Is leadership a position? A state? A choice? Those who choose to lead are a lucky few, a minority driven by an innate desire for change which is both empowering and engaging. Most leaders are born out of normality, thrust into their position by fate, with little control over their life's direction. To quote Shakespeare, "Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them." This "greatness" Shakespeare speaks of can't be foreseen by its recipient, rather developing out of hard work, perseverance, or simply luck. While the far majority say they desire to be great and achieve some level of leadership, most are actually satisfied with the mundane. But even in a state of normal, each person is forced into leadership daily.
In the workforce, leadership is obvious in the hierarchy of manager or boss to employee and so forth. In an academic setting, not only are professors and teachers in a position of leadership, but also the students who take advantage and actively participate and move class discussion. As future parents, we will be placed in the ultimate position of leadership, challenged to lead and assist in the growth of another human being.
In a typical moment of leadership, regardless of gravity, we tend to shy away from responsibility, and our faults become an excuse to escape the position we wish to avoid. In my own life, the moments I've fulfilled this stigma are numerous. Daily, I use my lack of sleep or it being my freshman year as excuses to not take up leadership roles within class, and more broadly I utilize my age or inexperience as a fallback from responsibility. What separates the commonplace from the extraordinary isn't their birth into some higher social class or higher intellect, it is their refusal to let excuses stand in the way of their "greatness."
Recently, a movement across social media which I have likewise attempted to propagate within my own life is entitled "Yes Theory." "Yes Theory" is quite simple, it is the idea that you take initiative or engage in activities regardless of their consequence or reasons why not. The group who started the concept takes it to its extreme by skydiving, bungee jumping, getting surprise tattoos, along with other high octane ideas, but on a deeper level, the concept is extremely applicable within daily life.
Modern society has created a ceaseless quest for comfortability and normality, to live within the confines we set for ourselves rather than what we should want to become. "Yes Theory" breaks these barriers, forcing a comfortable person into uncomfortable situations, and in the case of leadership forcing us to hands-on discover whether or not we can handle the responsibility we likely never thought possible.
As we step back from school over winter break and reconnect with our roots, I plan to challenge myself and challenge you to simply say "Yes." Take advantage of the opportunity to lead rather than fall back into the excuses which littered the fall semester of my freshman year, and likely litter your college experience as well.
