A traditionally great leader is driven from within to become the leader we read about in history books, yet the same can be said of the villains we are taught to fear. An internal mechanism is triggered by an external event or situation. We are each capable of either great good or great evil, the differentiation lies in how we prepare ourselves to meet our destiny.
The main difference between the two types of great leaders lies in the motivation behind their leadership. If a leader's choice to lead stems from a desire for fame or wealth, there is a good chance that they will go down as a villain in our history texts, but if a leader chooses to lead because of a deep desire to see a change or to improve a condition, then that leader will be remembered as such.
It is impossible to know the depths of any one person's soul from an outside perspective, but it is completely possible to know your own soul better than everyone other than God himself. The truth of the matter is that we all search ourselves continuously, we are introspective and we scour ourselves for an answer that lies within. Unfortunately this takes more work than most people are willing to undertake. I have heard it said that, between our modern lives and our hustle and bustle, there is little or no time to accomplish this introspection. The truth is that any and all spare moments can be utilized as an introspective opportunity unfortunately these moments are rarely harnessed.
Such a time can be, and I would wager has been, used by any leader to search himself or herself and discover their purpose. If they are driven by lust, greed, anger, hatred or entitlement they will find themselves personifying those traits and bringing those who are like minded under their banner. If they are motivated by a greater good, a desire to better the world they will bring all walks of life under their banner. Even the greedy want a better life for their children, even the angry want a world where their children can walk safely down the road, even the deceitful want to be told the truth. This is why a leader who's motivation is inherently good has far more power than a leader who seeks his own glory.
Just like in fairy tales, good always wins over evil, but it takes a long time to notice the good in things because the evil is so much easier to see. A bad situation today may prepare you for an even worse obstacle in the future. When you look back at that first hurdle you will see it was not as bad as it seemed and it may have actually been for the best.
No comments:
Post a Comment