“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.”
John Quincy Adams
Leadership in life is defined in so many different ways by different people that depending on the definition, it may or may not seem to be something you or I would want to aspire to. To me though, leadership involves positively influencing and giving back to others through guidance, commitment, and inspiration. Thus, in my mind, if we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others then we are leaders.
Using this definition, each of us is given responsibilities in life where we are designated to be leaders. Whether we are parents, grandparents, supervisors, community or volunteer leaders or helpers, or even simply a friend or member of a family, we all have leadership responsibilities, because we all have influence on others. Though many may deny this idea, these leadership responsibilities are real, and they can provide some of the most satisfying opportunities and experiences in our lives if we embrace them. Thus, striving to be a great leader or influencer is important for everyone.
I like to refer to this idea as our personal Ministry of Leadership for our life. Since we impact others lives, I see our work, family, civil, and friendship responsibilities as a calling or a ministry of leadership. Perhaps for some people in our lives, there is no one else in the world that influences them more than you. Think about it.
I strongly believe we can and should view ourselves as leaders in all our roles in life, and we should take responsibility for how we impact those who surround us. During each interaction, we can perform a service to others through our actions if we choose to do so. By trying to uplift, encourage, and help others succeed in whatever they are pursuing, we can and will have a profound positive effect on the overall well-being of others. We can strive daily to create positive environments—thus fulfilling our leadership responsibilities in life. By believing we are a leader we realize our actions can become nothing short of a wonderful blessing in our life as well as the lives of others.
Each of us is a leader since we have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others. Developing our leadership skills and trying to positively influence and help others in our lives is our personal ministry of leadership. I often hear people complain there aren’t enough good leaders in the world, but to me, the real shame isn’t that there aren’t enough leaders out there, but that so many of us fail to realize we are a leader. What kind of leader will you be today?!