I grew up in a very artistic family. Two of my three siblings have fine arts degrees, and my brother still makes a living in a creative field. My mom can sew anything and has had strangers ask if they could buy the wall hangings she creates. My dad could build anything, and my niece has a crazy, tilted, beautiful playhouse in her backyard as proof. I, on the other hand, liked to read. I cannot sew. I mostly just hurt myself when I try to build. I grew up believing that I am not artistic. Because of that belief, I never tried to draw or paint. After a few failed attempts at sewing, I quit. My family was (and is) so good at all of this that in comparison I would never measure up, so I didn’t bother trying.

My daughter loves to get notes from me in her lunch box, so this year I decided to make it a habit. Every day she gets a little love note in her lunch box, and every weekend I create the cards for her. In making these cards over the last few months, I was shocked to discover that I can kind of…draw. Nothing fancy, but I’m discovering a talent in myself that I never suspected I had; a talent that I had, in fact, dismissed as a possibility years ago.

This got me thinking about leadership, of course, about the power of belief and the power of who we compare ourselves to and what we do with that comparison. From a very young age I closed the door to any kind of artistic pursuit because I wasn’t as good as the other people in my family. I defined myself against them instead of letting myself explore who I was more fully.

It makes me wonder what else I’m closing the door to, and what you might be closing the door to. Who are the people you might be unfairly comparing yourself to? What have you closed the door on that might be worth cracking open again? Self discovery and exploration should continue our entire lives, and sometimes we’re not even aware of the barriers we’ve built up. This week, I encourage you to step away from comparisons. Instead, pick up a pen and doodle (or whatever your version of this might be). I wouldn’t be surprised at all if you discover something new about yourself.

Lead on,
Meredith

Image by Meredith Nieuwsma. Used with permission.