When I was growing up, I never really had any clout. Being the youngest child by many years in my extended family meant that my older sibling and cousins had always seen, done and experienced so much more than I ever had.

Having relatives that were so much older than me meant that I was used to solitude and the fact that I also wore very thick glasses that magnified my eyes made it a little awkward to socialise with me.

I kind of hung on to my older brother’s coat tails in terms of establishing my own chutzpah. Being 9 years older than me meant that he was sometimes responsible for picking me up and dropping me off to school, and when he got his driver’s license, my street cred increased exponentially.

This was back in the day when living in suburbia meant that a ‘spoiler’ was very different to reading ahead on the next episode of your favorite sitcom. Nobody batted an eyelid when the family’s kermit green falcon was spiffed up with some mag wheels, a spoiler and a stereo that often cost more than the car itself.

This is possibly why my love of chanting kundalini yoga mantras is so embedded in me. School kids would converge around said falcon whilst simultaneously clapping and crying, “Spin it! Spin It! Spin It!” 

My older brother would oblige and promptly reward their efforts by matching the revs to the chants before ultimately ‘spinning’ the car into a donut shape and then careening off. It was the early 80’s, also the time before 40km school zones were strategically put in place.

As a result, my awkward bespectacled existence was thrust into the more popular zone because I had such a cool older brother.  These days I try to use my own personal clout, and truth be told, I only really ever get 2 opportunities to do so.

One is when I’m the celebrant booked for a wedding and I get the only parking space available near the venue.  If I have to lug my PA system over very rocky terrain, then I ‘recruit’ some handsome helpful groomsmen to help me carry it to and from the venue. It’s one of the fun perks that compensate me while I work on weekends.

The second opportunity is when there is a ridiculously long line for the toilet and I’m just about to teach a yoga class. Having being blessed with a very small bladder means I’m unable to hold it for the next hour, so I use my clout as a teacher to push to the front of the line.

I KNOW WHAT YOU’RE THINKING – I’VE REALLY MOVED UP IN THE CLOUT WORLD..

But with clout comes responsibility and awareness. And you know what else? Gratitude and graciousness. Yep, it’s all part of our never-ending healing process. Gratitude for what you have and where you’re at in life, and graciousness in helping someone that’s having a tough moment.

Things like letting someone that’s looking stressed and hurried order their coffee before you in the line, or see the bank teller before you, or inch their 4 wheel drive into the traffic before your car.

If we exercise our kindness muscle when things are going well for us, doesn’t that just increase the love and happiness in the world? In the words of Lao Tzu Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.

Do you have some serious clout that some of us can also latch onto? Share the street cred and the love so the rest of us can also benefit!