Learning From Those Who Love You

Can anyone resonate with the idea that leadership has been ingrained in them for as long as they remember? That you seem like you have always had the ability and the tools necessary to lead but sometimes you don’t? I completely fall into this category.

Growing up, certain things always came easy to me. I’m not sure if it was my reckless abandon or ADHD (or both) but I seemed pretty apt to be “the first” at things. I was the first to do the monkey bars, first to get 30 stitches in my left knee and first to realize not all girls had cooties (and all before pre-school was over). But just because I was THAT kid, it did not make me a leader.

All The Rights Can Still Be Wrong

My life has always seemed like a natural progression but there was never a huge pivotal moment. In junior high I was a big part of my youth group. I was always the first to pray, first to sign up for a trip, played in the church band.. etc. I was even 8th grade class president. Was I a leader at this point? Definitely not. I think I was the only class president to get multiple suspensions for having bad grades, so much so the vice-president spoke at graduation in my place.

I think there are so many people out there that were just like me. You knew the right things to say to step into leadership and have the right skill set to lead people but you flounder. It took me a long time to realize the impact that I could actually have.

Learning From Those Who Love You

My dad has always been the best example of a leader. The moment I realized he was right about 98% of things, was the moment my life began to change. I had been caught up in a lot that I shouldn’t have and suddenly I began to understand the potential I had all along and began serving at church again. Most of my bad decisions came from feeling entitled to learn the hard way. The moment you decide to learn from the people who love you is the moment your life will never be the same. For me that was the moment I finally embraced my leadership. I look back now (5 years later) and see the incredible difference that has made.

Side note: how I found out I wasn’t speaking at graduation was Principal Molinar called me into his office 2 weeks before Graduation and said “Due to several shenanigans, we don’t think you should speak at Graduation”. The word shenanigans will never be the same to me.