How to Thrive as an Introvert, Empath, and Highly Sensitive Leader
Life is a beautiful gift. One that presents us moment by moment with opportunities to authentically align to our most truest selves.
Through the natural experience of living, we are often brought into direct contact with the many-layered encapsulations that make us who we are at our cores.
Living a life of inner peace, love, and joy are states that we all inevitably aspire for.
However some of us are more sensitive to the sometimes-unavoidable tides of the human experience of life than others. Rather it’s in the external environment (as in the vibration of whom and what we directly surround ourselves with) or deep within our own psyche (as in the state of our mind or emotional compass in the present), our relationship to both parts can play a major role in our ultimate degree of inner peace, happiness, and the overall quality of life in which we live.
If you’re an introvert, empath, or highly sensitive person, you may find an even deeper resonance to the aforementioned statement.
However in my experience, there are certain aspects that when completely honored, present a clearer pathway on the journey to thriving rather than surviving.
Here are three that when actively tapping into, can place one in the driver's seat of eliciting a state of being that flowingly embraces life (and all of its tidal varieties) with an alluring smile.
1. The Practiced Art of Gentleness
Often times the energetic blueprint of western society attempts to promote the illusion that we must “push” ourselves in order to achieve or be looked upon by society as a success.
While there isn’t anything innately wrong with this perception, I’ve found in my experience that there comes a time when that belief and frame of mind, may no longer serve certain types.
As a highly sensitive soul, we already take on so much stimulation in the art of just living, that it’s a necessity to be present, gentle, and consciously aware of what we are creating within ourselves.
How we communicate internally is paramount to what comes out externally, as well as the particular color in which we perceive life.
The more gentle we are, the more we activate our parasympathetic nervous system (rest and relaxation), which helps us better manage our emotions, how we respond (rather than react) to certain situations, and who and what we “choose” to surround ourselves with.
The gift of being gentle with ourselves also creates more expansive openness and clarity within the deepest desires of our hearts.
As introverts, sometimes I know how challenging it is to be fully present with the depth and magnitude of how often those dreams and visions rehearse in ones life.
It can often times feel like a smorgasbord of thoughts, connections, and complex patterns, naturally ruminating throughout the psyche(akin to a bathtub overflowing with running water).
The filter is constant, which can be overwhelming if not channeled properly.
However the more gentle and kind we our to ourselves, the more present we are to choosing to create more positive and uplifting stories to all of our life’s perceptions.
That may sound like a bold statement, using “all” in this context, but please do hear me out.
Nothing is innately right or wrong.
We all have the beautiful gift of choosing how we perceive each and every situation that is presented in our lives.
Therefore if all we are is gentle to ourselves, then we can find the positive beauty in each and every experience.
A pure sense of gratitude for all that is.
An opportunity to treat life like a dance of allowing all of our creations to be accepted in the moment, with the unique opportunity to make a conscious choice in the present on whether to fully cultivate the future vision in which we have for ourselves.
Gentleness is a great skill that when cultivated long enough, one is able to see with rapid quickness when out of alignment with it, presenting a heightened opportunity to mindfully tune back into it from a place of grace.
2. Be Patient
Sounds simple and non-assuming right?
As empaths, our hearts and emotions are the compasses that drive our behaviors.
Patience can feel like a constant tug of war in life at times.
We see with divine clarity the image and vision in which we hold for ourselves. However in the present we can become impatient with the gap between where we’re at, and the fact that we haven’t physically embodied the experience, yet.
I mention “yet” because when something is purely connected to our hearts, then the actions we take on the path of journeying towards it will inevitably be experienced.
What if we were patient and appreciative of each and every moment?
What if we looked at the place in which we reside on this present timeline of life as exactly the place in which we’re supposed to be?
Acceptance of this in itself would induce a sense of inner relaxation in our bodies, no matter what may or may not be happening within our lives.
We just embrace the current “what is,” remain patient, and choose to create a new decision in the present, that is more authentically aligned to the inner compass of where we’d truly like to be.
We recognize certain patterns more succinctly as they show up in our lives and gently ask ourselves the question: is this truly serving me and my hearts path?
Since we’re already coming from a place of gentle compassion and patience, without any attachment to one specific way being “right or wrong,” then we’re able to hear more clearly the answer to the question.
This internal game places the power of life completely back within our own hands.
We’re no longer victims to any situation that may in the past have presented us with the belief that we were.
We make decisions fully aligned to our truth and the path most integrated within our highest essence.
Since this is a very individual process, there’s nothing outside of us that controls the choices we make.
From this place we develop an unwavering faith that while we’re not in full control of every situation or outcome, we trust that we’re being led through a divine journey that acts as a reminder for us to remain open, accepting, and patient with what is, rather than feel disconnected or attached to what we think must be.
3. Always Choose Love
“Someone committed to something, gets more done than someone who’s not.”
What are you committed to?
When we can anchor our entire lives around committing to love, and align that state of being as the guiding priority of our actions, then we tap into a place that really does simplify the direction of the human experience.
This aspect has and continues to play a key role in my own personal experience of life, and continues to ring true for me time and time again.
I understand how it feels to experience states of depression, anxiety, addictive behaviors, and low levels of self-esteem and confidence.
The common denominator of what I was not tapped into at each and every one of these times was the energy of love.
Love heals.
Love unites.
Love uplifts.
Love flows.
It can be felt at the deepest and most ethereal essence of our being.
No words can ever truly express or convey the depth of feelings that are cultivated inside of us when we’re deeply anchored within it.
What would happen if we chose to love more?
What if we decided to base all of our decisions and actions from this pure place?
The more of both in which we did, rather external or internal, the more we tune into the vibration of this magnetically transforming energy.
Layer after layer after layer of ourselves dissolves, which leaves us with only that of which is true.
We have cultivated being gentle, kind, and patient with ourselves, to the point that love is more succinctly available to guide our divine lives.
As an introvert, empath, and highly sensitive soul, this isa part of the essence of our gifts that we have the unique opportunity of sharing with the world.
No matter how that shows up, just the state of being centered within it is not only healing and uplifting to ourselves, but to all those around us too.
You move with a sense of peace and grace: a sense of knowingness even in the mystic world of the unknown.
You embrace with an unwavering faith that every event is part of the divine journey that has guided you to the timeline of the present moment.
By choosing authentic love, we naturally begin to love unconditionally.
The energies around control, manipulation, and fear dissolve from our essence.
Love and fear cannot coexist together, as the vibration of the energies are the polar opposite of one another.
Whenever fear does become present or felt within the body, remember to be gentle, kind, loving, and patient with yourself.
As the more we cultivate these practices, the more we position ourselves to thrive in the world, no matter what is or may not be happening at any given moment.
With Love,
Brandon