Occasionally moments collide in our lives where we’re blessed with clarity of perspective. Moments where life can be seen for a short time with 20/20 vision. Let me share a couple of these moments recently where perspective can benefit us all.
A little over a week ago I was fortunate enough to listen to a conversation on allyship from an incredible panel (thank you Dr. Dwinita Mosby Tyler, Kathy Kay, Barbara Wenig, Miriam Lewis, Claire Hampton, and Stacy Greenfield). Allyship can be summed up as active support for marginalized or minority groups you’re not a part of. It’s about championing and advocating for others. To take it one step further, thanks to Dr. Mosby Tyler, think of the term ally as not just a noun but also a verb. To actively ally means when you see something, you also do something.
The panel was plentiful with insights and best practices, but I noticed my attention moving to 2 specific moments of clarity I had from the presenters. First, just as we promote for each of our growth journeys in Be An Accelerator – Propelling one another to become our best selves, authenticity is a must. For us to be the best ally, we must focus on making an impact in our own authentic way. There’s not one prototype of how an allyship should or must work. We all are upstanders and bring ourselves to help elevate others in our own unique way. Instead of comparing externally, one of the most beneficial things we can do is look internally and ask ourselves whether we are doing our best to help elevate others, specifically groups not like me.
The second moment of clarity was a reminder we often need to reflect and understand the allies that have helped lift us up so far in our journey. It could have been a coach, relative, teammate, someone in the community, or someone that you briefly encountered in life that left a lasting impact. This discussion reminded me to invest time in thinking who reached back and helped pull me forward, helped amplify my voice, or gave me an opportunity when I wasn’t the likely option. It’s never a bad time to say thank you to these allies.
The next moment of perspective came on Thanksgiving. In support of our good friends, our family recently started a tradition of walking/running a turkey trot 5k to raise money for the SHINE program. SHINE provides perinatal and pediatric palliative care services at Blank Children’s Hospital in Des Moines, IA. Think of scenarios where children are facing their most serious health conditions. SHINE is there to not just provide the medical oversight needed, but also the mental and emotional support for families facing some of their toughest moments of life.
We cherish this fundraiser both to support our friend and SHINE team member, Lane Moser, along with our good friends who support this fundraiser in honor of losing their 8-year-old son, Grant. Grant was an incredibly kind and smart kid. He and his family have made a lasting impact on so many of us, led by a snowflake analogy of living a life of love and kindness. When we each choose to be one of Grant’s snowflakes and honor him, we can create an avalanche of love and kindness in the world.
On Thursday, it was only fitting that as we’re running this 5k to raise money and honor Grant, snowflakes started to fall. Whether you’re a believer in these symbiotic moments or not, the idea of each snowflake accumulating to create an avalanche is powerful. Here we were running/walking on a day of thankfulness united as a community. One snowflake of kindness certainly has an impact, but a community of snowflakes can create an avalanche of change.
As I reflect on these two moments, the clarity of perspective collided. The collision all comes together around the idea of how we can help elevate one another. When it comes to allyship, we need to be active in our own authentic way. When it comes to carrying out Grant’s love and kindness, we all are as unique as a snowflake. We all hold an incredible power in the ability to lift one another up. Our power though is unique to each of us and regardless of when these moments of clarity and perspective grace us, one key takeaway will always be authenticity.
Embrace these moments of clarity where perspective shines a light on ways we can bring our authentic greatness to the world. There’s no prototype for how it must look but know that a big part of our authentic greatness is how we uniquely elevate others.
Take your step: moments of clarity don’t come knocking on the door all the time. When the next one knocks, don’t take it for granted. Take a step back and reflect. Invest just a few moments in what this clarity of perspective means for you, and you alone. Perspective is unique to each of us based on our experiences and when it arises, take advantage of what clarity you need in the moment. Be open to the perspective and be curious how it may help propel your authentic greatness, including how you can help elevate those around you.