Deep Rabbit holes – - zentriathlete

A hard task in F response - Taking action

This example of Jim Rice feels refreshingly relevant. We need more of this—less of the constant framing through perception and partisan lenses. Let’s move away from idolizing objects and symbols (the golden calf), and instead focus on being stricter with ourselves and more tolerant of others.

More and more, I’m finding that the deeper I lean into honest, grounded self-reflection, the more naturally I lead with empathy, act with courage, and focus on building momentum rather than just managing tasks. My lived experience reminds me that leadership must start from the inside out—when I do the internal work first, I’m better equipped to help others believe in themselves and achieve more.

This shift in mindset has allowed me to cultivate a leadership style rooted in presence and purpose. Rumi’s words echo in my approach:

“Raise your words, not your voice. It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.”

That quote continues to guide how I show up—for my team, my family, and my community.

But this journey of internal alignment doesn’t exist in a vacuum. I’m increasingly aware of how our broader systems seem designed to disrupt abundance and reinforce and replace it strategically with scarcity – particular for targeted populations. Disrupters thrive not on innovation, but on apathy and inaction. It’s a model built to preserve control, and it’s working—too well. They prey on overwhelm and paralysis (f-adrenaline responses that are often autonomic and not strongly developed and purposefully managed coping skills). This is where the systemic control and power mongers don’t hesitate and act with their selfish intentions in mind above all else. I see it in the resignation of predecessors, the numbness of peers, and in the growing and heartbreaking questions asked by children who are already wrestling with existential despair and are actively taking action.

Thi Nguyen’s insight about outsourcing our value systems resonates deeply. I see it play out in real time—especially in moments like we are living in real time (like I need more empathy and connecting to writings of Anne Frank – as an example) — where the pull for external validation overshadows the clarity that comes from within. And that betrayal? It feels like that moment in Braveheart, when Wallace realizes Bruce’s motives were hijacked by the feudalistic systems of the time. That stunned silence (of both Wallace and Bruce), that fury—that’s exactly how I feel.

I’m not naïve. I know history repeats. But I wasn’t prepared for how much it would hurt to watch people choose suffering over change. I can handle uncertainty. What I struggle with is the normalization of pain, the quiet acceptance of broken systems simply because they’re familiar.

As a parent and caregiver, I’m being pulled—no, compelled—toward a different model. One that’s sustainable, workable, and rooted in something deeper than survival. Not just for me, but for my kids, my spouse, and the future we still have a chance to shape.

When we lead from a place of internal alignment, we create space for others to do the same. That’s where real transformation begins.