valuable.
Call for reflection:
What do you want? Really.
Shine On,
Alicia
(Image by Hassan OUAJBIR via Pexels)