Leaning in.....

I seem to be telling many people right now to lean in.?At home, at work, in my friendship groups.?It seems to be at times of change, I use this expression most.

I did not make it up, I am sure you are all aware of it starting to be used as a business motto in 2013 after the publication of Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead written by Sheryl Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, and Nell Scovell.

However it has been used for over 100 years, including Frances C. Sparhawk’s 1892?Onoqua?contains the sentence “Her soul flashed back from the dark valley over which she had been leaning into the full sunlight of life,”.

I love this sentence because I can visualize this woman; it is as close to the physical representation of what I am meaning when I suggest to others to lean in.

Years ago, I suggested to someone to be a blade of grass not a stick when change comes.?You need to be able to bend, flex, be agile.?A stick push against the flow, breaks or will be blown away.?I have been reflecting on this and wondering why I no longer believe in being a blade of grass.?

Leaning in according to the Oxford Learners Dictionary means: to accept the challenge of doing something and try hard to do it successfully.?This means that you are actively engaged, you are pushing yourself to be a part of the momentum that is happening and aligning to be collectively successful.?You are not being merely a blade a grass which is mearly bending with the flow of change.

In my high school yearbook I included the serenity prayer which is an important part of my belief system and today still guides my behaviour and decision making.

Change comes, you cannot always control it.?However, when that change comes, it brings opportunity. Lean in!