Struggle

#Beingaleader means you will struggle. With time pressure. Stress. People. Communication. Personal issues. Identity. Confidence. Maybe depression. With a lot of things. Most of the definitions I found of the word struggle were negative in connotation. But I think that struggle is part of fighting for what you want. Overcoming obstacles. Even striving to go beyond where you’ve been. That’s the kind of struggle a leader needs to focus on.

Too often we may look up at leaders as people not dealing with these issues. Perhaps you see them as strong. Unaffected by things happening around them. Impervious to life struggles. Perhaps your view is too lofty. Unreal even. Too positive. Unbalanced.

And then when you become a leader you think the same unrealistic expectations should apply to you. And then you think all the things you struggle with are unique to you. That others don’t deal with those same issues because you never saw it in them or never thought that leaders struggled with those very same things.

Well, you’d be wrong. In fact, #Beingaleader often brings with it more struggle. More difficulty. More things to deal with because you have your own and now seemingly the load of others to carry as well.

We often feel that life should be found in our victories. But really, life is in the struggle. Struggle creates the times of victory. Struggle creates refinement in you and your team. Struggle creates strength. Struggle is real life. Embrace the struggle.

#Beingaleader means you will struggle. Embrace it.