Standing Up Straight and Changing the World
Since Jr. High Schoo
l I’ve been hearing adults yell at me to stand up straight. My shoulders hunched over, I looked 2 inches shorter, and my lower back always hurt when I first laid down at night. I was destined to be bent over at a 90 degree angle by the time I was 40. A year ago I decided to work with someone who could help me integrate spirituality into my personal and professional growth journey and one of the first things he commented on was my posture. Really? I’m expecting a Come-to-Jesus moment and you’re giving the same advice my 6th grade gym teacher gave?
I explained how I’ve tried everything: walking with books on my head; setting a watch timer at 15 minute intervals to remind me to correct my posture; strengthening my back and stomach muscles so they could hold me upright. “None of those things worked, did they?” he asked. “No,” I said shamefully as if my body and will were weak and this simple physical act had truly defeated me.
“Why are you sad? You’re body is incredibly strong and beautiful and it’s doing exactly what you are telling it to do.
It’s protecting your heart.”
He went on to explain that my chin lowering, shoulders rolling forward and arms squeezing in on the sides is my subconscious doing its best to physically deflect emotional blows. Whether the science is there to support this, I could clearly see how this habit could have been developed as a little girl who didn’t know how to handle some of the things happening in her world and so took a physically defensive stance to protect herself.
I gained a newfound love and appreciation for what my body had been trying to do but also realized this wasn’t serving me anymore. Right then I started the difficult work that would enable me to finally stop protecting myself and to open up my heart after all these years. Three months later I quit my consulting job, packed up my home, and moved to Seattle to help start Re-Vision Labs, free and open and strong in the knowledge that yes, I can take care of myself, but that it was time to do much more than that with my unique gifts.
This year has been full of horrible news: economies collapsing; people losing jobs, savings, homes and lives; hard work being lost and dreams being shattered. There are so many reasons for every person on this planet to decide that now is the time to take a defensive stance. To close up shop, brace for the blow (or deflect the ones that keep coming) and wait until the coast is clear before opening up to possibility again. There are so many reasons to do this and no one can be blamed for making this choice.
But right now I want to recognize and thank all those out there who are not. All the people whose hearts are wide open right now, fighting the good fight and doing everything they can, not just to survive but to overcome, create, grow, share, improve, teach, give and love.
I want to thank every single beautiful person on our team here at Re-Vision Labs who have done so much throughout the year to make our mission and vision of a better world come forward.
Gabriel Scheer, Melinda Epler, Dan O’Shea, Brett Horvath, Zach Silk, Dean DeCrease, Susan Evans, Rachel Dodson, Josh Lin, Eric Bell, Vivek Venkatramani, Martin Rogulja, Lindsay Calfee, Matthew Alberto, Henry Huang, Aaron Seeley, Regan Kohlhardt, Sarah Renz, Maddie Reddington, Kristen Kosidowski, Ariyah DeSouza, Michelle Mapel, Kelly Rula, Maddy Frey, Jesse Burns, Aurea Astro, Alex LaChance, Nick Spang, Sean Conner, Ashley Best, Kristin Norris, Anima LaVoy
We have put every single thing we have into this effort. Every dime, every ounce of skill and energy, every bit of pride and growth and strength and perseverance. We are not hunched over in protection of our individual selves in this incredibly difficult time.
We are standing up straight.
AND WE ARE CHANGING THE WORLD.
