We Lead with Our Bodies

Some of us long to be more deeply seen or known by others in our lives, yet the vulnerability of showing up more fully keeps us hidden away. Yet it’s the courage to be fully present with ourselves and others, that makes our interactions fulfilling and alive.

When you see someone, a politician, presenter or friend, stand up and speak, have you noticed what is it that draws you to them? Is it what they say? How they say it? Is it how they comport or hold themselves?

We sense how someone inhabits their body. And we feel, in meeting them, how at ease, or comfortable they are in their own skin. Our nervous systems are exchanging tiny signals all the time, through eye contact, the gaze, the sense of presence, the breath and heartbeat, by what we say. When we feel we can trust someone there’s often an ease and relaxation about them; sometimes we can feel their energy before they speak. And so as not to mistake relaxation with ‘laid back’, we sense an alertness and sense of attention about them.

Who are the people who impact you this way?

How you show up in your body is how you lead. And we all lead. The children, the team, the social groups, the workplace, even though we may not have a particular title or role that casts us as such. We lead in our role as family member, partner, friend or citizen.

And we lead by inhabiting our bodies, not simply dragging our flesh and bones to the next thing. And I know it can sometimes feel like that.

I work with people to help them embody commitments. 

As that commitment becomes more embodied, we could say you begin to organise your life differently to fulfil on it, to set your sails towards it. As you begin to practice how you show up in the world differently, the people in your life will get a sense of this. 

They will begin to behave differently around you.

My enduring impression of someone is often how I am left with their energy. I feel this in their openness, their presence, often their curiosity and playfulness, and by hearing what they are prepared to take a stand for, their sense of mission or purpose.

These people have impact.

Notice how you are drawn to the people you respect, to those who influence you. What are the qualities they lead with? How are you drawn to them? 

Do you get a sense of their values, their mission, simply by how they ‘stand’?

How are they inspiring you to make meaningful change in your life?