Walk to the Edge of the Light You Can See: Trust, Letting Go, and Leading Yourself

“When you have come to the edge of the light you have and step into the darkness of the unknown, believe that one of two things will happen: either you’ll find something solid to stand on, or you will be taught how to fly” – (commonly attributed to Richard Bach; authorship debated).

Lately, I’ve been standing at the edge of my own light. Systems around us—work, politics, even social media—reward sameness and performance. I’ve played along. I dimmed my light so others stayed comfortable. I chased approval, checked metrics, and called it “strategy.” But depletion has a way of telling the truth. When I finally stopped performing and started trusting, I found a different center: presence over polish, integrity over image, and leadership that begins within.

Key Takeaways

1. Approval isn’t alignment
   I can rack up likes and still betray myself. Presence beats performance.

2. Control is a trust problem in disguise
   When I stop performing, my voice still matters—often more

3. Detox your inputs
   Deleting apps wasn’t about platforms; it was about my nervous system and attention.

4. Fulfillment doesn’t require blowing up your life
   Many clients find it in place by telling the truth and making aligned shifts.

5. Leadership is becoming
   Walking to the edge isn’t darkness—it’s shedding what no longer fits so you can lead from who you are.

Letting Go of Control (and Why It’s Actually About Trust)

I like control—there, I said it. But I finally saw the root: a lack of trust that my real voice would matter if I stopped performing. The experiment? Step back from performative metrics, speak from truth, and watch what remains. Alignment did. So did energy. So did impact.

Digital Detox as Leadership Practice

I’ve learnt that my power lies in the way I handle each moment. When confronted with a challenging situation—be it at work, with a friend, or during a moment of private grief—I can take a breath and remember that I decide how to respond. This small pause can spell the difference between reacting impulsively and acting with intention.

You Don’t Need a Dramatic Exit to Find Fulfillment

I blew up my career path; many of my clients didn’t. Both paths are valid. Fulfillment happens when you stop outsourcing worth and start making values-aligned choices—adjusting your role, your boundaries, or your agreements, one honest conversation at a time.

Walking to the Edge of the Light

The “edge” feels like darkness until you notice what’s actually happening: you’re shedding. Old identities fall away, and leadership becomes less about image and more about integrity. That’s not emptiness—that’s emergence.

Next Steps

If you’re ready to stop performing and start leading from your truth, begin with your tenets—clear, lived principles that make decisions easier and integrity non-negotiable. I invite you to explore my Leadership Tenets Workbook.

This guide will help you to define your non-negotiables, reset boundaries, and translate authenticity into daily leadership.

Then tell me: what changes when you choose presence over performance?