The Lifelong Learner
:: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::
The Lifelong Learner
:: Do what you can, with what you have, where you are -Roosevelt ::
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No group is without a leader, no matter how small the group. If the leader isn’t you, it will be someone else, so why not be a driver instead of a passenger?
–Pat Williams
in How to Motivate Kids to Lead (p. 250) |
I find this quote really inspiring. One that calls to action. Leadership situations, whether we are aware of them or not, are presented to us in a lot of ways. And more likely than not, we’ve either taken the challenge or passed on it.
Look around. Look around in your workplace. Look around in the clubs you belong (Toastmasters is a great example). You are either a leader in the group or you follow some other leader.
Situations to lead are presented to us in small (sometimes hidden) ways. How we act in these situations can tell you whether you’re interested in being a leader or not. There are a lot of ways we can step up, raise our voice, change the direction of the group. It happens all the time. These are leadership tasks! These build up a leader. This is how we can expose our leadership qualities.
What do you do in these situations? Do you hide or do you look for ways to take action?
It’s really a choice of whether you want to lead or you want to be lead.
Leadership is not just having a title to lead. Sometimes people with a title don’t know how to lead. And like I said, leadership opportunities present themself throughout our lives. Be conciuos of the fact. And remember: If you don’t step up, somebody else will. Start small. Take action. Lead!
While reading The Takeaway by Pat and Karyn Williams, I came across a really good summary of what leadership is all about. I think these 7 ingredients are essential in an effective leader.
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Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
–Theodore Roosevelt
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Don’t complain. Just do it. Be happy with what you have. We all have our own talents. Let’s use them to the fullest potential. My advice: find your talents, and utilize them to the fullest potential.
Each one of us is unique. We all have our own talents. You might be second guessing yourself. Don’t. You might be bad in some things, but great with others. I know that’s how I am. And I don’t really care.
Sure, my wife would like me to be somebody else. I would love to be like somebody else sometimes. But I am not. I am who I am. I accept that and I’m happy with it. I spend time on things I like to do.
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Maybe the most any of us can expect of ourselves isn’t perfection but progress.
–Michelle Burford
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I love this quote. Too many times we focus on the end result. Too many times we think we are a failure because we’re not like somebody else. Too many times we stop because we have not achieved our goal. Instead, if we focus on progress and perseverance, I think we’d move ahead further.
Am I making progress? Am I better today than I was 6 months ago? If yes, then you are on a right track! Keep going!
One great example for this is Toastmasters. I attend meetings because I want to improve my communication skills. It’s a long term process. Sure, I would love to have the skills of somebody else that I admire. But that’s not the point. I have my own talents and skills, and the most important question for me is, am I making progress. It’s really a great feeling to see progress. Yes, I’d love to have excellent eye contact, vocal variety, body movement and other skills. But I am happy to see improvement in these areas. I am happy to see results from the changes that I try. And that’s what keeps me going. I don’t get discouraged.
Focus on making progress and you’ll reach excellence.
Reference
Speak and Lead Toastmasters — the club I belong to (currently serving as President)
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I care not so much what I am to others as what I am to myself.
–Michel de Montaigne
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The bottom line: be yourself. A lot of times we don’t do something because we are afraid of what somebody else will think. It happens to me a lot. Stop, I don’t do something because of what somebody else “might think?!” Time to put a stop to that! There is something seriously wrong with that. I read a great quote that has been on my mind: “It’s none of your business of what somebody else thinks of you.” It’s much more important to do something that you think is right for you, without concerning yourself about others’ thoughts.
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You’ve got to be original, because if you’re like someone else, what do they need you for?
–Bernadette Peters
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When looking for a house, one of the most important things for me is how good the schools are. It’s not the easiest task trying to find that data. I did come across a very good website that just a very good job. It gives you a quick view on how the school district is performing.
In the August issue of the Money magazine, they list 100 Best Places to Live. This year, the focus is on small towns with population of 8,500 to 50,000.
On a related note, here’s a list from July’s Kiplinger’s.
Leo Babauta is the master behind Zen Habits, a movement (blog, books, and more) towards becoming a more productive person. He offers great advice. I recently read a very good book from him, The Power of Less, and have been a subscriber of his blog. Today, he has a blog entry that has links to 20 Classic Zen Habits Posts. Some very good articles.
ReferenceThe Power of Less, my recommended book20 Classic Zen Habits Posts – blog posts at Zen Habits
While looking at the top-rated articles on Hacker News, I came across a very good, inspiring article: Ten Things I Have Learned by Milton Glaser. I don’t know Mr. Glaser, but these are really good.
Reference
TenThings I Have Learned, Milton Glaser
