The Gift of the Window

There's a question I want to ask you, and I invite you to sit with it before you answer.

When was the last time you gave yourself the gift of staring out a window with nothing to do, nothing to say, nowhere to be?

Not scrolling. Not planning. Not optimizing. Just... being.

This morning, I went to get a little more coffee. Nothing remarkable about that.

But somewhere between the kitchen and the mug, I stopped. I found myself standing at the window, struck by something I see every single day but rarely notice—the multiple shades of green in my backyard. The way each tree holds its own particular colour and texture.

The rain was falling softly. I watched drops bounce off the deck, off the barbecue cover, each with its own way of dancing.

A few birds flew by. I could hear fragments of their song but couldn't identify the species—my husband is far better at that than I am. I looked at the freshly mowed lawn.

And I thought: How grateful I am that this is my life. That this is life.

Here's What I Know About You

Even though we may have never met, I suspect something is true.

You are likely someone who carries a lot. Responsibilities. Expectations. The weight of other people's outcomes resting somewhere on your shoulders. You've been told—or you've told yourself—that this is what leadership requires. That your job is to hold it all.

But here's the truth that found me at that window this morning:

This moment—whichever moment you're in right now—is the only one you're promised.

Not the next quarter. Not the strategic plan. Not the outcome of that difficult conversation you've been rehearsing in your head.

This one.

And it is an incredibly beautiful time to be alive.

An Invitation, Not an Instruction

I'm not going to tell you to meditate more, build a morning routine, or schedule "reflection time" into your calendar like another deliverable. You have enough people telling you what to do.

Instead, I want to offer you an invitation:

Today, don't let everyone else's expectations, results, worries, or experience of life become your responsibility.

Just for today. Just for this moment.

You are an extraordinarily powerful human being. You've built that power through discipline, through care, through showing up when it would have been easier not to.

But power without presence becomes just another form of running.

Stop running. Even if only for the length of a window and a cup of coffee.

Permission

I know some of you are waiting for it. Permission to pause. Permission to not have the answer. Permission to simply be before you go back to doing.

So here it is: You have my permission.

But more importantly—and you already know this—you don't need mine.

You only need your own.

This is my invitation. I'm giving it to you so that you can give it to yourself.

Step into your power. Be you.

The window is waiting.

With love,

Cynthia Jamieson, PCC, CBC

Leadership Coach | Intuitive Intelligence® Guide | 🎙️ Host | Helping Leaders Lead From Self-Trust, Presence, and Truth