Below are two participants’ reflections on a leadership development session focused on “Leading from the Inside Out.” Before we look to change others we need to look inside ourselves. Are we where we want to be? Are we who we want to be? How silly it would be for us to take on the task of leading our community before first seeking personal fulfillment. It's like what they tell us in the airplanes--if there is an emergency, first put on your own oxygen mask before helping those around you. How can you be of any help to another, when you haven't even helped yourself? The task of leading a community, while noble, also comes with a lot of responsibility. The best way to lead in my opinion is to know the people you are trying to lead. Don't let them be faces that blend together with no distinguishing qualities or needs. To be a true leader you must see and appreciate those you lead as clearly as you see yourself. Your job as a leader isn't to control but rather to give them control of their own lives. A true leader is one that empowers. - Nadeena 10 Days Until 20 this consciousness weighs heavy ...on my body, a boulder I carry sinking from chest until buried within the pit of my stomach-blossoming into anxious steps, evolving, transfigured fear a mad dash sprint away from the mirror each day I turn ever so slightly face a serene visage in the peripheral view reach out hands, elongate fingers brush an ideal self; falling short I light the flame and extinguish until anew, rekindling my vitality-forging ahead I make this living reaching out I touch the world embrace myself ever so slowly giving in like earth to avalanche like clouds to scurry of rain until I burst rising, birthed from ash of a former life lived - Nadia
2 Comments
My Jahajee Sisters
By Kavita Vidya Ganness My Jahajee Sisters, its time to rise Its time to open your eyes… The time is now… No obstacle can stop us. No force can break us. Take out your pens. Write your name in the skies. Build your dreams with the sweat of your brow. My Jahajee Sisters, the time is now! My Jahajee Sisters, let your rays of light shine. Be burning lamps. Be lionesses full of courage. Be climbers to the highest heights. Be achievers of all your heart’s desires. My Jahajee Sisters, its time to rise! My Jahajee Sisters, you are all divine. Sparks of soul, deyas that burn forever In the history of this universe. Find your calling. Find your voice. Find yourself. Find the courage To play the game of life and win All and every prize that there is to be won. My Jahajee Sisters, the time is now! My Jahajee Sisters, the dawn of a new era comes. Be proud of our heritage. Be proud of our culture. Bloom like lotus flowers In the face of negativity and confusion. My Jahajee Sisters, its time to rise! My Jahajee Sisters, come out of the darkness, Stand center-stage. Let all eyes be on you. No more shadowy existence. It’s time to shine. Realize the spark of God is within us all. We are the fruits of the Kala Pani travelers. We are the shining result of courage and hope. My Jahajee Sisters, the time is now! My Jahajee Sisters, hear the call of your destiny. Set sail on an ocean of hope. Break down every barrier and move forward. Together we shall drink the Amrit of happiness. Together we shall be a constellation. My Jahajee Sisters, its time to rise! My Jahajee Sisters, know that God Created us for a purpose. Our life is precious. Our breath is a priceless gift. When we sing Bhajans, Our voices shall float to the heavens. My Jahajee Sisters, the time is now! My Jahajee Sisters, my Indo-Caribbean Sisters, Arise. Awake. Open your eyes. Realize that what is in you Is divine, special, sublime. Let your rays of light shine. Be like the sun. Awe and inspire the world. My Jahajee Sisters, its time to rise! My Jahajee Sisters, accept the challenge. Embrace change. Evolve. We are the descendents of heroes. Our possibility is sweet like sugar-cane Planted by our forefathers. My Jahajee Sisters, together we unite, In sisterhood solidarity. [RE-POSTED FROM WRITING THE LINES OF OUR HANDS BLOG--This blog was created to chronicle the publication progress of Writing the Lines of Our Hands: An Anthology of South Asian American Poetry, to provide a forum for conversation and support among the authors of this anthology, and to facilitate conversations about writing by South Asian Americans.] |
AuthorJahajee Sisters Advisory Committee Archives
September 2011
Categories
All
|