…That I am a leader?
…and a follower.
Personally I have discovered that the years have taught me the best traits of both. I have never believed it is necessary to be one or the other alone, and, find my best days of growth within the open mind of a combination.
There are those who would tell you that being a leader is simple. Perhaps for some it is a natural state. Following would tend to “look” simple, after all, wouldn’t that mean someone else is doing all the work? Both are actually only easy when they are less effective in result. To truly gain the full purpose of a genuine leading role or a the full gift of what can be gained by a sincere following one must let go of the judgments of bias and see the experiences or lessons from all the possible angles.
A good teacher is someone who is also a good student. The best teacher is a student at the same time. The best leader is a person open to the experiences of those they would or do lead. A person who is capable not only of listening but also hearing what is said. A leader is a person of action steps, follow-through, communication and positive steps for growth and nourishment of the soul of a follower, a project or a cause.
There are days when I know I am meant to lead. I can see what I should and should not be doing, sometimes within others, sometimes in the awareness of my own experiences and mistakes. These are valuable days. I know I can make a situation stronger and more productive. I am developing new relationships and strengthening existing ones. I am growing. I am happy.
Then, naturally, there are days when I know I am meant to follow. A chance to listen myself. A chance to enhance my spirit and knowledge with facts, methods and theories… or perhaps just a little practical experience where I lack. Following is not a lack of leadership. Following can be a magnificent means to strengthen the leader within. When I am following it is not necessary to be passive or ineffective. Followers are leaders every bit as much as the leader should be the follower. It is interchangeable and brilliant with the absence of ego and motive to become something outside of the natural step or progression that is meant to be.
But that would assume that every role has a progression. Sometimes both learning and following are simply there for the experience of knowledge and camaraderie. Not everything is attached to a prize or reward…. at least not physically. Every good experience comes with the end result of satisfaction and esteem… valued prizes of the mind. These are the gifts that I pursue in my current life… although that is not to say that an occasional trip to London would be turned down. 
Of late I have found myself in a role that reminds me why I am where I am. There is a validation to it and a source of betterment and growth. There is a distinct purpose and I applaud it one day at a time. I do not want to project whether this place I find myself in comes with a prize or a pay-off. For once I am able to let go of the expectation and sit back to enjoy the day by day experience. I am a leader. I am a follower. I am good with both and good at either. In the days ahead I will continue to work with the challenges that we humans face…. mine may be different than yours in definition but they are all essentially the same in theory and result. What is different if I am lucky is my reaction to them. If I am able to hold on to this amazing awareness and stop the reactions that only hurt me… I am stepping further into the role of a leader… a place that I prefer to be.
Be Happy. Be Well. Be.