What does it mean to lead from within?

Just ask acclaimed business and life coach, Lolly Daskal.

Lolly would tell you that when you lead from within, “you step inward to seek the life you yearned for–a life of commitment and fulfillment of your heart’s desires. By listening to your inner self and following your compass within,  you will find a life that is aligned with your talents, truth and values.”

Leading from within is what many of us are learning, what we are living, and what we talk about every Tuesday evening on Twitter.  It is Lolly’s brainchild, launched online in January, and already it has directly touched hundreds of lives and impacted thousands more.

I am no exception.

For the last six months, I have had the privilege of connecting with countless others, learning and sharing right along side of me.  We connect, we engage, we share, and we learn.  Many of those tuned in Tuesday nights are in the leadership/coaching/training business.  Not just people toying with these ideas, but some of the strongest leaders in their industry.  Just visit the bestseller section on leadership at your local Barnes and Noble and you will recognize many of the authors’ names as fellow leadfromwithin’ers.  Others of us are leaders and learners in other professions, in our civic lives, and in our own families.  All of us are drawn to this Tweet chat week after week, but more importantly, we are drawn to each other.

On my own journey within, I have been tested at every step along the way – my faith, my resolve, my purpose, my commitment, my truth, my values.  I have also connected with others.  Many others.  People just like me, who have either walked in similar shoes before me, walked along side of me, or followed in my footsteps.  People from my past and present have stepped up, offering a word of encouragement, the comfort of a shoulder, or illumination on the path before me.

In recent months, many of these people have been those I’ve connected with via Leadfromwithin. I have learned and I have grown, seeds of wisdom planted that have since sprouted and blossomed in my personal, professional and civic life.  Among those in this community who have touched my life and planted a seed are Dave Pancost, writer of life wisdom extraordinaire and all-around good guy; Jesse Lyn Stoner, a gracious and humble leader whose legendary work on the subject of vision has helped me clarify my own; Becky Robinson, fellow mother, friend, social media maverick and blogger to no particular end but to learn and share with others; Mr. cool culture, Chris Edmonds, my enthusiastic friend and cheerleader, without whose guidance I might have struggled for months on end to find clarity and direction in my own life; and to Lolly herself, a kindred spirit and inspiring force of nature, whose commitment to her own vision enabled me to connect with these other gems.  There are others, too; those who have reached out and shared their own wisdom in ways that have influenced my own.  That, after all, is the great gift of Leadfromwithin.  We humbly acknowledge, week after week, wisdom we have to share and all that we still have to learn.

To me, leading from within is about living and leading from our heart place…our heart space.  It is about transparency, authenticity, integrity, and honor.  It is about connecting with others, just as we seek to reconnect with ourselves, recognizing that we each have the beautiful, unique and amazing gift of ourselves to share with the world.

To Lolly, Chris, Becky, Jesse and Dave; to @John_Paul, @Helen_Antholis and @worksmarta; to @lynnfishman, @giselle2323, @growinggold, @koomba303, @My_webevent, @womanonajourney, @waynemcevilly, @smaxbrown, @Josepf @EdwardColozzi, and @Cyburh; to @PatRobeck1ofHis, @StrategicMonk, @MagneticSilvia, @knowledgebishop, @Earthliz, and those countless others from whom I learn every Tuesday, THANK YOU.

Thank you for sharing your hearts and the wisdom of your experience.  Thank you for the connection, your inspiration, and for seeds planted.  As I’ve reconnected to my heart place, you have collectively been the catalyst that has enabled me to not only live from within, but to lead from within.  It is indeed a great privilege to share my Tuesdays with all of you.

Note:  You can find Lolly at www.lollydaskal.com.  You can join the conversation every Tuesday at 8 p.m. (est) on Twitter at #leadfromwithin.