Rachel A.
Having and being in control of our surroundings is an innate human need. We also have a deep-seated need for recognition and esteem. If not raring for the top spot, most of us have indulged in the occasional wishful daydream. It is a privilege to be in a leadership position; however, if you cannot lead your own self, manage your own behaviour, or take 100% responsibility for your own life, you are in no position to lead others. No tribe wants to be led by a biased, self-absorbed, neurotic, spineless, ignorant, laissez-faire, absent or controlling ruler who is oblivious to how their behaviour affects others. Nor do they want to be led by someone who lacks empathy, direction, strategy, or guiding values. Whilst very few of us exhibit all these negative traits, each of us has the tendency to lean to towards less-than-ideal behaviour. Us warriors are human, after all. But to operate as our best selves, we firstly need to understand how we show up in the world and how our behaviours influence our lives and others.
You have two choices warrior:
1. To accept things as they are and keep doing what you have always done; or,
2. Accept the personal responsibility for understanding yourself and making the necessary changes that will see you do better.
(The Guild hopes you take option 2).
Just like the business CEO, successful self-leadership requires multiple skills. There is no single step or behaviour you can adopt that will suddenly place you at the top of your game. But there is a first step, and that is developing self-awareness.
Self-awareness is an important component of personal success and self-leadership. It goes beyond knowing your likes and dislikes, and what you are feeling. Developing self-awareness requires an understanding of our thoughts, views, values, attitudes, triggers, strengths, weaknesses, habits, and what environments suit us best. It also involves understanding how we are perceived by others and the impact we have on them.
The Guild will delve into each of these components in upcoming articles; however, in the first instance, take a look at how you view the world by honestly completing the following sentences:
Life is …
A true leader is …
My government is …
Those living on the streets are …
I am …
My life is …
Happiness is …
Money is …
The way you finished these sentences, whether positive or negative, simply reflects how you currently see things, at this moment in time. Taking any one of these statements, how have you come to this decision? Can you list evidence to back these statements up?
The Warrior-Womxn's Guild 