The Leader within Me

It only takes one person to make a positive impact on a child.  My seventh grade teacher saw something in me that forever changed my life.  Excited to learn English, I found myself looking up every words in the dictionary, but avoiding math.  Learning math was like forcing a child to eat their vegetables at an ice cream store.  As my eagerness to learn English grew, I came to find that math still was not my favorite subject in middle school.  I stayed after school for many hours until I learned basic Algebra.  Another challenge that I came to accept as a newly arrived refugee in America was that I now needed to fit in to the social norm.  After my first and last fight at school, my math teacher, Mrs. Kelli, encouraged me to join a student-led organization calls ASB.  I remember this experience being a punishment for me.  I had to plan dances and organize events.  As time went by, I learned to enjoy the experience.  The skills and friends I made kept me out of trouble and kept me from my personal worries.  Little bit I know, that was just the beginning of my leadership journey.  I soon found myself going from being a high school representative to representing my college’s Student Union Association and later holding leadership positions in my career.  These experiences allowed me to gain leadership skills while helping others along the way.  Time and time again, I found myself back in taking on more leadership opportunities and roles.  I am happy to have recently accepted my true calling of being a leader. 

I am imperfection…

I am imperfection...

That was how I thought of myself for many years.  I might not be perfect in English, and I’m not a model. Despite my height and English not being my native tongue, I was taught that I had to be a certain person in order to be accepted.  I found myself craving to be something that was not my true self.

For most of my life, I was taught to improve my weaknesses.  Then recently, a wise person told me to dig deep, focus on my inner self, and mediate on it.  After I took that advice, I discovered a new practice and it has informed my every thoughts and actions.  So instead of focusing on what is wrong with me and/or why I am not perfect in English or taller, I decided to explore a new way of thinking, which was to focus on my strengths. 

Soon, I realized that I could start conservations with strangers and feel connected with them.  On one occasion, I even became best friends with a complete stranger by the end of our flight.  (I wonder what this strength would be…Networking perhaps?) 

I also examined my habit of maintaining three different to-do-lists and my ability to remain focused by getting ‘in the zone’, especially when I am planning activities and goals for the day, week, and month in my Passion Planner, yes, that includes weekends.  (This sounds like, according to the Strengthfinder 2.0.)

Also, when there is an uncontrollable life event, like a funeral, I would maintain my composure, and be the one to take charge and plan it even though it is emotionally challenging.  (Resilience, it is!)

I  can now easily identify the strengths within me.  One might say these strengths evolve from life situations and experiences, while others believe they exist at birth, and that one was born with these talents.  

Don’t get me wrong; I’m still going to put my energy into development.  However, for years I neglected my talents.  Now, I am nurturing my strengths and talents by choosing to embrace them! I challenge you to do the same!  Afterward, I guarantee you will feel as I do:

I am enough.