Are You a Leader in Your Life?

I just returned from spending two weeks traveling with two friends in Ireland. We’ve known each other for over a decade but never traveled together. We went to celebrate our birthdays and to scout out the area to lead a women’s only empowerment retreat.

I love these two people. They love me.

All three of us are highly trained coaches. We even had a phone call prior to leaving to talk about our expectations, how we liked to travel, etc., In short, we did everything we could to have a great time, and we did!

But traveling together can be challenging no matter how much planning you put into it, how much you like each other or how well trained you are (duh!). I learned a lot about myself and how to be a leader in my own life.  

I learned how to take care of my own needs. I got sick while on the trip and instead of becoming a martyr or a victim, I chose to take care of myself and stay home a few nights. I also let my friends take care of me – something Ms. Independent doesn’t always do well.

I developed new ways of communicating so I could say what I wanted. I wasn’t always the most eloquent but I developed some new muscle and my friends were full of compassion and grace and helped me along the way.

Here are some questions for you to ponder:

• Where are you already leading in your own life?

• Where have you been avoiding taking ownership of your needs or goals?

• What do you need to learn about yourself to leap forward in your life?

• Where are you doing what’s convenient, rather than committing to yourself?

• Where are you wasting time, not getting started on what really matters?

I’d love to hear what you see for yourself in answering these questions.