lead by example

Lead by example.

Show others what is possible.

Redefine what “success” can look like for you.

Sometimes the relationships we see around us: friends, family, parents, are not examples of the connections we want to cultivate; however, most likely, there are aspects of those relationships that can become a part of our toolbox in creating or recreating our own.

We can piece together the kind of relationships we want, and the person we want to be, by looking around us: to the media, to authors, to public figures, to strangers on the street, and to the characters in the books we read.

An old couple sits quietly on a park bench together, her head on his shoulder. My friend’s mom works full time while her husband stays home and takes care of the kids. An aunt and uncle support each other’s physical health and regularly work out together. While binge-watching TV, I see examples of parents teaching their kids how to understand and communicate their emotions. Each of these serves as examples, a collection of actions and behaviors to cultivate.

To build the life we want, the kinds of relationships we want, let’s look to the people who are achieving it, as partial or complete examples of how to get there.

We can’t expect ourselves to know how to do something that is outside of our awareness. We have to take the time to learn, explore, and seek exemplars.

It’s nearly impossible to reach for something you don’t know exists.

Find examples of people living the life you want, cultivating the relationships you want, and achieving the things you want to achieve. Follow in their footsteps to be the person you want to be, and then you’ll start to be the example.

You will become someone else’s mentor. You will be living the life that becomes someone else’s potential.

We are constantly growing, always becoming, and we will forever have people we are looking up to in one area or another. We can be evolving and be the person who opens up other people’s awareness of what it means to live our dreams.

Start changing the world by changing the potential for the lives around you.

Live the life you didn’t always think was possible.

Lead by example.