Reflections after seeing Lin Manuel Miranda and Luis Miranda

In the midst of fasting for Yom Kippur over the weekend, my stomach grumbling from not having had food and water for nearly twenty hours, a smile eclipsed my face and I cackled with delight. Lin Manuel Miranda and Luis Miranda had just jaunted onto the bimah (the stage inside of a Jewish house of worship) and were lovingly poking fun at each other.

It’s not everyday you get to see a Broadway sensation and their powerhouse dad speak. Luis reflected on challenging leadership moments and how he uses his values to align his actions to his moral compass.

He shared how for the past forty years in the morning, he brings a cup of coffee to his wife in bed and together they share about their day and how they want to live their values. 

After a brief “awwww” I heard a personal “awww-ha”

• I have a strong inclination towards prep work when I’m leading a group or teaching and thinking of how I show up. (Aligning towards my values)

• I have a strong inclination towards intention setting during my morning meditation practice to start the day anew. (Aligning towards my values)

• I have a strong inclination towards debriefing my day by journaling and holding gratitude for what transpired.  (Aligning towards my values)

• … And I have a strong inclination towards writing out a to-do list and checking off the boxes. (Getting stuff done many times without embodying how I truly want to show up )

I loved how Luis shared this beautiful ritual to orient himself to his values at the start of the day. 

It was less about checking the boxes. It was more about orienting the inner compass to the day ahead.

What Luis shared got me thinking… perhaps there is another way to embrace my to-do list and my morning rituals. My morning meditation and my to-do lists are all tools to keep me on track. But what if they can be a hybrid? A hybrid of both the practical and the heart?

To envision mapping my values onto the day AND at the end of the day reflect if I was in cadence with my values.

I’m starting to try this all out and feeling energized by it (which is a way to embrace my value of creativity).

I’m curious, what sort of rituals or practices do you use in your life to help you align or realign to your values? 

I’d love to know! Drop me a line at [email protected]

Wheels up, 

Ellen