Have you ever taken one of those personality tests to see if you were a leader or a follower? Were you excited to see you had leadership qualities? Or perhaps disappointed to find you were considered a follower? Society seems to praise leaders while disregarding the qualities of followers.
I find both qualities admirable! Perhaps you are more of a leader than a follower, or perhaps you are more of a follower than a leader; however, I suspect each trait is in you. I admire people who lead by example and are living the lives they LOVE. I equally admire people who follow their dreams and live them.
You can lead by encouraging those around you to be their best, praise them for effort and talent, and help in their growth. Or, you can lead by intimidation, point out their errors, complain, blame, or shame them into submission. You can follow people that you admire, believe in, and agree with their values. Or, you can follow someone with blind trust and be led down a path they choose for you.
While I consciously choose to lead my life with LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace as my guide, fear can show up and try to get my attention. I also consciously choose to follow people who are aligned with values of LOVE, kindness, compassion, and peace. I am not perfect at it, nor are they, as we are all human. When I step into fear, I am gentle with myself and return to LOVE as quickly as possible. However, walking my talk and following people who walk their talk is essential in my world. And as I deepen my conviction on leading with LOVE, I lessen my time with those who are led more from fear than LOVE. Let me be clear, it doesn’t mean they are bad people, and it doesn’t mean I’m perfect at leading with LOVE all the time, but for me, if you lead with LOVE, you walk your talk…mistakes, and all.
Life is so very precious, and I encourage you to lead your life by example, with integrity and heart. By doing so, you will find life to be meaningful and LOVED. I encourage you to choose to follow your passion and your heart’s desires. By doing so, you will find life to be meaningful and LOVED.
Moving forward, I invite you to:
Lead by example – choose LOVE over fear, compassion over judgment, and joy over sadness.
Follow your heart by asking yourself, “what would LOVE say or what would LOVE do,” and say or do that.
Lead by empowering yourself and others to see each day filled with new possibilities to create your best life.
Follow those who inspire you and show you your greatness within.
Mostly, my wish for you is a week filled with the knowledge of whether you choose to lead or follow that you choose from a space of LOVE and make it the best week of your life.
Until next time, lead your life rather than life leading you.
Affirmation:
I choose to follow my heart and lead my life with LOVE.
Words to LOVE by:
“It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front, especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur. You take the front line when there is danger. Then people will appreciate your leadership.” ~ Nelson Mandela
“One secret of leadership is that the mind of a leader never turns off. Leaders, even when they are sightseers or spectators, are active, not passive observers.” ~ James C. Humes
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.” ~Mother Teresa
“Follow your dreams, believe in yourself, and don’t give up.” ~ Rachel Corrie
“I follow three rules: Do the right thing, do the best you can, and always show people you care.” ~ Lou Holtz
Sounds for YOUR Soul:
