Last night, I could just picture her. This 12 year old girl, heels firmly dug in, arms folded across chest, bottom lip tightened, and a look in her eyes that piercingly said, “You can’t make me!”
I know this girl. She lives within. She proudly heads up the Department of Resistance and Internal Struggle.
She does her job well… too well in fact. She puts up walls, creates raving memos filled with passionate doubt, sets up task forces to keep things busily (and exhaustively) churning, and then reports on the merits of playing it safe. Yet she is an amazingly creative rebel herself. Ironic, isn’t it?
We’ve been in deep negotiations, she and I. Today I sat across the table from her, leaned into her and said, “We are going through a restructuring. As of today, we are dismantling your department. There is no longer need for a Department of Resistance and Internal Struggle. It doesn’t align with our mission. So you have some choices. We would be honoured if you’d head up another of our departments. In particular we are looking for a VP of Creative Projects, a Director of Effortless Success or a GM of Awesome Accountability.”
“We could use a lot of your same skills and really draw on your strengths. We’d give you autonomy to run the department as you see fit. And you’d have unlimited resources to call on. What do you think?”
She said nothing, but proceeded to uncross her arms.
Oooo, that’s a start.
Awesome Paula! I love it!
One of the most skilled illustrations of embracing our shadows that I have experienced….and I am a huge student of this work. BRILLIANT, Paula!
Thanks so much you two! At first I was reluctant to share this. And then I thought… bring her to the light. 🙂