Want to Become a Leader? You Have to Spread Your Wings and Fly

Written by Lady T

Some people are natural-born leaders while others are natural-born followers. Some people may feel insulted to be called a "follower," but why is it a bad thing? In any situation with multiple people involved who have one common goal, the chances of succeeding may not be great unless one person stands out and takes the lead; otherwise if everyone independently tries conquering the task on his own, the group, as a whole, would likely devolve into confusion, disagreement and infighting. In that scenario, if there is only one leader, everyone else would be followers, yet the task could not be accomplished without a concerted effort from everyone.

What if you've always wanted to be a leader and have been too shy or insecure to do it? Maybe you're afraid that people will think what you have to say is wrong, silly, stupid or unimportant. Maybe you're insecure about the way you look and don't want to draw people's attention to you. If this is your situation, ask yourself this question: Do you think just because someone is a "leader" means he's not shy or insecure, or he doesn't feel awkward and uncomfortable?

Always keep in mind that people are human and most have certain human tendencies, particularly related to emotions. For example, if it were announced that someone died, many people would feel sadness. If people were driving across a bridge that suddenly collapsed, many would be fearful, distraught and some hysterical, but is it likely anyone would be happy? If people saw someone fall down and scream in pain, many would feel empathy and try to help. In any given situation, many people may have the same emotional reaction, but each may process it in a different way and to a different extent.

The bottom line is it's not necessarily what happens to you, but how you process and handle it. If two people experience the identical circumstance, one may push through and keep going and the other may shut down and become immobilized. Being a leader means mastering the art of dealing with any circumstance and pushing through regardless of any negative influences. It's a mindset of training yourself that in times of uncertainty, you will have a positive outcome versus a negative one. Your mind believes what you feed it.

Being a leader means stepping out of complacency and out of your norms. It means daring to try things you've never done before and sometimes forging a path for other people to follow. It means spreading your wings and letting life take you where it will and having confidence that you'll land safely. Being a leader means believing you can fly.