It All Begins With You
Lead Yourself First! Take Care. Take Responsibility. Take Action.
Image by Matthew Brodeur from Unsplash
One point is clear - who we are, who we will be, where we’ll go, and how we get there are all determined by our daily decisions and habits.
Leadership begins with Self-Leadership, and Self-Leadership is about choices, caring, examining what is, taking responsibility, and taking action. Leading ourselves sounds like a tall order, and yet we lead ourselves all day, every day.
We lead lives and live stories. The question is, are we living stories that align with who and what we aspire to be? Whether we choose to be positive participants in our lives, or passive spectators, we shape and lead our lives daily.
Accepting responsibility for ourselves, owning our choices, and cultivating personal agency are key to leadership and self-leadership. Attitude, mindset, and actions shape our experiences, our relationships, our personal and career pursuits, and the ways we serve others.
Every person is an amazing combination of strengths, experiences, insights, power and potential. We can build belief in ourselves (self-efficacy) and take control and regular positive action (personal agency) by working in four particular areas:
Become Self-Aware.
Great leaders are self-aware. Recognition of our values, priorities, and how others experience us is key to leading ourselves . Research shows that self-aware people are more empathetic, impactful, and are regarded as having more broad, warm, and inclusive perspectives.
Take Full Responsibility.
When all is said and done, the place where we all must begin is with ourselves. Owning our words, choices, behavior, our use of time, and the company we keep changes attitude, mindset, the landscape, and everything in it.
Focus on What Works, What’s Good, What Matters.
Where focus goes energy flows. Take note of where your attention lies and how you frame things. What specifically should we do? Stop complaining. Leave blame and past slights behind. Move forward with gratitude and focus on what you have and can do.
Prioritize Consistency.
People seek what is dependable and consistent. They want consistent work, good health, reviews, experiences, and they like things to be in place where and when expected. At the same time, few people behave with on-the-money consistency when it comes to exercise, paperwork, quality sleep, etc.. Make it a maxim to consistently do what is to be done when it’s time.
In summary, shaping our present and our future is about choices, responsibility, and our sense of efficacy, agency, and leadership. Leadership is a choice to positively and consistently manage ourselves as we look out for those to the left, to the right, ahead, and behind. Focus on self-awareness, personal responsibility, what’s good, and consistently taking action to lead your life, to live your story, and to positively shape your future.