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We must do battle where we are standing. - Audre Lorde

Updated: Apr 21



I started Dr. Sunita Sah's hashtag#Defy on the subway today. She begins with Audre Lorde's words: "Sometimes, we are blessed with being able to choose the time, and the arena, and the manner of our revolution, but more usually we must do battle where we are standing.” She goes on to reframe defiance as what we do when we align our values with our actions, especially when the world around us pressures, if not outright rewards us to do otherwise.


What is the world we want to live in?  What do we most deeply value?  What do we want, need, feel compelled to do?  I’ve found myself yo-yoing these last few weeks with feelings, pangs, itches, eeks, weighty questions.  Others have expressed similar ups-and-downs - what’s in our control and what’s not, what feels joyful and scary, what feels hopeful and despondent, what feels possible and permanent.


I sense many of us are looking for something - for clarity, assurance, direction, comfort, hope, momentum, community, peace, something.  In the midst of all the noise around us, Dr. Sah’s invitation resonates: go back to what we value. Go back to what we care about most as a compass for clarifying what comes next.


What is next?  That’s the question that came up in a coaching session today. My client paused: what’s next for me - as a leader, and as a human?  What do I want to be true for myself this year?


And so, we pulled out the post-its, markers, rainbow paper, and unicorn.  Together, we co-constructed these key questions:


➡️ What do I want to do this year?

🩷 What do I want to feel this year?

🧭 Given what I’ve dreamt up, what values do I see emerge?

🚧 What might be holding me back from bringing these values to life?


I’m grateful for all the heart work that emerged this afternoon.  My client has sparked a desire for me to ask myself these questions.  Our conversation reminded me that, while a post-it note and marker may not solve everything, sitting with a simple question and going back to what we care about most may just help us clarify what to do next.



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