The People We Are Becoming

At some point in our lives we developed a misconception that great leaders were born to be great leaders, they weren‘t made into great leaders. Perhaps it was a part of their genetic makeup. These individuals sprung from certain X and Y chromosomes, and as a result they naturally progressed into who they are today.

Leaders are not born to be leaders. Leaders are made into leaders.

There is a significant reason why there are many statues and monuments of Abraham Lincoln throughout this country and others. Yes, Abraham was an amazing president. He was aware of his own weakness, he controlled his emotions, he shared credit for his success and he shared blame for failure, but before he was given the opportunity to walk in those shoes, he was nothing  more than a meek young man that had an intellectual curiosity about society. His desire in life was to have more than that of a farm job for a tall, lanky, strong man. To tackle his aspiration he quietly studied, and eagerly became an artist and master with words.  Lincoln who said that “ I was born, and have ever remained in the most humble walks of life, I have no wealth or popular  relations,’ every man is said to have a peculiar ambition” Lincoln’s was none other than being truly esteemed of fellow men, by rendering his self worth of their esteem.  This ambition, this determination, would allow Lincoln to become the leader he was destined to become.

Leadership is not only the act of leading others; leadership is also the desire of leading oneself. We all have the ability to become individual leaders, but it takes one single step. One single step every single day that will one day turn into two steps, eventually putting us just one single step closer to our destination.

1. Have respect for yourself as well as respect for others.  It is very important for us to have a sense of dignity. We must be gracefully in our way of living. It is also very important to understand that respect should not be freely given. It is an area that must be earned. However if we learn how to have dignity more than likely we will attract dignified circumstances.
2. Be Humble. Humility plays a vital role for leaders.  It’s removing all of the personal gains from the position of leadership. Far too often we believe the job description as a leader reads – Now hiring pushy and aggressive leaders to wear the title I AM THE BOSS. Respected leaders are most likely the individuals that are leading without a title. These individuals are spending countless time in helping to accomplish the needs of others.
3. Passion- As a leader we must have passion.  Passion is a self generated tool. We can ignite our own passion, and as an individual leader with passion we can also help to ignite others. Wake up every day excited. Whether we are excited about school, or work, it is vital that we have passion. Passion is contagious. The passion that we have within us is fuel. It’s the burning desire to say let’s march, let’s go after what we want.

 To succeed you must be a leader, if only a leader of one person: you.