One Way to Determine If You Are a Leader or a Follower
Free Thinkers
When we think about the people who have changed history it's safe to say they listened to their hearts. Additionally they listened to their souls and their higher selves. The important thing to emphasize is that they listened inwardly. In a moment of quiet contemplation (or several quiet moments, more accurately) the leaders or pioneers of any given field, decided a change needed to be made. An invention had to be created, a peace had to be attained or possibly an injustice needed to be righted.
The point is, no great leader followed someone else exclusively. They may have emulated the example set by their predecessors, but they enacted it in accordance with their beliefs. These leaders knew they must be the ones to make a change.
We are talking about voice and leadership, but how does that relate to uniqueness?
Following Your Truth
Hopefully each of us creates our own joy based on what we know to be uniquely our truth. But looking around shows this is not the case. Think of trends, fads and pop culture. So much of what we see is not so much driven by individual thought as it is by group mentality.
Social media, television, movies and magazines all show us what is deemed popular. Not so much popular but more so to what the “herd” has found to be admired. Each of would like to think that we are unique, that our motivations are based on our own personal beliefs. But again, lets challenge that thought. The next time you relay a story about an unfit mother or philandering politician think about it. You didn’t have that thought on your own. You listened to a loud, flashy newscast that was created for you to be a pawn, to spread that story and in turn increase their ratings.
Challenging What You Know as Real
Let’s look at that example even further. It's possible that some people may take offense to that assertion. Well, as we often do in this blog, we challenge thought. If we don’t then we are not the authors of our lives, we are merely players, as Shakespeare once stated.
So how do we become pawns when we recant a news story about a missing child or an accident that claims lives? How many children do think going missing in a day? Across the country, is it five children? fifty? Do one hundred children go missing in a day? On the average, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 2185 children are reported missing each day. Of that total how many make it to the national news? We all know the answer is miniscule. Perhaps it is one. It may not be even one depending on what other news is occurring at that time.
This statistic isn’t meant to depress. It is meant to make a point. Somewhere, someone made the decision about which child would be featured on the news. To be honest, it is not clear who that is or what the criteria is. The point is, whoever it was, they made a decision and cast it to the herd to give it energy. Those void of their own thoughts or own concerns, they perpetuated that energy. We have all been guilty of it. However, you need to stop letting others create, not only your values, but your reality.
Lead, Don't Follow
Be a leader. Don’t succumb to the latest trend, news story or device unless it is a decision you made based on your path and your goals. Don’t be a sheep. Don’t relay a news story whose only purpose is to foster fear and ratings. Even off handedly when we talk about the latest news we are creating an energy that does not serve us. It is not small talk, it’s “no talk”, valueless. More so, it is detrimental, because it robs us of our individuality. It creates an energy that draws similar energies to us; petty, trivial energies that strip us of our divinity and leave us soaked in humanness.
Author Your Life
This planet has enough followers. Truly become the author of your own life, your own joy. Don’t be a pawn and waste your words talking about a celebrity “train wreck”. Use your voice to do what it truly was meant to do, inspire. Channel the energy of your higher self to create value to all that you encounter. Relay a story of a personal accomplishment next time you want to start a conversation. Yet of course, do so without vanity, while allowing your audience to share their joys as well. Think of that. How cool would it be to be at a party and have a conversation start and flourish around victories each member had? How neat would it be tell your friends about a beautiful vacation you took where you learned about a different culture or place? How unique would it be to hear a friend discuss how they just finished a road race or volunteered at a shelter?
These aren’t pipe dreams. They are, and can be a reality, when we recognize who we are is important. When we realize the uniqueness of each other, then the stories are far more interesting than the latest celebrity rehab. When we interact with each other about who we really are, then we reconnect to our higher self and to the shared energy of which we are all a part.