I’ve bitten my lip twice in two days. As it just happened again eating breakfast I paused and noticed. It was painful yes, but more than that it was a sign. Literally. Stop biting your lip! It hurts!
Truth is – it does hurt. If you don’t share what’s on your mind it will rot you from the inside out. Slowly but surely, it will eat you alive.
It’s no surprise we hold back. Culturally we have been conditioned to – particularly in the UK. Don’t rock the boat, keep the peace, be nice. All that nonsense. But more than that, we now have cancel culture – where saying something remotely different, or which is interpreted in certain way – automatically turns you into a monster and hunted out of the village with pitchforks… quite literally.
I’ve dabbled with saying what I really think. If you’ve read my writing or seen my videos you probably think I’m quite astute at it. But what if I told you that’s probably 50% of what I think. I’m making that number up but the truth is, even at this point, I’m still not fully unfiltered and raw in sharing my honest thoughts. Why? Good question. The number one thing that stops us all. Fear.
Fear of rejection, being cancelled, being outcast, thought of as crazy, upsetting someone, fear of attack, abandonment, reputational damage, losing friends/family, losing credibility, wanting to keep the peace, fear of confrontation…the list goes on.
What it boils down to is the fear of death – specifically ego death.
I can’t say that because….
They will be upset if….
Just keep it to yourself….
That’s how the story goes. Keep schtum and you’ll be safe. And guess what, the ego likes safety. Loves it! Yet this illusion of safety is eventually what will lead to our downfall. The lack of capacity that the ego (or controlling mind) has to adapt and change. If it had it’s way, everything would be the same and we’d all live happily ever after.
Not going to happen. Wake up.
The tight grip the ego has on us is what is going to lead to our downfall. If we cannot move beyond it, we will deliver our own extinction. Fact. There is no denying that the human race and our planet is in a time of crisis. Go ahead and bury your head in the sand if you like, but the reality is not going away. We are destroying our own habitat, the one we need for our very survival. We have broken systems that we pretend are healthy, which are killing our people and environment. This is the truth. And you biting your lip does nothing to change this fact.
Opening your mouth and saying what you really think, might however.
All those fears? They are illusions. Merely thoughts that come and go, which we can choose to believe or not. It’s up to us.
Sitting gazing at our navels whilst Rome burns is not the answer. Speaking up and taking action for what you believe is right, is.
Leadership is not easy. Whoever said it should be?
True leadership takes courage. It takes grit, determination and the desire for a better future.
It takes standing up and saying what you think even if it’s in opposition to everyone in the room.
It is questioning the narrative when 99.9999% of the population believes it.
It means going against the grain, pissing people off, being judged, ridiculed and laughed at.
It’s being prepared to lose everything you have to stand up for what you truly believe in.
Leadership is the path of the warrior – who is fighting for LIFE.
A better life for all. One where we can thrive and prosper in harmony.
As you know, we are far from this place. The disparities across the globe are great, and the distribution of wealth is piled at the top. Our world is not a just place, and you biting your lip is not going to change that fact.
Saying what you truly believe in however, might.
If you move your personal desires aside for a moment, what deeply matters to you? Pause for a moment and take a breath. If you were alone on a desert island what would you miss most? What is important to you? What fires you?
There is a desire within all of us for a happy healthy life. Where we live in harmony with others and there’s enough to go around. It’s mainly the media marketing machine that has us in the West believe otherwise. It’s all a facade. When you peel it back, every human seeks connection, love and security.
Again the ego is scared of these things. They are risky because we’ve been led to believe that there’s not enough to go around. If we believe that thought then we hoard and stockpile, believing we must fight to survive. Let’s be clear – there is enough food to go around. There is enough money. However it’s not the amounts – it is the distribution that’s the problem. It’s all hoarded and stockpiled by the people at the top. The tech billionaires, secret societies, and high level elite that run the world. Don’t believe me? Take a look around. Where is the money flowing to? Straight to the top with a little bit of a trickle for the little man at the bottom, just enough to keep him working and in check – secure and unquestioning. Running along on the hamster wheel, just getting by and being thankful for the opportunity.
If you thought slavery was abolished in the 1800’s think again. It just changed forms. Mortgages and fancy cars are the invisible shackles that keep the human race enslaved, and moreover, jubilantly happy about it!
We do not live in a free society. Welcome to the Truman Show.
It takes immense courage to think and speak differently in a world which is enslaved to a narrative.
Does that mean you shouldn’t do it? Hell no.
It’s exactly why the world demands that you do it!
If we keep believing the same script, we will keep marching over the edge of the cliff to our ultimate death. One by one, following the person in front, our life force will be extinguished and it will be too late to do anything about it. Blindly following along, failing to question or think for yourself will have detrimental consequences for you and the rest of us.
If someone is beginning to question, to raise their voice in opposition – I beg you to get curious and remain open. Contemplate:
Why does this person think that? What other meaning could it have? How might this apply to me?
Defensiveness is a protection mechanism of ego. It will shut down your capacity to objectively consider the world.
Ignorance is bliss…until it isn’t.
We cannot go on pretending that things will go back to normal. It’s not happening. We are standing on the precipice of a new way of being, literally. It is a painful and necessary process in the evolution of humanity. You can either resist it or pick up tools and get involved as an active component. It’s your choice.
Will you walk blindly over the cliff?
Or are you prepared to stand up, break ranks and lead in a different direction – even if you’re totally on your own?
That is leadership.
If you’ve read this far, that is what you’re here to do.
Changing entire structures and cultures is no easy task. That’s why it’s going to take hundreds, thousands, millions, and billions of people to collectively turn the ship. One person at a time, right where they are now. Right where you are now.
Perhaps the task feels overwhelming, but please rest assured there are many others who wish to right the ship and sail for better horizons. It’s simply a matter of finding them – and the easiest way to do that is stand up and share your truth. Stop biting your lip and saying what you really mean because that’s the only way they’ll be able to hear you and follow your lead.
After all, you’re the leader you’ve been waiting for.
The dust on your forehead is the crown you’ve been searching for your whole damn life.
Now straighten up, get on your soap box and speak as if millions of people all over the world are listening – because they are.
Remember,
Breathe the change you wish to see in the world.
Philippa xo
