Who knew that eating breakfast at a local diner with my in-laws could inspire a thread of gratitude and appreciation for those who have guided my life outline. Of course I'm always in awe of my in-laws. They are good people, with a positive outlook on life that if I could capture, bottle up and sell at a local shop, would make me millions. But that's not why I started to feel immensely fortunate at the local diner over a florentine omelet. In fact, it was something much tastier than that. It was when my father-in-law pulled out a tiny piece of paper from his wallet. A fortune from a fortune cookie that he had been carrying around for my husband.
"A leader is someone who takes you places you would never go."
At first glance, I immediately felt the power in what was a simple statement. Of course I thought about myself at first, trying to decipher if I was a leader. But as the day went on, I stopped thinking about me and I thought about where I've been instead. How did I get here and more importantly, who guided me in this direction?
For me, it was the teacher who told me to sing in a musical, the parents who believed being happy was the first ingredient to finding your life passion, the brother who showed me how to write songs, the husband who said I should do voice overs, the friend who told me I should write children's books, the kids and the moms who inspired me to start this blog, the midwife who showed me that giving birth could be beautiful, the father-in-law who told me never to give up when I desperately wanted to. I'm not sure I would have taken any of these roads, but because of them, I did. Of course, I could easily fill this page up with so many more leaders in my life who have made an impact and opened up new avenues for me. But the bottom line is, I am where I am because of them.
That's when I realized that I too am a leader. I too have made an impact on others. In fact, we are all leaders. Each one of us, whether we realize it or not, have influenced someone in some way because every action we take can change someone else's perspective. I had a friend tell me once that she was completely inspired by the fact that I love to go out to dinner and a movie by myself. It was something she could never imagine doing, but when she did, it felt liberating. It was an experience she was able to feel because of me. Ok, maybe dinner and a movie alone is not considered a life altering action, but it does require the ability to let go of feeling self conscious because you are alone. For her, it was a step towards confidence.
So who are your leaders? Who are the people who have opened a door for you that you thought never existed? Who has inspired you to take a left instead of a right? And who have you in turn, led towards a new avenue or experience?
After all, we are all leaders........at least that's what the fortune cookie tell us.
For me, it was the teacher who told me to sing in a musical, the parents who believed being happy was the first ingredient to finding your life passion, the brother who showed me how to write songs, the husband who said I should do voice overs, the friend who told me I should write children's books, the kids and the moms who inspired me to start this blog, the midwife who showed me that giving birth could be beautiful, the father-in-law who told me never to give up when I desperately wanted to. I'm not sure I would have taken any of these roads, but because of them, I did. Of course, I could easily fill this page up with so many more leaders in my life who have made an impact and opened up new avenues for me. But the bottom line is, I am where I am because of them.
That's when I realized that I too am a leader. I too have made an impact on others. In fact, we are all leaders. Each one of us, whether we realize it or not, have influenced someone in some way because every action we take can change someone else's perspective. I had a friend tell me once that she was completely inspired by the fact that I love to go out to dinner and a movie by myself. It was something she could never imagine doing, but when she did, it felt liberating. It was an experience she was able to feel because of me. Ok, maybe dinner and a movie alone is not considered a life altering action, but it does require the ability to let go of feeling self conscious because you are alone. For her, it was a step towards confidence.
So who are your leaders? Who are the people who have opened a door for you that you thought never existed? Who has inspired you to take a left instead of a right? And who have you in turn, led towards a new avenue or experience?
After all, we are all leaders........at least that's what the fortune cookie tell us.
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