Leadership: In my own words

Throughout this whole semester, we have learned about different types of leadership, and how to become better leaders in all areas of our lives. There have been a lot of different principles taught that I feel have really impacted my life and the things I do.

To me, leadership means impacting the lives of others. It doesn't mean having some kind of high up position, or being extremely outgoing. Some of the best leaders do it from the quiet walls of their home. I think great leadership begins in the home, which we learned about in one of the lectures. It means working well with others, knowing the hearts and minds of those with whom you associate. It's encouraging others to do their best, and assisting them in reaching their goals. There are all sorts of leaders in the world, and none of them are exactly the same.

There were a lot of things that I learned this semester that really impacted me. However, there were two events that really stuck out in my mind.

The first one was the firelighters/firefighter discussion. I loved this! It really made me examine myself and how I do things/treat other people. I noticed that subconsciously, I sarcastically will put people and their ideas down without realizing that it might actually be detrimental. After this discussion, I made an effort to try and make sure that I don't put others ideas and what not down, in even joking.

Another part of the class that really impacted me was an activity that we did in lab. We went and took candy to the library with notes, and gave them to random people. There were a few people who seemed really weirded out by the fact, but there were a couple of people that seemed to really appreciate it. There was one guy that particularly stood out to me. He was sitting and doing his homework, and I gave him some candy and a note. His face just lit up and he acted to gracious, and thanked me a couple other times when I walked by him. It really made me feel good that it made him happy. This particular activity helped me realize how big little acts of service can turn out to be.

Overall, this was an awesome class. I learned a lot and I feel like I grew a lot as well. I am very grateful for the opportunity I had to be in the class, and I will definitely take all of the things I learned and apply them to my life, now and in the future.