Where are the Leaders?
No, I’m not referring to political and religious leaders as very few of them can be described as such. I am referring to the thousands of individuals that are missing out on leading their life the way they really want to.
We are all individuals with our own boundaries, feelings, opinions, habits and we all form part of a society. We mix with other individuals at home, at universities, at work, at places of worship, at entertainment venues, because we need to and we have to. We take over different roles as a parent, a brother, a colleague, a manager, a believer, a musician, a volunteer and many other roles. We have different roles in our short lifespan on this planet. Nothing wrong with that but what bothers me is that I notice many individuals who simply follow blindfolded what society is asking them to do. They simply do things cause that is what is expected from them. Like living life on an autopilot where society logs in your destination and you simply flow along the currents that are mainly controlled by greed and consumerism. Constantly bombarded with marketing campaigns to tell us that wearing a specific pair of shoes will make us feel and look better. Buy this milk brand and you be stronger. Drive this car and you make a statement that you made it, you’ve climbed your Everest peak!
How many times did we get an invite of social media to Like or Share a statement that is supporting a good cause? We click on Like and we believe that we’ve done our duty as good citizens by a click of a button. Is this the current state of affairs as citizens? We even find it easy writing statements on social media condoning actions that are not to our liking. We get to know about some incident from a media house and we immediately come to conclusions without listening and assess all the facts. We resign to life as it is, as the media dictates to us. A dolphin, a bull and a cat live a life, but us, humans, can’t we do more than that?
In his book “Man’s Search for Meaning”, Viktor Frankl states “Life is not primarily a quest for pleasure, as Freud believed, or a quest for power, as Alfred Alder taught, but a quest for meaning”. This is exactly what most of us are missing, either intentionally or else we do not know any better cause we do what we do as that is the “norm”.
In my opinion, the three strong pillars that define a leader are: Listen, Inspire and Do. Each individual can be a leader. I believe that we are born leaders. It’s just that, as we gradually integrate within society, we get smoke screens that alienate us from our original self and we lose ourselves in due course.
Stop being passive about issues and things that matter to you and your surrounding. Clicking the Like icon does not make you a leader. Learn more about the issues that concern you and your community, create your own opinion based on confirmed facts, share your knowledge and take action to change the situation. Each individual can make a difference. Leaders lead by example.
Get your hands dirty and do what is right for the cause you are supporting. Listen to your heart and go and do it. If at the office you dispose of single-use plastic, take action. Speak to your manager or whoever is responsible. Explain the consequences on the environment of such disposal. If there is a beach clean-up, join and encourage others to join too. Apply such attitude in everything you do in your life. Do not just dream. The environmentalist Suzann van Der Veeken said: “Dreams are meant to be pursued, not postponed”.
If you have an idea at work that can improve processes, submit your proposal and lobby around to make it happen. If the company you work for does not embrace a change-culture and does not listen to such recommendation, then I’m sorry to say but you deserve to work in a better environment. Move on to where you have a voice and can grow as an individual. If you want to run the local marathon, train for it and do it. Age is not a limit to fulfil your dreams. Set your mind to achieve your goals and eliminate all your fears. You will make mistakes and you will fall but you get up every time and continue towards your objectives. Do not let the opinion of others condition you.
Each individual has to walk his/her own path. Learn from others but do not compare with others. You are unique so be yourself. Be grateful and never take anything fore granted. We live an extraordinary life on this amazing planet. There so much one can do to find their meaning of life and live it. Leading a life with meaning is the way forward to have more socially responsible business entities for a better future.
Our planet is a dynamic rock full of life and is constantly evolving. Climate change has been with us since the beginning of this planet’s existence as it is part of its natural progression. However us humans are speeding up this process by draining it from its resources and killing living species (including other humans) in the name of greed. 70% of this planet is water. Our amazing oceans. What are you doing to protect our oceans?
Although in his masterpiece, Space Oddity, the late iconic David Bowie wrote otherwise, I would have loved to hear Major Tom ending this song with the following lyrics:
“For here am I sitting in a tin can,
Far above the world
Planet Earth is Blue
There’s a lot that I can do”
Lead your life. Be the change. Be a Leader.