In keeping with all of 2013, the past month has zoomed by in the blink of an eye.
After much deliberation over a number of weeks I decided to run for one of three positions on Village council.
Talk about something being beyond imagination or past the outer realms of possibility!
But the Inner pokes and prods would not stop until my “No Way!” changed to “alright, yes.”
Having put a lot of thought into “what I would do if …”, the base of my platform pulled together quickly.
Infographics seemed the way to go as something fresh and different from a typical three-fold pamphlet.
Grateful for the objective eyes of three friends, I pulled together a concise brochure outlining what I intended to bring to council.
Each of 175 copies were personally signed before heading out to knock on as many doors as possible.
Of those not home, names were researched to match addresses so they could be contacted by mail.
When a resident wanted to talk, as much time as necessary was taken to answer their questions and hear their concerns.
That’s me – jump in wholeheartedly and do my best as with most things I believe in.
From building a plumb, square wall to brainstorming to being a couch potato at Christmas.
People were impressed.
They commented on how good the brochure looked,
how hard I worked,
how I ran the best campaign,
how I was the only one with a full platform (as in nobody else had one at all).
The last brochure was handed out at 7:00pm on Election Eve.
Twenty-six hours later the results came in –
I. Lost.
Not even close.
Responses from others were of sadness or disappointment.
All the hard work had gone for naught.
Or seeds had been sowed to reap another day.
I’d even told myself throughout the campaign, if people questioned or saw a new possibility, something good had been accomplished.
Something must come from all the effort.
Looking where the votes fell there was no way I would have ever won.
New and unknown fell to long standing friendships and family ties.
That’s when the real reminder came forward.
Hard work isn’t about reaching a particular end or achieving a certain success.
That’s called control – from the head.
Excellence is about about expressing who you are and showing up fully.
That’s called being – from the soul.
Hard work doesn’t guarantee what we expect, or any result at all.
Digging in even harder doesn’t either.
Sometimes the hole just gets deeper.
We often discount things that come easily, or drop in our laps through no effort of our own.
Success isn’t tied to what you do.
Success – plus joy and happiness too – comes from bringing your true who to everything you do.
feel free to share
chief nudging officer
Lorraine
Crazy for cats and potatoes, Lorraine's insatiable curiosity of Life leads her to question, explore and push beyond the box. A self-professed "left-brained creative big picture" type, she has an intuitive knack for seeing beyond and beneath first appearances while at the same time nerding out on the details. Most of all she sees and holds others in their highest until they can see it for themselves.
I will print and frame! Thank you for this wisdom.
Oh precious! Wow. Such a powerful learning. How wonderful to know that the lessons and blessings are most often not linear. You showed up. You didn’t get what you wanted. You failed forward. And learned heaps, I venture to guess.
Thanks for sharing this!
xoxox, Sue
How very true Sue, paths are not always linear and results don’t always follow effort. The letting go of expectations to allow ourselves full expression turns disappointment into joy and happiness in everything we do.
Lorraine
This is not only true but beautifully honest! Thanks for sharing your journey.
You really have a great handle on this topic. Sometimes working harder really does the opposite of what we are trying to achieve… The real Joy can come in so many unexpected ways without even trying because we are in a place of ‘feeling good’ about what we are doing. Thanks so much for sharing! YOU are a treasure!
Paying attention to the unexpected really does hold so many treasures. Effortless joy is a great way to put it Melissa!
I just LOVE you Lorraine! Can’t you just feel it pouring your way 😉
Regardless of whether you gained a position on the council or not, you made a huge difference to a hell of a lot of people, least of all those who supported you because they believed in what you were doing and the people you met along the way. I’d venture to suggest that’s because you really do bring your true who to everything you do. Powerful writing, Lorraine. Thank you.
Many thanks Shan for your kind words. Given the circumstances I truly was pleased and grateful with how many shared a common vision and held the confidence for me to represent them.
I learned the hard way, and a few very knotted stomachs, that not being my true who was just too difficult and best avoided. Just so much easier to be the real me. 🙂