By Nikki Cole
What is Leadership? How do we show up to be leaders in our community, for our kids and for ourselves?
Detached, distracted, and unavailable conversations are happening more and more. The ability to truly be present with one another seems to be such a hard job.
When we do the work for ourselves, we do the work for our family and then some!
I bought a bus to minimize and downsize, re-evaluate spaces, and travel to different waters leaving less traces. Carrying with me puppets, stories, and movement. This has opened my eyes and heart to see this value more than ever for ourselves and our future generations.
Leadership.
“Leadership is not about a title or a designation. It’s about impact, influence and inspiration. Impact involves getting results, influence is about spreading the passion you have”
~ Robin Sharma
The summer of 2019 began with bright neon lights, PVC pipe, material, music, water and of course Puppets! I was on my Kootenay Puppet Power tour! Setting out to new places in the Columbia Basin with three Sinixt stories inter woven into a magical presentation. I found each session to be new and explorational. Each community has a story of their own that wanted to be heard, shared, and experienced. Emphasizing on our local indigenous cultures and traditions was very enlightening and disheartening. Language and teachings are being hidden away in the hearts of our elders that have been restricted by social politics, that I really do not understand. Our future has bright curious eyes, with open hearts and playfulness. This younger generation has a real hard time paying attention unless its fully engaging with all OUR hearts. The remembering in my soul’s walk became a source of inspiration. I was reminded to do the work within. That the more I sit with all the feelings, all the sensations, without judgment, the more clarity I would have. The more I would show up for the communities and their children and the elders that leant their time and stories. I have been listening. Have you? There is a new way to communicate these days. Yes, it can involve zoom, google docs, drop box, Facebook, Instagram all the things…. however, what its main component needs to be,
Presence~
This is the light WE want to shine out. This is the leadership we are rising into. It is being able to stop the multi tasking, the constant busy monkey mind, the inner and outer distractions so we can be the change to change our future. The future that needs to hear the stories of our elders, the language of the traditional people, the songs of our tribes, and the ancient ceremonies to be practiced. The future that wants to be listened to fully, with complete and utter undivided attention. To be understood, recognized, and valued for what we are, right here, and right now.
If we can shine our lights on healthy presence within our bodies, truly we nourish and detoxify becoming beacons of radiance and illuminating the LIGHT ON LEADERSHIP.
Thank you, Sat Nam, and Namaste. To all my relations. oh ho
To view some of my own personal puppetry work, or to make a donation to the offerings I give please visit my site and send a message so I can send you a personal puppet telegram @ https://movewithnikki.org/
Or find me on facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/movewithnikki.org