4 Keys to Personal Leadership
From podcasts to books and various platforms in between there’s been a surge of leadership material and its all great stuff. But in my experience and life in the past years, I’ve found it all noise unless we first learn to lead ourselves.
Leading oneself is the foundation of living a healthy autonomous life. I wanted to share four ways to lead yourself well. I was always the one that felt incapable and shied away from leading.
1. Inspire yourself, find your “why”.
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work — as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for — the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?” – Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
A cornerstone of personal leadership is to FIND YOUR WHY.
My why is not my outcome or end product or emotion; my why is the vision or internal motive propelling me forward. If I need someone else to inspire me I will only be as productive as my oversight.
The times I find it hard to get out of bed are when my why becomes blurry; the best reset for me is spending time with God.
2. Discipline yourself.
“No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening—it’s painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way.” – Hebrews 12:11 (NLT)
Discipline may be a trigger word for some, call it rhythms, methodologies, self-management whatever works for you. But I’ve found the areas and moments I lack inspiration, I lack discipline. Discipline flows naturally from inspiration. There must be an action that follows inspiration and discipline flows naturally from inspiration.
3. Convict yourself, fall on your sword.
“If you could kick the person in the pants responsible for most of your trouble, you wouldn't sit for a month.” – Theodore Roosevelt
The moment a person stops being teachable - it’s over. Learn to kill your pride and ask yourself “what in me needs to change?” Never play the blame game because blaming is highly destructive to growth. It is vital to always take responsibility.
Learn to fall on your sword, remember its easier to bleed than to lead, bleeding gets sympathy but leading is hard work.
4. Forgive yourself, reset.
“We should never be surprised when God keeps His word to forgive those who confess their sins.” – R. C. Sproul
It is paramount to learn to forgive yourself. Don’t make excuses for mistakes BUT learn to let go. God has forgiven your past actions and He doesn't discard the person. He will use you while He changes you.
Self-forgiveness enables you to be free from the opinion of others and yields confidence and peace.
A great thermometer of self-forgiveness is the amount of mercy and grace we extend to others. The moments we feel self-pity or unforgiveness a practical step is: Write down all of the mistakes, take communion and shred the paper up.
Find the rhythms and disciplines to have momentum every new day because leading yourself is the foundation of living a healthy autonomous life.
Mark Varughese
