When you think of a leader, who comes to mind?

Why that person?

What about you?

Do you think of yourself as a leader?

If you said yes, then good for you. You’re ahead of the game.

The majority of people don’t realize that they are leaders and lead the most important person in their life, themself. However, it’s not their fault in most cases that they don’t realize that they’re a leader because they’ve never been taught or told that they are leaders.

Society and the education system begin to teach individuals at a very young age to be subservient, first to parents, then teachers, and ultimately employers. So, people spend their entire lives in the habit of thinking that an appeal to authority must solve every problem. And slowly, over time, they abdicate their agency over themselves into the hands of others, the ones they consider to be leaders.

It’s no wonder that so many young adults struggle to find their footing when they head out into the ‘real world’ for the first time. They’ve been conditioned to look to others for leadership.

So why am I telling you this?

Because the sooner you realize that you’re the most important leader you’ll ever interact with, the better off you’ll be. Notice I didn’t say the better your life will be. I can’t predict that, and neither can anyone else.

Owning the title of leader for your own life puts a huge amount of responsibility on your shoulders, but it also provides you with a high level of intestinal fortitude, also known as guts or grit. When you begin to believe that you’re the one responsible for your life, you stop looking to others to lead you and begin to take back ownership of your own life.

Before I go on, let me be clear. You don’t have to think of yourself as a leader and can make it through life just fine by following others. But if you decide to do so, then keep in mind that you’ll always be blaming and praising others for the ups and downs you encounter during your lifetime.

So, the next time you’re thinking about or looking for a leader to follow, stop for a moment and look inside yourself. While there are plenty of people in the world to admire, imitate, and learn from, maybe, just maybe, the leader you should be following is you?

P.S. Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed it, please share it with one person you love.