Leadership. A difficult concept to grasp and one with which we all challenge. Why would anyone want to listen to me? Why am I someone that should be followed? Is this the right thing to do? I’m not special, am I?

These are all questions that every leader has faced. Not only have they faced these questions, but these questions continue to resurface in the face of adversity. Like me, you have probably asked yourself a version of these questions when uncertainty overwhelmed you. This is your inner leader taking the wheel.

Your Inner Leader

Who is this inner leader? They are the person who convinces you to put off your research paper until the night before it’s due. They are the person who persuades you to write that same paper at midnight so you have something to turn in. They are strong, holding you together at the seams just when you think stress will rip you apart. This person cries with you, loves like you, and is always there for you. When you look in the mirror, they are staring back at you. This person is every part of you, the good and the bad. This person is you.

Your own voice is the best judgement you have to forge your life forward. Ideas and beliefs that circulate your mind are imperfectly reflected by this voice. No one is perfect but it suits you. Just like you, my imperfections create who I am. The peers that make up my world are based on these imperfections. Each day this voice helps me navigate the curvy road that continues to never end. Regardless of right or wrong, this is me, and it works.

Freeing Your Leader

Insecurity used to lock my personality behind silence. Afraid of judgment, I would hide behind my quiet demeanor and seldom stray from home. I would intently listen, but neglected responding. I saw people and accepted them. Refusing to disagree and speak for what I believe only allowed issues to flourish. Soon my life was infected with people that I didn’t enjoy. I became a person dictated by peers—something I was uncomfortable with.

It was when I let out my inner leader that my life started reflecting who I was. To disagree with someone is not to disrespect them. Varying opinions offer various solutions. Expressing my views began to echo onto the friends with whom I connected most strongly. Allowing myself the confidence to speak my thoughts, stand up for my morals, and allocate my time in a way that fulfilled me helped produce a life I can be proud of.

If you have made it this far…

Leaders aren’t a select few. They are you. You lead every day, whether internally or vocally. Let this give you confidence to act on your own accord and pursue your own passions. Build strength from within so your confidence can escape and present itself to the world.