How To Create The Best Version Of Yourself.
Pexels Image By Orlando Vera

How To Create The Best Version Of Yourself.

Where do you see yourself in 5 years??Total ridiculousness.

Straight from the playbook of empty questions. Probably asked by HR people who can think of nothing better to ask. But it does spark thoughts.

Maybe a better question is,?who do you want to be in 5 years???

One question is internal the other external.?What do you want??vs?where are you going??One is Lambos and corporate climbing, the other is service to the world. Where are you going?ultimately better serves yourself and opens the door to creating dings in the universe.

Maybe like you, I’m more fascinated by people courageously taking action, compared with fear-laced individuals awaiting perfect timing. Actions lead to elevated skills, new perspectives, and wisdom. Something that does not happen by accident.

As a competitive skier, I know that my best possible results will be a replication of what I do in training. Expecting a lightning strike of an exceptional performance beyond my abilities is unreasonable. So I keep whacking away. The process keeps me strong and fuels my creativity.??

About 3000 years ago, Archilochus of Paros coined, “We don’t rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training.”??

Leadership is no exception. Only the fool wakes up one day announcing,?here I am world, perfectly suited to lead and improve the place.?No, the best leaders realize attracting and keeping a willing following requires constant consciousness of the challenge. Notice the attracting and willing part, a title or being a paycheck source does not a leader make.

How do you become the best version of yourself worth following?

Who do you trust, and doesn’t wisdom count? Wisdom is not in our innate operating software. It’s acquired through actions taken in navigating life. Accordingly, those who’ve embraced the path to personal improvement are more magnetic. Like Presidents.

This guy:

  • Had no money for college, so he took night courses in law studies.
  • Could only pass the WWI Army eye exam by memorizing the chart, his vision was terrible.
  • Opened a men’s clothing store in 1919 after returning home from the war, only to go bankrupt in 1921.
  • Became a judge, then a senator in 1934 as an arm of the Kansas City political machine.
  • After his senate reelection in 1940, he made a name for himself as Chairman of the Committee On Military Affairs after finding $15B in waste.
  • Reluctantly accepted the VP nomination by Franklin D. Roosevelt, saying it was his duty to take orders from the Commander in Chief.
  • Became the 33rd President of the United States in 1945, after President Roosevelt’s death just 82 days into his unprecedented fourth term.

At age 61, Harry S Truman (1884-1972) became the Accidental President. His Presidency is marked by some of the toughest decisions in American history. He presided over:

  • The collapse of Nazi Germany.
  • Decisive victory in Okinawa, a WWII turning point.
  • Dropping the atomic bombs.
  • Desegregation of the Army, setting the stage for civil rights.
  • Founding the United Nations.
  • The Potsdam Conference where he, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin redrew the world map.
  • The dawn of the Cold War.
  • The Korean conflict.
  • Transitioning the United States to a peacetime economy.

History suggests that the least formally educated US President was charged with making more crucial decisions than any other. Where did Truman get the confidence to act???

As a young man diphtheria nearly paralyzed him for a year. In his convalescence, he became a voracious reader of heroic biographies including Ulysses Grant, Hannibal, and the Duke of Wellington. Truman’s reading and study habits never ceased.

Upon reflection of his historical studies, Truman recalled, “I found that the first victory they won was over themselves … self-discipline with all of them.”

Truman was no doubt conflicted about his challenges but leaned on continued learning and consulting wisdom of the ages. Quipping, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.” Inspired, Truman’s actions were intentional and confident. Appreciating this, his most famous quote, “I don’t pass the buck…It is my duty, as President of the United States, to make the decisions,” carries more weight.?

To best serve your purpose, consider asking yourself:

  1. Are my decisions tempered by gained wisdom or emotion?
  2. Do we embrace being honed on the anvil of life to become better or turn away?
  3. Do we possess the confidence to make intentional decisions but pivot easily when a better solution emerges??

Becoming who you want to be is a lifelong process. Your best life and greatest influence as a leader starts with virtuous desire followed by actions. Start now.

要查看或添加评论,请登录

Mark Overbye的更多文章

社区洞察

其他会员也浏览了