Becoming a Leader for Yourself
I've been thinking a lot about how many of us who come into entrepreneurship also experience stepping into a new version of ourselves, how we determine who shapes us, and how we then also (sometimes unknowingly) shape others around us.
Throughout life we encounter people who inspire us and motivate us into a new mindset to shift perspective, or a new way of being that makes us feel elevated.
I grew up competitive dancing - it was my sport. I remember the very first time I stepped into the dance studio when I was about eight years old. My best friend and I were just starting to take classes together and after we checked in for the initial class, the teacher instructed us to change into our ballet outfits and find our bearings around the studio.
When we walked into the dressing room, two girls a few grades older than us, were wrapping up from the class before us. I remember watching them vividly as they packed up their things, tracking the ways they slid the ballet slippers off of their feet and tossed them into their studio-branded duffle bag as they gossiped about this person and that.
At one point they must have caught me staring because suddenly I froze when one of them sarcastically voiced to me “why don't you take a picture, it will last longer” and then grabbed her things and stormed out of the room.
I was so embarrassed to know that she had caught me “watching” her. I sat in silence as I finished getting ready and headed straight into class.
That moment stayed with me for a long time. I don't remember the names of those girls or even if I saw them after that moment.
In retrospect, the embarrassment has washed away and I realize that I was in awe of these older (10-year-old) “women” who effortlessly played in a role that I was just learning; I was looking to them for guidance, to learn how to show up in a new environment.
I am sure we have all had that experience of learning our way through the world by observing others. What happens when we become that leader for other people?
And then, what happens when we become that person to ourselves?
As you consider this food for thought, I encourage you to go through your day noticing how you pave the way for yourself and others.
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