Looking for Real Power?

Lesson of the Hickory Tree

“The one characteristic of authentic power that most people overlook is humbleness. It is important for many reasons. A humble person walks in a friendly world. He or she sees friends everywhere he or she looks, wherever he or she goes, whomever he or she meets. His or her perception goes beyond the shell of appearance and into essence.”

                                     Gary Zukav

This hickory tree outside my window is absolutely dependable. Year after year, it sends out long green leaves in spring, produces huge quantities of hickory nuts in summer, and turns a brilliant yellow in the fall. I don't have to wonder what its nature is because it never changes. Its essence is hickory tree through and through. It strives to be neither an oak, which is taller and stronger, nor a maple, which is showy and more beautiful. It is what it is—a hickory tree.

The squirrels in my yard love this hickory tree so much that they can't wait for the nuts to mature. They jump limb to limb and cut them off green. They gnaw on them, store them in holes they dig in the yard, and make a terrible mess with the shells and rinds. Squirrels build their nests in the limbs and live in holes in the trunk. The hickory tree holds them while they torture the dogs, who stand at the foot and bark up at them. Squirrels are simply squirrels; they don't attempt to be birds or monkeys.

We humans could learn a lot from the humble hickory tree and the pesky squirrels. We have a skewed perception that arrogance and power go together. We believe that one has to win the battle of words or weapons to be a true leader. Humbleness is often perceived as weak or ignorant. This inaccurate perception leads us to cloak ourselves in a shroud of paranoia; to believe we have to become someone else, or at least, act like someone else in order to “get ahead.” We anxiously watch what is “trending” in order to know how to look and how to dress. In all this effort to fit in, we lose touch with what is our own essence—our authentic self.

When we come to our senses, we realize that the most trustworthy people are those who walk their own walk, and talk their own talk. They create their own style and look like themselves. They have little use for what's trending, or what's fashionable. They look and feel comfortable in their own skin, because they live in their own skin. They have an openness to them that allows us to be open, too; they don't hide the parts of themselves that may not meet expectations. On the contrary, they are often self-effacing and funny in pointing out their own foibles.

Authentic power emanates from authentic people. You will recognize them by their openness and humility.

                                                      In the Spirit,

                                                          Jane