One Apple A Day #299
“Showing Up for Others”A few days ago, I was immersed in an inspiring conversation with a good friend. We were talking about how showing up for others, was helping us in creating a healthy relationship with our ego.The threshold between showing up and showing off is really thin and blurry. It is easy to think we are in service of others while, in reality, we are serving our ego. The typical signs are fear, judgement, stress, heaviness. To be of service means to create, hold and protect the space for others, without owning it. It means being present without taking up space.While I was thinking of the relationship between innovation and showing up for others, an image came to mind.I visualised a disk-shaped piece of cloth laying on a surface. To innovate means to lift the cloth higher.One option is to pull it from the centre. You will quickly lift it to a higher level, but the centre you picked will always be higher than the rest of the cloth.This is showing off for others. You may innovate faster, but you leave the others behind. Another option is to frame the cloth with a robust and firm frame. Then you can leave the frame. It may be a long process but the all cloth rise together.No one is left behind.This is how I visualise showing up for others.It is about creating a frame that lifts everyone and not trying to elevate yourself dragging the others with you.