Finding your edge

What is it to have 'edge'?

I want you to join me in an inquiry into 'edge'.

The word 'edge' comes in many forms. My ruler has an 'edge' on it, so does my lawn. Businesses might be described as having an 'edge' over their competitors. We talk about the fact that one candidate might 'edge out' another one at a recruitment interview. I can be 'on edge' when my football team is hanging on to a 1-0 lead with three minutes to go. In all these cases I think I know what the word 'edge' means. But what does it mean when someone asks you what is your edge? That definition is far less clear.

This is because the concept of edge at the personal and psychological level is far more than just something which gives you an advantage. It's more elusive than that. True enough, if I 'have an edge over you' then I have something that allows me to be compared favourably to you, but this is totally different from actually acting with 'edge'.

Let me try to explain.

When I am at my best, I act with edge. I feel it, others see and feel it, they respond to it and receive energy from it. It is a moment in time when my impact is being felt. But defining exactly what it is that constitutes edge in this sense is not easy. This beast is not easy to capture for taxonomic assessment. All that I can offer is my own sense of that moment.

For me, my edge is displayed in that moment when my heart steps up a gear and my eyes tighten. It's that rising feeling inside me when I am pursuing energy in the moment. It's about the way that time seems irrelevant when my energies are in the zone. It's how external distractions fade into nothingness amid the focus of the experience. It's about the power in my voice when I engage with intent. It's about the way my face changes when I step into my own space with gravitas. It's about the sense of fulfilment, desire and challenge that I create in the person I am working with. It's about the way I become aware of, and manage, my 'darker side', allowing it to push me that little bit further into the world outside of my comfort zone. It's about being scared about where this moment might take me. It's about capturing in a split second in my heart what needs to be done, and doing it.

This is my edge, and even though I don't fully understand it, or have control over how and when to 'turn it on',  I do know is that it's mine, and it's special.

But my edge is not your edge. You'll have to get your own. In fact, you undoubtedly already have one, but you just may not have realised it yet. Others who are close to you at work or at home might be able to help you identify when your own edge is coming into play. They might be able to point it out to you. Over the next few weeks I'll be musing regularly about my inquiries into edge, how edge links to concepts such as 'mojo', personal power and intuition. In the meantime consider your own edge. You might know where it is, but if you don't know where to find your it, don't worry, I think I know where you might look....simply try stepping into that space currently occupied by your fears. It will soon hunt you down.

Find your edge.

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