The Power of Connection: Reignite Your Source of Inspiration

In the hustle of professional pursuits, we often overlook the quiet force that fuels our development: the social and emotional connections that shape our personality. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the softer, emotional part of my being that craves these connections, and to reflect on how they have influenced the person I am today.

Throughout my journey, I've found that the security of emotional connection is like a compass which has guided me through life’s ups and downs. It gave me the courage to be bold, to challenge norms, and to step out of my comfort zone. My family has been at the core of this support. My mother, Millicent, always told me that I could be anything I wanted to be in life, even when others doubted my abilities. She was my first fan, the one who lifted my spirits when I felt broken, and massaged my ego when self-doubt threatened to take over.

I remember struggling with math in school - some teachers were quick to compare me to my sisters, Alexandra and Angela, who were brilliant students. I felt the weight of those comparisons, the frustration of not fitting the mold and rising to expectation. But my mother, who was an educationist herself, didn’t react with anxiety or disappointment. She simply said, "If painting is what you love, then paint with passion. Proudly show your beautiful colors when others show their math." That moment changed me. It gave me the freedom to be myself - an orator, a writer, a poet, a singer, an artist, and a teacher. While I was never a straight-A student, I found my true calling in my creativity and communication, the qualities that have made me who I am today - a Jack of all trades, master of none - with pride!

Over the past nine years, resettling in Europe and being away from my family, I didn’t realize how much that distance had created a divide between me and my source of energy or inspiration. I began to believe that I was alone and had to be my own source of light. While this self-reliance has helped me carve out a unique path of growth, it also made me susceptible to insecurity, emotional extremes, and a lack of balance in my highs and lows. I became fearless in taking risks, yet a latent fear of falling or failing crept in, impacting my inner peace and weighing on my mental health.

But recently, I had the privilege to reconnect with my family in a uniquely intimate way. Simple moments like sitting together at the breakfast table, snuggling on the couch, or linking arms during strolls rekindled an energy within me - a part of me that I didn’t realize was craving to be reignited. It was like waking up to a familiar, comforting light that I thought I had lost.

This experience has reminded me of an important truth: our social and emotional connections are the unseen threads that weave together our personal and professional growth.

So, let me ask you: What is your source of inspiration? What started that fire in you that pushed you to break barriers, socially and professionally, that has made you the ambitious, positive, dynamic, and resourceful person you are in your career? Do you remember that thing or person? Could it be your child, a parent, a friend? And how connected are you to that fire today?

Take a moment to reflect. Acknowledge the people who fuel your inspiration if they’re still in your life, or honor their memories in any way you can. Because losing that connection can be detrimental to your mental health; it might just be the missing piece that sets you apart from being merely good to being the best version of yourself.

To my mom Milly, and my sisters Sandy and Angie, I appreciate you. You have been my unwavering source of strength and inspiration. I wouldn’t be who I am today without your love, support, and belief in me.

Let’s never forget to stay connected to our sources of inspiration, to the people who lift us up, and to the memories that remind us of who we are and who we can become.