Time For Us All to Stretch More
“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen ….” Brene Brown
It had finally happened! Four years ago, a decade after the vision for PeerRxMed had been planted in me, the first pilot was started with 40 participants. Eight months later, after a successful pilot and with refinements in place, I hit the “make public” button on the PeerRxMed website and it was officially “out there.” I had no idea when I clicked that button that 2 weeks later the World Health Organization would declare the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic, changing our lives forever and making the need for peer connection even more pressing.
As excited as I was to share the program and process with colleagues across the country, I was equally surprised as to how hard it was for me to do this. The vulnerability I felt in sharing this dream more widely was quite real (that’s why it took 10 years to start it), and my fears that it wouldn’t be “perfect”, or some might think it was “soft” or “trite” and the potential criticism that may arise almost prevented me from moving ahead. What I also didn’t anticipate was how emotionally challenging it would be for me, week after week, to continue to hit “send” on my weekly messages as I shared my thoughts, ideas, reflections and feelings with the expectation that I too would be connecting with my PeerRx buddies around these things.
Despite my initial and ongoing hesitations, I'm so glad I have made the decision to "show up" in my greater fullness and let more of my authentic self be seen over these past 4 years in the presence of a like-minded community of colleagues. As Brene Brown indicates (and has built a career upon), many of us don’t allow wonderful, deeply important parts of ourselves to be “seen” due to our fear as to how those parts will be received. It is often our shame and fear and vulnerability that also hold us back from bringing our most important Gifts to the world. If that is true for you, her antidote is a life-giving concoction of self-compassion and courage and connection.
It occurs to me that perhaps you’ve also experienced this same vulnerability week-by-week as you’ve connected with your PeerRx partner. Thank you for sharing that journey. And now I’m going to “stretch” myself again and muster up the courage to make 2 requests of you. First, I’m inviting you to “stretch” with me by inviting 3 of your colleagues to find a buddy and join the adventure of connection and encouragement that is PeerRx. Second, next week I’ll be sending out a link for the first ever PeerRxMed survey, and I need your input as to what the evolution of this process and platform might look like.
I believe that participation in PeerRxMed can help each of us find the “voice” that is our better self and help us release our even greater Gifts to the world. And the world could sure use multiple doses of “better selves” and “greater Gifts” right now. So, thanks in advance for having the courage to invite your authentic and imperfect self to show up more this week and beyond, and for inviting others to do the same. You’ll be a better you because of it, and so will they.
Remember, no one should care alone ….