Today I was thinking about the movie lion King and a particular scene resonated with me.
Remember how Simba had been exiled and had lived in the wilderness for so long? and then his friend Nala suddenly bumps into him and reminds him that, "hey Simba, I know you've been busy with your own life but Destiny awaits you back home and even if you won't do it for yourself understand that the rest of our future depends on you taking your place as King."
Simba reluctant to step into this glorious destiny begins to run away and suddenly he is at the bank of river and he looks down and to his utter shock He is the spitting image of his Father. In fact it looked as though His father was staring right back at him. It was then Simba new, his life had just begun to take a different path indeed. This was just a prelude to his finally becoming, "The Lion King."
You know why this resonated with me? Because, this is exactly my story. I was appointed into an office I felt terribly ill-equipped for. Even though I did know I was chosen I still felt inadequate and it was like no amount of, "hyping" or pep talk or, "I belive in you" anyone could tell me could ever make me feel adequate. Like wearing shoes bigger than you. It just never quite fits and this was my story for a while.
After I'd stayed in the office for half the usual measured time, I started to flow into it. Still felt inadequate but only it wasn't as overwhelming as it used to be.
Then, one day I was studying and meditating and I had a light bulb moment where I had flashbacks of certain things I'd done that to me seemed silly and of no impact but in hindsight were actually commendable things and it was then I actually saw my strength and capacity, not perfect but mine nonetheless and I remember that after that day, for the first time, I looked into the mirror and who I saw looking back at me was a mother. As, "a mother" is what I was meant to function as.
The more I saw myself as one the more amplified my capabilities seemed and even though I wondered how the next was gonna look like yet I knew God willing I could handle whatever would come.
However, the peculiar thing for me was that, in realising that I was a mother, seeing myself as one, helped me to work in the light of that knowledge and I started expressing behaviours accrued to mothers or people perceived as mothers. Not just that, others started perceiving the same aura of a mother in me.
Everyone can call you great, intelligent, beautiful and what not but if you do not first see it in yourself you may never likely come into it.
I saw a quote from Dr Myles Munroe's book on the, "Spirit of Leadership" and he said, "leadership is about becoming" and so I paraphrase to say whatever greatness or success is to you, it is about becoming first.
People will see a David as King because David first saw Himself as King. Saul with his thousand, David with his Ten of thousands. Barack will see Deborah as a leader because Deborah first saw herself as a mother, " Until I Deborah arose, a mother in israel"
The king/Queen in you is waiting to be recognised by you first. Don't keep him/her waiting.
Become!