What Kind Of Cat Are You? Going Beyond Leaders And Living Our Own Truth

Our Greatest Leader Is What Lies Within Us 

 "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, 'Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?' Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." -Marianne Williamson, A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of "A Course in Miracles."

Today we celebrate the ministry of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honor the man that he was during his short 39 years on Earth.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr:  January 15, 1929-April 4, 1964

Dr. King left us with lasting memories of a man who not only aspired to live his dream but also inspired us to live ours. His legacy of hope and aspirations inspired many generations of African-Americans and others, and he will continue to inspire generations more of black, brown, white and other races of children. 

Yet, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was...but a man.

The question we must then ask ourselves when we think of a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: 

Did God created him in a different way than he did any of us? Was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. born to be great, or did he aspire to greatness? Or, further as William Shakespeare would ask, in his work Twelfth Night, "Did he have greatness thrust upon him?"

We can forever debate any of those three things, and  yet we would never know the truth of things. The reason is simple:

The truth laid within ...Dr. King himself.

You see, it matters not how we were created. 

What matters is what we believe about ourselves.

Some of us ...many of us...walk through life like little rabbits. (No, not the velveteen kind of rabbits that shine. Those: we can see their light.) 

But we walk through life like little mice, who scurry here and there that even the meek little kittens pictured (Above: left) would frighten them.

We are more than timid. We are mousy. And if someone comments or asks, "Why are you so timid?" believe me, we should not take it as a compliment. What they are essentially saying without using the exact words is this: you're not allowing your light to shine. You are walking through life with a dullness around you.

Wake up to how you're walking in the world. 

Look at the shadow you're casting in and into the world!

Are you walking like a proud, self-centered cat, fueled only by ego, or are you leaving footprints with the boldness of a tiger or lion?

How is your head when you're walking?

Are you slouching as you walk, hands and head hung down, or walking with your shoulders erect, hands and head going boldly forward?

Your "walk" through life tells a lot about you. It also determines how others treat you.

Who would dare to cross the path of a tiger, even if he never roars? His demeanor, even when he's being humble and holding back, always suggests he is capable and able to pounce on you at any time.  

A tiger does not need to roar to be heard. He simply just shows up with his boldness.

A cat, even a beautiful cat, who tries to array himself with boldness and pride...is...still...only a cat. Filled with himself and his "cat" issues.

The challenge for us all is to be a tiger, with humility, but to never ever be mistaken as a cat.

As we begin this day in celebration of this great man who lived, think about your life and whether you were born gifted. If you think you were not, or are not aware of your gifts...then are you waiting for someone else to pull out your gifts for you, or are you reaching within to discover that which is unique within you and offering those to the world? Listen to this and
be encouraged:

"I Will Be A Hummingbird."

The sad part about many of us is that we wake up each day expecting someone to lead us through life. The sad part about many of us is that we do not realize there are no leaders, just people who have a terrific opinion about themselves and allow their light to shine...brilliantly.

The sad part about many of us is that we look to those who allow their lights to shine to build our lives around their dreams. So, when their dreams become more of a reality, we don't see it as their dreams...so intertwined are we in their greatness and our littleness.

The sad part about many of us is that we don't realize that any one outside ourselves...great leader, great husband, great wife, great friend...has the potential to disappoint us at any time. The sad part about many of us is that when others disappoint us, we feel this disappointment in our own Souls, and we lose ourselves. Not because we failed. But because we think they failed us. All the while...all they were doing ...was living out their own truths.

"Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends. And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
"I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: 
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.
"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
"I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
"I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of 'interposition' and 'nullification' -- one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
"I have a dream today!
"I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together."

Much of what Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. dreamed about did come alive, although there's still much more unpaved roads ahead. And the reasons those dreams came alive is not only because Dr. King dreamed them, but because he helped you and me and so many others to dream ours too. 

The truth is that when we dream cat dreams, we dream for ourselves; our world becomes flat, and it's small. But when we dream the dreams of a tiger, like Martin Luther King, Jr. did, our dreams take hold and are big enough to manifest in the world. 

That is the dream of a true leader: not only that I walk big, but you walk big, or even bigger, as you walk beside me. 

But we must be careful of some leaders: there are *lions walking among us, inspiring fear and having people cower and recoil in their presence and by their essence. Get to know the difference, and become the difference, between these "lion" creatures and tigers. The *"tiger" creatures are among us, inspiring people to do their best and be their best, through emulating their efforts.. 

I encourage you as you go through this 2017,  dare to grow throughout it: Be a tiger! Great leaders aren't going to save us. We must save ourselves. We must each reach in and discover, and drag out, our own power.

Begin to see yourself as a tiger...or a majestic horse... even if you were not born that way. 

Remember this: The mark of a leader, whether born with greatness, achieving it, or having it thrust upon him, is to utter words like these... 

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character." Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

...and to have those words live on for generations. 

Namaste',

Che' 
EDITOR'S NOTE: For the purposes of this piece, I've chosen to portray lions as strong, but negative, and tigers as being just as strong, but positive.