Stand Your Sacred Ground

May 31st, 2012 by Kelly Kienzle

Can you feel the power in these words?  Isn’t this what we aspire to do each day?  Each time you resolve to “stand your sacred ground”, you are being a leader.  You are claiming your vision as something meaningful.

This is what leaders do.  This is what we all do, in large ways  – – like turning down a lackluster job offer.  And we do it in small ways – – such as protecting the time to talk for another 10 minutes to a colleague in need.

What is so powerful about these words? For me, it’s the assumption that anything I decide is sacred.  In a world of tasks competing for our attention, it is soothing to know that I can still hold my aspirations and visions as sacred.  They can be protected, by me.  They are unique and wonderful to me, and hopefully to a few others who might benefit as well.

This statement also reminds me of “The Giving Tree” by Shel Silverstein.  A tree and a boy grow up together.  Through all of the stages of the boy’s life, the tree is there to help him with whatever his needs are.  The tree never falters or questions the boy’s motives or priorities; the tree simply gives all that it can.  In the end, the boy is an old man and the tree is now a stump.  Yet the tree is fully content and happy because it has stood its sacred ground – – of friendship.  And by standing its ground, it has found true happiness.

Find your sacred ground.  You may have a small patch of ground that you will claim for only today or you may have a vast acreage that you will always hold.  Either way, if we stand our sacred ground, we will always know where we are, and why.

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“Stand your sacred ground” is mentioned in “The Gifts of Imperfection” by Brené Brown.  Brown’s message is about not getting small or defensive which is another useful perspective.  The phrase held a different meaning for me, which I have attempted to explain here.