Following Verses Leading

  I spent my life learning how to follow. It was an important exercise. It taught me so much about how the world operates and how I can use the world effectively to further my own needs. But there are limits to following. There came a point in time when I had to learn to lead.

  And, ironically, leading is a kind of following, but you're following yourself rather than others. The focus changes from outside to inside. Leading is an important exercise because it brings you in touch with your inner world. And, in the end, it's the world within where your needs really get met. The world around you will never satisfy certain needs.

  Leading yourself is the ultimate power trip. It puts you in charge of yourself. It teaches you to trust yourself. And when you lead yourself in the wrong direction, it teaches you first hand just how difficult it is to lead anyone or any group. 

  The problem with the leaders of our country is that they haven't learned to lead themselves. They're practicing on us. And this is dangerous. We need leaders who've practiced on themselves. The best leaders of nations are people who know themselves well. The fact that we have so many people in political office who lie, steal and commit adultery exemplified the problem of learning to lead from the inside out. These politicians lie, steal and cheat on themselves, and then they go out and do the same to others. It's appalling. 

  But the only solution to this problem is spiritual. We must tackle the issues of following and leading by teaching our youth to lead themselves. The issues of responsibility to one's self must come before we give people responsibility over others. There's no way to think for yourself if you're copying other people's behavior. 

  It takes courage to lead yourself. It's much easier to a sheep than a wolverine. Those animals who live independently of groups often live underground. They have a peculiar ability to see in the dark. They depend on themselves. They don't have the herd mentality. And they often exhibit unusual assertive behavior that makes them difficult to handle.

  But we can't afford a world of sheep any longer. There are too many wolves out there preying on sheep. We've got to teach sheep how to see the wolverine within. 

  What if you did one little thing today that might make you stand out as being different from the norm; different from how you behaved yesterday; different from what others would anticipate? What if you looked at the darkness within you and moved through it rather than cower in the light? The truth is that you can't depend on your eyes anyway. You know that nothing is as it appears. People look old but act like infants emotionally. Companies make promises they have no intention of fulfilling. Even you don't look within like you look on the outside. 

  So why not give up the over emphasis on sight. Start to listen. Listen within. And perhaps you'll hear the voice of a leader who's dying for one, just one loyal follower.