Five Steps from Wisdom-Bearer to Wisdom-Sharer
An introduction to a new series on sharing the wisdom only you can offer.
When I finally retired from my corporate career, I had a quiet but persistent feeling.
I had spent 35 years helping Fortune 500 companies find the patterns in their data. I had written books, spoken on stages, and learned a great deal along the way. And I always knew that it wasn’t my “real work.”
Once I retired, I felt this strong desire to share my hard-earned wisdom.
I also sensed that many others felt the same way. So many people I knew, especially women of a certain age, carried a lifetime of wisdom. They longed to share it. Yet much of it stayed tucked away.
Why does that happen? And what helps wisdom find its way out into the world?
Wisdom Is Only Half the Story
Over the years, I’ve come to believe that almost all of us carry far more wisdom than we realize. It lives in the rare place where our gifts and talents, our knowledge and experience, and our passions and intuition meet. No one else carries the same blend.
But carrying wisdom and sharing it are two different things.
The journey from one to the other moves through five steps. I call them the 5 Ms: Mission, Mindset, Mode, Meaning, and Momentum.
Here’s a light first look at each.
Mission: Your ‘Why’
Mission is the reason underneath the titles, the roles, and the accomplishments. It answers a simple question: Why do I want to share my wisdom, and who is it for? When you know your ‘why,’ your ‘what’ begins to reveal itself.
Mindset: Getting Out of Your Own Way
Mindset is the quiet voice that says, “I’ll get to it later,” or “Who would want to hear from me?” This step is about recognizing that voice and remembering that what you carry is wanted.
Mode: The Way That Feels Like You
Mode is the how. It might be mentoring one person over coffee, writing letters to your grandchildren, leading a circle, or stepping onto a stage. The right Mode is simply the one that feels true to you.
Meaning: Feeling That It Matters
Meaning is the felt sense, deep in your body, that what you’re sharing truly matters. It’s what steadies us when doubt appears. It turns a good idea into a calling.
Momentum: The Next Small, Brave Step
Momentum is where everything becomes real. It grows from taking one small, brave step, and then the next. It’s the bridge from “someday” to today.
Strong in Two, Quiet in One
These five steps work together, like instruments in an orchestra.
In my experience, most of us are strong in two, still growing in two, and quiet in one. And that quiet one often holds the key to everything else. When it comes alive, the others flow more easily too.
The beautiful part is that simply noticing where you are is the first step forward.
Try This
Read through these five questions and notice which ones feel easy, and which one makes you pause:
- Mission: Do I know why I want to share my wisdom, and who I’m here to serve?
- Mindset: Do I truly believe people want what I carry?
- Mode: Have I found a way of sharing that feels like me?
- Meaning: Can I feel, in my body, that this matters?
- Momentum: Am I actually moving, or still thinking about moving?
The question that made you pause may be your quiet one. Hold it gently. We’ll explore it together.
What’s Ahead
Over the coming weeks, I’ll dedicate one article to each step:
- Mission: Your Wisdom Begins with Your ‘Why’
- Mindset: The Quiet Voice That Keeps Your Wisdom Small
- Mode: Share Your Wisdom in the Way That Feels Like You
- Meaning: When You Can Feel That It Matters
- Momentum: From Someday to Today
Each one will include a story, a simple practice, and a question to carry with you through the week.
Because the world needs our wisdom. And I’d love to help you share yours.
Curious about the unique way your wisdom wants to move through the world? Discover your Quantum Wisdom Path with a free 3-minute assessment.
A Question for You:
Which of the five questions made you pause? I’d be so grateful to hear. What do you consider your wisdom? Are you openly sharing it?
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