Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about leadership. What exactly is leadership?
I was told I was a leader when I was in the second grade. It was on my report card. A quiet leader. Thoughtful. Shy. Talented. Smart. "She has many leadership qualities." Does that just mean I am good at taking responsibility for stuff when no one else wants to? It felt like that... sometimes.
Why would anyone truly WANT to be a leader. It is a lot… to spend your life shouldering the burden of things. To see all that needs attending to. To want to help. It’s not like I have to do it. Or do I?
I have fought my own instinct to step into it. I was taught not to believe I had any power. Stay quiet. Stay small. Yet, I continue to want to use whatever power I do have for good. It does not stop. It is always in the back of my mind. Am I making a difference? Am I being of service?
Someone once told me that I need to accept my role in nature. Get in touch with my inner lion. I love lions. They are regal, beautiful, and incredibly spiritual. At least that is what I think.
A lion doesn’t think about being powerful. She just knows she is. The lion doesn’t use her power unless she needs to eat or protect something or roam. Otherwise, she just rests. She has a presence, calm, awareness. But inside. Inside she is in constant motion. Taking in the surroundings. Always ready. Always prepared.
But… the interesting thing is… a lion sleeps up to 20 hours a day. Why? To build up energy to hunt, to protect, to observe, to run. To build up reserves for when they really need them. We don’t do that. I don’t do that. I believe a true leader is like a lion. She knows when to access her inner strength. Support when she can. Rest. Protect when she can. Rest. Seek. Learn. Rest. Work. Rest. Listen. Observe. Rest.
Maybe the true power is in the rest. It helps you stay calm when the world is coming at you. To be present. To be intentional. To be conscious.
Maybe I am a lion. No, not maybe.
I am… a lion… Are you?