Who will lead?

I was reminded to day of this question. There are a lot of problems in society, there are a lot of problems in schools and classrooms, in our sports teams and organizations. The world is in need of men and women who will step up in lead. If you don't fill the gap, who will?

Are you willing to put yourself out there? I have been asking myself the same question the last few days. We need leaders. Will you be one?

Proverbs

There is an ancient Japanese proverb that goes something like this,

"The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second best time is now."

Why do we wait to start doing something? Whatever it is you want in life, do it now. I've waited to do things before, but I've learned that nothing happens until you do something about it. Don't wait to get involved in a club, to try to make new friends, or to do better in school. Do it now. If you had planted your tree earlier, you would have your tree now. However, if you don't go ahead and plant your tree, you may never have your tree. Today is as good as any other day to begin whatever it is that you want to do.

Worry v. Joy - The Challenge of Leadership

"Worry is the greatest thief of joy." - Warren W. Wiersbe

This quote discusses an important concept that many leaders fail to consider. The best leaders are leaders that display a joy in what they are doing. These are the people who others want to be around and others want to follow. Having joy in life and displaying this joy is essential to great leadership.

Yet it is a reality that as a leader, as a leader you are going to be faced with tough situations and decisions that will potentially cause you to worry. How will you respond?

When difficult situations come up you are faced with a few possible reactions.

1. Worry, and let is affect your joy and therefor the attitude of thos around you. Realize if you do this, it will bring down your leadership and cause others to fall into the same pit. Remember others are watching you. You can justify it by saying that you are not someone who hides their feelings. While this is noble, as a leader you are called to set a standard and to be one who demonstrates courage in the face of tough challenges. By showing you are worried, you have become a catalyst for fear rather than courage.

2. Put a fake smile on your face. Many people hide their worry about a situation to others by just smiling through it. It is coping mechanism, but it does not solve the problem. You don't want to have a fake happiness or just a facade that will only deter others in the long run.

3. Let joy reign. Although we are all face with tremondously tough decisions and hurdles, there is alwasy a reason for thankfulness and joy. There is always a reason for hope and courage. We must have faith that this situation is not the end all, be all. It is just another bump and as we look back at our life, we hopefully can see how we have survived past difficult situations and have been made stronger for it. Perserverance builds character. We must believe that the situation we are in will only make ourselves, our team, and our character stronger.

When you are able to do this, others will follow and they also will not let worry, but joy reign. They will not be robbed of joy and you will know that you served as a protector of their joy.

Take the Initiative

How often do you find yourself in a situation where no one wants to take the initiative to get something done? This happens all the time. Often times, in class, when groups are trying to organize to give a presentation or a project, we find ourselves struggling to find someone to take the initiative to present, research, etc.

The mindset always seems to be, "Well, someone else can do it and not me." But why not you? Someone has to do it, why not take the step and do it yourself? Don't wait for others to begin before you, take the step up. As the photo says, "The leader always sets the trail for others to follow." Don't wait for someone else to set the trail for you. Do it yourself, set the trail, be bold.

Quote of Day - Issac Newton

"If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants" - Issac Newton

I love this quote. Love it. What a brillant statement. It reminds me so much of the the David McCullough quote I share with students on the first day of school. "There is no such thing as a self-made man or self-made woman, we are all shaped by people we have never met."

Yet, this is someone who gets it. We are shaped by great leaders, thinkers, and mentors of the past. When we head their advice and cherish it, we can see further and do more than others.

We can be visionaries and we can live a life that is extraordinary.

Confidence

One thing that I have been spending a lot of time doing recently is trying to instill confidence. In addition to being the head soccer coach at my school I also serve as an assistant to the cross country team. It is interesting to see the dynamics between two teams at the same school.

The cross country has had success. They are currently ranking in the top 7 in the state for both girls and boys. The runners on the team have an idea of the work ethic it takes to be successful and they are willing to push themselves. Yet, there is still a little doubt when it comes to going against one or two teams that have beat them in the past. Before they ever step to the line, they let that team beat them.

Some of you are in that place in life. Whether it be in sports or in life, there is something that has always beat you, and when you face it, you don't even give it the fight it deserves. You've lost before you began.

My soccer team has not seen the success that cross country has and they also have this confidence wall that I am trying to break. The problem for them is they don't know what it takes to be a champion. Yet, despite that, with a new beginning and a new coaching staff, they see more light in the dark. They have an underdog mentality, that I think can do even better things than the, good to great mentality.

There is a book called "Good to Great" by Jim Collins. In general the idea that is promoted is the difficulty of going from good to great. It is difficult when you have always had moderate success to get over that mental block of being just good and beginning to be great.

I struggle myself with this. I know I am good at somethings, but I have to take more risks and be more devoted to be great. As I read Kyle's blog post, I saw a man who was willing to take the leap from a good life to a great life. To being extraordinary.

I applaud that devotion, that is what this blog is all about.

Let's continue to spread the word to our friends to be a part. If you know someone who wants to contribute, have them email me at scottcampbell82@gmail.com.

Be extraordinary.