Flying solo and loneliness are two very different concepts. There are some of us who are surrounded by people and yet can feel incredibly lonely. There are some of us who can be alone yet feel deeply connected to the world around us. Flying solo in business definitely does not exclude collaboration, negotiation or delegating activities to others.
Today was an all day photoshoot at the Dragon Papillon Photography studio, with a complete production team in full swing to create a series of images for a new business with a new business concept. It was a day filled with the constant ebb and flow of creating space, holding space, clearing space and filling space - a reflection of how energy flows in the broader context of life, a fluid negotiation of setting, flexing and relinquishing boundaries in order to create a mutually acceptable result for all parties.
While flying solo you become adept at tapping into your own resources and fully cognisant of your limitations. A sense of responsibility for and control over your personal territory strengthens. There is a fine line between exercising these drivers in a context of inclusion, inviting others to enter and be in our space; and becoming dogmatically single-minded, inadvertently excluding others and setting up rigid boundaries. Exhibiting strong characteristics of personal responsibility and exercising self control can be easily misunderstood by those around us. We may appear to have it all together and do not need support. We may be envied for our perceived "freedom to do whatever we want, whenever we want". Our confident actions may be misconstrued as an uncompromising "my way or the highway" approach to life.
It is true that when flying solo we can fall into the trap of believing and acting out the myths of independence. However, in the famous words of the poet John Donne, "no man is an island". No matter how much we exercise our capacity for independent thought and decision making, to find satisfaction in living a life, flying solo we must appreciate our eternal dependence on others; and universal connection with all things. Our freedom flows from connection with others and respect for the spaces of others to exercise their personal power; and in doing so we have to mould ourselves to the flow while maintaining a clear sense of our personal power and individuality. If you truly believe in creating your own space to nurture your own essence, then you have to actively work on identifying with others and clearing space so they too can fly solo. To do so it is necessary to face each moment with an open and flexible mind; and to each moment with generosity, compassion, beneficial action and empathy.
Flying Solo Tip 016365 : It is essential that the space you create to fly solo is constantly, intimately and intrinsically shared with others.