Blue Lotus

Posted by Nicki Peasley Share Your Voice

Everyday I head off to the University of Life, eager to learn and grow in the human art of leadership.   I am the leader and the student of my own life.  My home, my workplace, my community, and the world are my classrooms. The subject is ME and how I can help build a better world.  The course objectives include loving myself, others, and the world authentically, compassionately, and courageously.   Yes, I am a leadership expert and a messy work in progress. I am all of it.

At the beginning of each year, my beautiful friend and teacher, Ann, chooses a word that encapsulates her leadership intention for the year.  The rest of the Bounce Collective has adopted this practice and we’ve been pondering our 2011 words for some time now.  The words that have been playing over and over in my mind are the following:  emergence, confidence wholeness, vulnerability, and stillness.   As I sit looking at these words on my legal pad, an image comes to mind and my word for the year is born.

Lotus.  The lotus flower emerges from the depth of a murky body of water, travelling toward the light to fully blossom and float in sacred stillness on the water’s surface.  This brilliant jewel of a flower is associated with eastern spiritual paths and symbolizes the vulnerability  of the human spirit and its capactiy to grow out of challenge and adversity.  Just as the flower opens with confidence to the beauty of its true nature, I,too, long to reveal and embrace my imperfect and beautiful wholeness.

In Buddhist tradition, the color of the lotus flower carries symbolic significance.  As I study the different flowers, I am immediately drawn to the red lotus, the flower of the heart—symbolizing love and compassion.  Yes, that’s me.  I am a master of the heart. Then, I read about the blue lotus, the flower of victory, symbolizing knowledge and wisdom.  No, that’s not me.  I am no master of the intellect.  And then, like a lotus emerging from the depths of obscurity, in my mind’s eye, I emerge as the wise and knowing leader of my life.  Yes.  This year, I am the blue lotus. 

My declaration for 2011:   To embrace the blue lotus as I explore the powerful truths it evokes—emergence, confidence, wholeness, vulnerability, and stillness.  I vow to notice and assimilate one new piece of leadership wisdom each day.  My wisdom may come from observations I make of inspiring leadership in action (my own or that of others) or it may be born out my shortcomings as a leader and the learning that transpires.

As I embark on this new course at the University of Life, I realize that it’s not just about me.  It’s about us.  To build a better world, we must exist in community.  We must support, challenge, and be accountable to each other.  We must lead and learn together.

This year, in the pursuit of US, the Bounce Collective will offer an on line journal of our learning.  We hope you will join us in this community forum as we and other leaders in our community share our ever evolving wisdom in all the leadership roles we play.  Stay tuned for more details….

And to all my fellow classmates, Happy New Year!

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Nicki Peasley I am the CEO of my home, managing a team consisting of a 40 year old, an 11 year old, an 8 year old, and a 6 year old. In my spare time, I am the YOUth development director for Bounce, writing curriculums and working (playing and learning) with elementary and middle school youth.