Personal leadership is the ability to obtain maximum joy from life, whatever meaning that expression may have for you. It is kowing what you want to do and having the confidence to do it. It is the realization that the essence of life is found as much in the giving as in the getting. Each person has a private world to conquer and a unique contribution to make. You are given a blank canvas, and all the color of the spectrum are on your palette. You can create masterpieces comparable to those of Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and DaVinci; or you can merely splash the canvas with the dull gray of mediocrity. You conduct life’s symphony. You can allow the tempo to drag and keep the volume low and unobtrusive, or you can revel in all the variations of tone, tempo, and harmony that bring vibrant
excitement to life. Personal leadership is certainly within your reach if you learn to use more of your potential. The exercise of personal leadership brings to your life the rewards you most desire:
- The freedom to choose your own path to success,
- The confidence that you are following a life plan that is right for you,
- The elimination of confusion and frustration that come from trying to please others when that means denying your own goals, and
- The challenge and excitement of developing all of your potential.
You live in a rich and abundant world that provides more opportunities than you could possibly pursue. You were created to be a striver and a goal seeker — to be forever unsatisfied. Not content merely to grow, to live, and to reproduce, you must find purpose to life. When working toward goals and ideals, you are unsatisfied but not dissatisfied. The poet Robert Browning understood this distinction when he wrote, “Ah, but a man’s reach should exceed his grasp, else what’s a heaven for?” Along with the desire to achieve goals and to find purpose and meaning in life, you were given the means for reaching your goals. You are equipped with a vital reserve — an untapped potential — equal to your needs. Recognizing your untapped potential is the first step to preparation for personal leadership.
The scientists who study human behavior agree that few people ever use more than a small portion of their potential. We all have infinitely more talents and abilities than we ever use. Because your potential is virtually unlimited, success must be defined in terms that allow for stretching your limits to reach new heights. Here is a definition of success that is broad enough to include all of your dreams yet specific enough to produce belief:
Success is the progressive realization of worthwhile predetermined personal goals.
Excerpt taken from LMI Journal, October 2011
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