Leaders get messy, uncomfortable and act!

As I boarded the plane back home, tears rolled down my cheeks. Tears of joy and sadness, exhilaration and frustration, satisfaction and disappointment. 

When I decided to enrol in a leadership program that would stretch me, challenge my beliefs, and transform how I looked at the world, I had no idea what I was in for. 

(Small yet important side note. Leadership growth is the same as personal growth. They are one and the same. We are all leaders - each of us responsible for our world. If you think that leadership is not applicable to you because you’re not a leader at work, you’re wrong. The only difference is how and where you apply these skills. If you’re alive. You’re a leader, period.) 

Now back to my main point. 

Sometimes we think that growth should be easy. If it’s not, it means something is wrong with us. Something needs fixing. “Why is this so hard?” “Why don’t I have this figured out yet?”. 

These are questions I’ve asked myself. 

The reality is that growth is not easy. It’s messy and uncomfortable. 

Easy is continuing to tell yourself the same stories. Easy is continuing to do the same things you’ve always done. Easy is not changing, blaming others and making excuses for the life you’ve created. 

Growth takes effort. Brings moments of absolute joy and happiness and deep moments of sadness and frustration. 

It involves screwing up, making a mess and staying long enough to clean it up. 

It includes failure, after failure...after failure, and finding the courage to get up again and try one more time. 

If you think you have it all figured it out, you don’t. You’ve simply made a decision to stay where you are. That’s fine. It’s your choice. 

However...and this is a big HOWEVER...stop complaining about life, work or the world. 

You see, you lose that right when you decide that you won’t take responsibility and do something. When you stop trying to make a change. When you refuse to ask yourself, “what needs to happen here and how can I help?” 

Leadership is simple. 

Take responsibility. Do something. Notice the impact. Try again. 

Live this in all aspects of your life – career, relationships, health, finances, etc. - because the world, my friend, needs your leadership.