Leading Ladies: Fire & Flow

The paradox of Winter in our modern times. ⠀
Winter is the season where we naturally feel an inclination to go inwards and withdraw from the external world. In modern times however, we don't always listen to our inner nudges and our bodies for guidance on how to be, but instead we take our cues from society around us and our cultural and familial beliefs about what we 'should' be doing around this time. The expectation of Christmas parties and get-togethers draws us out into the external world, often against our conscious will if we lean on the conditioned belief that this is what we 'should' be doing: Meeting people, celebrating, over-indulging in food and drink, and generally acknowledging via way of celebration, that we've made it through another year. Even if the year totally sucked, the expectation of a celebration will still be there, this time as an antidote to it all.⠀
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To me, this has always been a difficult time. Growing up in 3 different countries, Christmases were always a mish-mash of my culture of birth and how we used to celebrate it 'back home', and the adopted culture of the country we were living in. A mixture of what we would normally do in a southern hemisphere and tropical environment, heavily adapted to what we could find and who we could celebrate with in the country that we were living in at the time. But from memory, even in Brazil, celebrating Christmas in the summer, I remember the vibe to be an introspective one. One of gratitude and welcoming in those on the outside. Helping the less fortunate. Reflecting on our accomplishments and looking to the horizon of the year ahead with fresh hope and anticipation. Calling in all we wanted into our lives in the following year. A Country steeped in ritual, inherited from our indigenous ancestors and our African & European ancestors.⠀
This is the part that I yearn for all the time. The rituals with deep meaning - not just family traditions.⠀
Today I've been taking time to reflect on this, and why Christmases are always bitter sweet to me. ⠀
In recent years, I've become aware that this in-between period before the year ends is the perfect time to withdraw from the crowds, to rest & reflect.

Sometimes when it rains it pours, and sometimes you're waiting for a raindrop in a drought. What is life testing you for at the moment? Resilience or Patience?

Something I always say to my children is, always do the right thing, whether people are watching or not. Integrity to me means I do what I say I'm going to do, and I behave and aspire to be the kind of person I want to evolve into being.
Our inner world drives our outside actions, so being honest with ourselves and checking in with our heart's whispers is a pre-requisite to being in integrity with ourselves and with our life. So when it comes to leadership, integrity in my opinion is what creates true leaders. When you show up the same on stage as you do behind closed doors. It's how you own up and show up when you make mistakes.
What is integrity to you and how are you moving towards more integrity in your life?