It's in the Leans
An inkling to tickle your thoughts and your words
With just over two months left in this leap year, do you find you’re charging ahead to complete a leap? Or perhaps coasting to an easy finish line?
When this week’s word floated into my personal zeitgeist it got me thinking about the power of the lean when it comes to leaping.
In looking back and thinking about my life’s big moves that were tantamount to leaps, it was often a series of leans, leaning into the momentum of the next thing that led to the leap. They didn’t feel like leaps at the time.
The leans make for smoother leaps.
As always, I would love to hear your thoughts.
A Quick Word - Words have power. Use them well.
This week's word: Lean
In a lovely CBS Sunday Morning profile, Shirley MacClaine spoke about her life, captured in her new memoir, "The Wall of Life," a photographic account of the Academy Award winner's remarkable journey from Broadway to Hollywood and beyond.
She spoke of her breakthrough role when she was cast as the understudy for the lead in the original Broadway production of “The Pajama Game,” when the star Carol Haney injured her ankle moments before curtain. Shirley was on, without a rehearsal. She said she leaned into it from her months of preparation. It was her big break as Alfred Hitchcock came calling next.
It got me thinking about and paying closer attention to leanings.
Lean. What a reliable word.
It's a verb meaning "to incline in opinion, taste, or desire." Or “bend from a vertical position.” Or, “to cast one's weight to one side for support.” Or, “to rely for support or inspiration.” Or, “to persevere despite risk or difficulty.”
As an adjective, it is “characterized by economy (as of style, expression, or operation).”
Angle. Heel. Incline. List. Pitch. Slant. Slope. Tilt. Tip. Upgrade.
“To listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear.”— Mark Nepo
It’s a lean forward.
A lean into a decision, a conversation, a step outside the comfort zone, a new relationship.
A kiss.
"We hold ourselves back in ways both big and small, by lacking self confidence, by not raising our hands, and by pulling back when we should be leaning in.”— Sheryl Sandberg
It’s leaning away and trusting it when something doesn’t feel right.
It’s pausing in the lean.
When leaning away, It’s good to take notice if it’s because of something that isn’t in alignment, or if it’s something you’re afraid of, an expansion, something bigger than yourself.
A lean that leads to a leap.
Is leaning away keeping you small?
“In solitude the mind gains strength and learns to lean on itself."— Laurence Sterne
“Lean Thinking” is a practice of keeping things lean and streamlined. In business, Lean is defined as a “set of management practices to improve efficiency and effectiveness by eliminating waste.” And, “creating value with fewer resources.”
“Lean is a way of thinking not a list of things to do."— Shigeo Shingo
It’s also leaning back to rest. Breathe. Lean into your body.
Leaning on someone’s shoulder and offering the same in return.
It’s in the leans.
Take a few moments this week to notice your leans.
Journal Prompt
Prompt: Where do you lean in? How do you stop yourself from following the lean? Describe what might happen if you followed the lean.
Want to go deeper into your life? Consider embarking on a journaling quest:
The Art of Journaling to Transform Your Life & Live Your Purpose
A Quick Share
Here are a few more things worth sharing this week:
A quote I’m pondering this week: From Beth Kempton’s “Kokoro: Japanese Wisdom for Life Well Lived”: “To navigate any major life transition, including midlife, is to navigate grief.” Whew. There’s a lot to unpack in this powerful punch of truth.
I’ve been playing with Flash Fiction. I’ll publish some here at some point. I recommend The Art of Flash Fiction here on Substack by Kathy Fish. This is one enlightening discussion, breaking down a piece of flash with its author:
Here’s the tightly written piece they discuss: “A Three Hour Tour” by Didi Wood
A creative journey starts with one step.
What do you want to create?
Perhaps a Creative Jam Session is the key to opening the portal to your highest imagination.
Now's the time for your Projects, Passion, and Purpose™! Book a year of creativity with me and you'll be amazed at what you accomplish.
2025 can be the year you create your biggest passions. I can help.
You can also bring me on as a writer. Need help with a story, treatment, screenplay, bio, website, outline, newsletter, or profile? I’m your ghost. :)
Email me to chat about it. cindy@cindyyantis.com.
I hope you have a great week filled with meaningful leanings. And, kindness.
Keep creating, abundantly,
Thank you, Cindy, for your thought provoking writings. They do have me stop and ponder. They help me take a step or maybe even a leap in a new direction. ❤️
Love your writing.....and this lean and leaps essay really resonated with me Thanks for Sharing your gifts.....Linda Glover