and how true confidence is the opposite of LOUD
I cannot overstate how tiny (or perfect) this cat is.
Her body is tiny. Her meow is tiny. She is tiny.
And she is completely in charge.
I won’t share her name online, but if you live anywhere near me I won’t need to. Everyone is on first-name terms with her, because if she’s not your friend already then she’s a friend of a friend, who will have talked about her by name or will introduce her if you’re passing her territory in spring or summer.
I’ve known her as long as I’ve lived here, which is getting on for a decade, and like the musicians and teachers of my youth there’s a part of me that believes she was born ancient and will continue, identically ancient, for all of time.
Leading from your inner cat
But it struck me when I saw her the other day she’s my favourite local for other reasons too. She’s a role model. This tiny tortoiseshell senior cat also illustrates the qualities of healthy leadership: unfailingly welcoming to guests in her territory, expressing interest, communicating her wishes, making friends.
While at no point does she, or anyone else, forget this is her territory.
We all have moments of feeling like a small creature in a big world. But those tend to register when we care about the result of what we’re trying to say or do.
And while there’s no way of guaranteeing the result, there is one true route out of overwhelm and into authenticity. It’s remembering you’re you and no one else is. And if you don’t say or do it, it won’t be said or done at all.
Perfect is impossible (unless you’re a cat, obviously). But unique is always in our power.
Writing from your inner cat
Doing something worth doing, or creating something that deserves to be in the world, means one of the familiar side effects is ‘Who am I to…’, or ‘What if I seem too…’, mind-reading the audience we might not have even fully created yet.
So next time the overwhelm kicks in, let’s remember this furry little goddess.
Confidence is not about being right every time.
Clarity is not about knowing everything.
True authority doesn’t need to shout. It’s about knowing who you are and what you want. And that you have every right to be exactly who and where you are.
