How do we keep our inner fire alive? Two things, at minimum, are needed: an ability to appreciate the positives in our life - and a commitment to action. Every day, it's important to ask and answer these questions: 'What's good in my life?' and 'What needs to be done? - Nathaniel Branden
Lately I have had leadership, particularly the language of leaders, on my mind. It's partly because of all the stories we have witnessed recently in the Kenyan press about 'leaders' being charged with utterances likely to create chaos. It's also listening to sound bites from a 'leader' using words I forbid my children to utter! Mostly, it is from listening to people who believe that only a leader, in other words 'someone else', can inspire them with words.
I believe each one of us is our own leader, and so we can take lessons from the language of leaders to use on ourselves.
This is not to say only words matter. Indeed, as Jim Rohn says,"words soothe and, like a narcotic, they lull us into a state of complacency. To Make Progress You Must Actually Get Started!"
Still, you can persuade yourself to do great things using words. And so I share with you three qualities, according to Aristotle, that leaders express through words.
Agility ("Logos"). This language is about reading situations and getting things done. When you employ this language you allow yourself to see barriers, and go the extra step of asking how you can overcome the barriers. You see possibilities and work out how to make them happen. This language gets you into action mode.
Authenticity ("Ethos"). This is about expressing values and dreams, as well as hope. Big beliefs act as motivators, and such beliefs can drive you to achieve great things. This is the language you use when you express yourself authentically. It is the language that articulates possibilities.
Empathy ("Pathos"). Using this language allows you to be gentle with yourself, especially when things go wrong. It is about using words to encourage yourself, and also, significantly, to know and understand yourself. This calls for being open to your own feelings, and not stopping at that, but going further to understand what causes the feelings. If they are not good feelings you can work at eliminating or reducing the triggers. If the feelings are good, you can amplify them by exposing yourself to the positive triggers more.
This week spend some time reflecting on the language you use to lead yourself. Remember, this language is inside your head, and it is also in the responses that you give when presented with a challenge. Identify way at least one way in which you can use each of the three 'languages' detailed above, and use it today.
