Thousands if not millions or more people in all aspects of life have attempted to define what a leader is and what leadership means, but I'm afraid that there isn't only one of them that is right or all but one that are wrong; in fact, most of the may be right. Leadership is one of those philosophical concepts like truth or reality that seem simple, but after even twenty-five minutes of discussion leave you with a headache because you realize how relative they can be and that each person must define the term for themselves based on the context of their own life.
The term leadership and I have had a long, involved history, especially in the past four years. A leader is something that everyone wants you to be, but they hardly ever tell you who you are leading or where your leading them to and of course how you're going to do such a thing. What I have started to realize is that ultimately, no matter if I'm leading in a spiritual or secular arena, I should always be following the perfect leader, Jesus Christ, and therefore lead others to him as well. Still, that seems like a pretty lofty goal. John Quincy Adams said, "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader." Right now though, I don't feel like what I need to be doing is trying to inspire others. I don't need to be seeking to hide or seeking to lead like President Uchtdorf warns against in his general conference talk, but seeking to be the kind of person who my Heavenly Father can use to accomplish His own goals.
I am looking for inspiration; I am trying to find what will make me "Dream more, learn more, do more and become more." That is what this semester I hope to do, to open my heart and let Heavenly Father in and to be guided by the Spirit to know who needs my help and what role leadership is supposed to play in my life. I hope to become a leader amongst my friends, roommates, ward family, and community through service and sharing Christ's love.
You're post was very refreshing to read. You can tell that you are ready to grow as a leader and as a student here at BYU. That is one of my favorite parts about this campus is that because of the unique environment, I was able to grow in ways i would never had expected but am so happy in who I am becoming! So i am excited to hear your thoughts and experiences.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to encourage you to be more specfic with your leadership role but I have this feeling that you are going to fall into something that is going to work just for you. So for now I am going to let you explore your leadership role and watch how it turns out. Of course if you're TA wants you to be more specific it will be up to her but for how I have a good feeling to what's coming up for you. Keep us posted.