Why is it that the word leadership often times sends shivers up a person’s spine?   Is it because we associate leadership with responsibility?  Whenever I would hear someone speak of a leader, I immediately would immediately think of a person that was a leader by position.

 I never once saw myself as one.

Most of my life had gone the way I had planned. Then life, as it often does, took some unexpected twists and turns and hard times indeed came. I somehow thought that because of these detours that my life was less valuable. The broken relationships and shattered dreams had left me hurt, broken, and defeated. I quickly lost sight of the value that I had to offer because of the journey I had been on.

My journey was not over and I soon poured myself into helping start a nonprofit, of which, I eventually became the Executive Director. It was at that moment, like it or not, I was now in a position of leadership, both with my team and in the community.

                       Cathy and Wayne,  at the Real Life Center

Along the way, I realized that being a leader is not about titles and positions, it has nothing to do with being in the limelight. 

Being a leader is about influencing those around you.

As I began to understand this, I realized that we are all leaders if we choose to be.

We all have a circle of influence, the people around us that we encounter or are close with. You don’t have to be at  the top of a large corporation, but you can be.  You can have influence at your child’s school, at the grocery store, in small team meetings, at home, when volunteering, and  many other places. God gives us opportunities everyday to influence others.  We simply have to choose to take advantages of those opportunities.

No matter what, no matter where… YOU can be an Every Day Leader. 

This is why I started the Every Day Leader: Live a Life of Intention. I wanted the “reluctant leader” and those who have never seen themselves as a leader to understand that God has given all of us the opportunity to lead.   I long for each of us to understand that we can be a leader of influence. It takes being intentional.  It is by choosing to be intentional in how we think and live that we can make a difference in the lives of others.

Part of being an Every Day Leader is first seeing who you are, then choosing to intentionally lead. That first step starts with how you see yourself and how you view leadership. The more intentional you are each day in how you think and live, the wider your sphere of influence grows.

Each of us has been given an opportunity to influence. How will YOU use that gift today?

The Every Day Leader: Live a Life of Intention!