I love taking classes and learning new things, so I enrolled in a leadership program to build and hone my leadership skills. I was being given more responsibility at work, leading a project team and being sought after to work on other projects. I wanted to do my best not to let the big boss down in his expectations but the training budget wouldn’t allow for me to take any 'good' training, so I borrowed money from my 401K because as I’ve learned, if I don’t think I’m worth it to invest in myself, no one else will either. This program was the absolute, hands down, hardest training program I have EVER experienced. It was also the most profound and developmental for me and I came out of it with a new outlook on not only my professional career but all apects of my life.
Along with my program classmates, we renovated a rooftop play area for a Brooklyn women’s shelter in ten (10) days. We killed ourselves raising money, buying construction materials, coordinating non-monetary donation pick-ups, getting volunteers, etc. We were like zombies and even had a few arguments amongst ourselves. At the end, what I came to understand was this:
Being a leader is simply taking a stand for what you believe in and clearing obstacles from your path so that you can reach your goals. Others will follow you if you’re doing what they themselves want to do. You get to be a leader of your own life before you can lead anyone else anyway.
Indeed~
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