Through the Eyes of Om - Presence

Being able to exist and simply be, is sometimes one of the most difficult things to do. Crazy, right?! You hear words like authentic, be present, demeanor, honesty, etc...and automatically you must think of The Dark side of the Force.

Wait, whhhaaattt!!!!

Back up for a minute there my friend and try to run that past us again. The Dark side of the Force?

Well yes, I mean, check out the picture of this article...I'm giving a #MotivatedMonday high 5 to a storm trooper. And really, I know most of you were expecting to see our usual ~3 minute clip of something that communicates, educates and inspires you. Instead, you are going to get a chance to let your imagination run wild and think about what you might be able to channel from a 2 year old's presence by simply giving a high 5 to The Dark side of the Force. And look, not everyone may appreciate science fiction or fantasy as a whole. But I think we can all agree that there is something out there that is greater than all of us and yet can bring us all together in a sort of capacity. For example, what we've cultivated and continue to add to our #LinkedInFam & our ecosystem of evolving voices comes to mind for me.

Now, The Dark side of the Force has long been considered driven by raw, intense and darker emotions. However, with every story, comes perspectives from a variety of angles (not simply just 2 sides to the story). In this case, I am giving a high 5 to a storm trooper...some may think that I was simply being exuberant as a 2 year old might be expected to do. You may even think that the storm trooper saw how well I was putting at the LEGO Brickfest festival and wanted to congratulate me on a game well played. But imagine if you will, that I (& my dad) knew that there was an extreme challenge in the universe, like oh I don't know, The Dark side of the Force! And this high 5 was really a way to say, guess what, I'm here to stay! It's ok if we don't always see eye to eye...let's just do this!

As #Fansof3, a few things to think about when you think of your own presence...

1. Believe in yourself - there will always be naysayers & trolls that are out there that will try to keep you down. Keep faith in yourself and in fact, learn to mentor others and do it together!
2. Know strength & weakness - not for just yourself, but learn to recognize these in others. Being able to accept failure & learn from mistakes (yours and others) can be such a critical learning experience.
3. Do not fear change - time changes much faster today with the advent of technology (among other things). Embrace your and other's uniqueness in how an approach to the world occurs in today (and in our future's) society.

 "Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you? And well you should not. For my ally is the Force, and a powerful ally it is."

-Yoda

Really ask yourself the tough questions first, like how do you honestly feel, are you true to yourself, what do you value for you and others...allow your thoughts to flow through you and into others. There will always be pressure to conform and do what society expects of you, your culture, or even those closest to you. But always remember, there is no one else that is exactly like you...and that in itself is something to be said.

-Om