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Do you know how powerful you are? Do you know how powerful you are and how powerful you can be?I would like to talk specifically to youth and I would like you to take this subject seriously; this is a real thing. This doesn't mean that the other things I've written aren't real things too, I just want you to understand that in this age your power can be powerful beyond measure. You can do things no one else can do.
So do you know that you can do amazing things? Did you know that you can be a leader to those around you? Do you know that you have something inside you that you could use to change the world?
I have seen the power of youth. I have seen people who are quiet, shy and seem like more of followers, stand up and lead. There are some who have a natural leader sense built in. Others do not. But that doesn't mean that those who don't cannot gain one.
The world needs leaders. Leaders who take charge, who are responsible and reliable, leaders who stand for the right and leaders who aren't afraid to stick out and stand up.
The actions of a leader speak louder than his or her words.1
Isn't that cool? Actions are louder then words. I'd never really thought of it that way but the way you act really does matter when you're a leader. If you're a leader then you want to act in a way that people want to follow. You act in a way that shows you're honest, humble and confident (and being humorous isn't bad either!).
To be leader you aslo need to be kind, caring, understanding, trustworthy, all the characteristics of a great person. Think of things that you look for in a good friend. Another way might be to look for things you want in your future spouse.
Another important attribute of a leader is that you're open-minded. You can have your own opinions (obviously) but you don't want to be narrow minded; be open to other ideas. In fact, you need to be open-minded in almost everything in life. We don't all have to agree but we can't bash heads and think only one person can be right.
Another skill is being firm but not controlling; there's a difference. You want people to know you're serious and you can get stuff done but you don't want to be pushy. (It sounds like a lot but it's not that bad.)
If you don't have those things then you'll probably be a crummy leader. So develop them now.
Challenge: Look around. Everyone is always looking for someone to stand up and lead. It doesn't always seem like it but there are opportunities to lead all the time. Nobody wants to lead but someone needs to. Will it be you?
Being a leader may not come naturally to you, that's fine. I'm a shy person; until I got called into a leadership position at church, I was totally an un-leader-ish type person. I had to step out of my comfort zone (something we should do every so often) and I grew and I learned so much. When you're a leader, even if you don't do it everyday, it teaches you numerous things. You learn how to work with people, how to think for everyone and how to talk to groups.
A good way to practice all those things is working or volunteering at a camp. It could be a summer camp, a day camp, whatever. You'd be surprised at what you can learn about yourself, others and how to deal with problems.
You just might find that you're a natural leader.
Remember: Anyone can be a leader. The question is what kind of leader will you be?
---1 http://changingminds.org/disciplines/leadership/styles/quiet_leader.htm
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