Why you should be a follower

It has been said; “Be a leader, not a follower.”

I have spent most of my life with the idea that you need to be a leader in order to get the things you want out of life.  We have talked in past articles about what being a leader is, and that it is a choice not something you are born with.  This time, I really want to pull apart the sentence “Be a leader, not a follower.”

As this new year begins, I want to challenge you to be a follower more now than ever before.  The meaning we give words makes them stronger or weaker than they really are.  For most of you, when you see the sentence, “I challenge you to be a follower,” you start to think I must be crazy.  By definition, leader means a person who rules or guides or inspires others and a follower means a person who accepts the leadership of another.  But if you look deeper, you can find even more than what is just on the surface. 

Another definition for leadership is a way which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Another definition for follower is someone who travels behind or pursues another.  The surface of being a leader, follower or in life in general, is just that --the surface. 

With the new year comes new challenges, and with that should come new ways to approach these challenges.  I know where you’re at -- I do.  You feel scared, afraid, unsure and most of all stuck.  You must go past the surface and find what is lying inside all of us, the follower.

• Follow your Heart
• Follow your Passion
• Follow your Purpose
• Follow your Soul
• Follow your True Love

For that will make you a Leader.  Give yourself permission to dream and -- whatever that dream is -- follow it.  You cannot lead a single person until you lead yourself and the best way to do that is to follow your heart. 

It may lead you down a path of hurt and challenges, but remember, it is only on the surface.  To dig down deep you must follow the path and take all the challenges in order to reap all of the glory.  I ask you now, in these uncertain times more than ever before, follow.  Follow your dreams, for they will lead you to where ever it is you want to go. 

Remember, be positive, be real and live your life In The Zone.

David F Muraco is a certified life coach, motivator and radio talk show host who lives in Oneida. In 2004 he founded "In the Zone", a business dedicated to helping people reach their goals. His column runs every Wednesday in the Utica Daily News.  To contact David, email him at davemuraco@in-the-zone.biz or visit his website at http://In-the-zone.biz