By: Michael D. Ringrose
Many years ago Emerson, in his Essay on Self-Reliance, wrote on the notion that no matter how hard one might try to imitate or copy the behaviour, life-style, attitudes or attributes of another, one can never be other than one's self. He went on to explain that it is in devoting our time and energies, not to aping those of others whom we may very well consider to be our betters, but in tilling that plot of ground that has been given to us to take care of and maintain, that we realise true accomplishment and achievement.
That, "plot of ground", that Emerson referred to is where we are all at. It is, for all of us, the here and now of our lives. It is, in the context of our lives, the moments that we have to live and share. It is, when it comes to calculating what that actually means, the seconds of our time.
In the "seconds of our time", we are in the driving seat of our life's journey. We are in total control. We can determine and control our thought processes; we can decide whether we wish to be happy or sad or, indeed, we can decide to let a plethora of outside influences determine whether we are to be happy or sad; whether we can enjoy the day or write it off as disappointing and, perhaps, hopeless.
Within the "seconds of our time", to be precise the 60 seconds that constitute the minutes of our hours and days, we are the Masters and Mistresses of our destiny. We are alive, aware of life and using it to our choosing. Yes, our own choosing. We are either active or passive participants in these precious moments. Awareness of the potential and richness of those seconds, enables each of us to do and say what we choose. We can decide to tell someone we care for and perhaps love, that we in fact love them. We may decide not to say or express that emotion to someone, assuming, perhaps, that they already know our feelings. In failing to tell someone something of such importance, we may miss the opportunity of enriching their experience and creating a moment of joy and happiness for them. If, on reflection, we decide we will tell them tomorrow or later, then, although we may repeat and affirm our feelings for them on other occasions, we, nevertheless, can never make up for the lost moment when we decided to remain silent on the issue.
What has all of this got to do with "Leadership", one might ask. Leadership comes not from books and training courses, not from imitating past or present heros and models of good leadership, although they each have their merits, but from within. Leadership models can be taught. Leadership roles can be modelled, copied and imitated, but authentic leadership is innate to the individual. It is not the preserve of four or five star Generals, nor the exclusive birth-right of Presidents, Prime Ministers, Prelates or Princes. Leadership lies within and history bears testiment to acts of enormous courage and forbearance having been executed by extraordinary individuals who emerged from the circumstances of the moment and inspired and encouraged others to seize the moment and begin to live their lives. They took charge of that plot of ground that was given them to till, in what ever circumstances they found them selves. Carpe Diem. Seize the Day. It goes by at a speed of 60 seconds per minute.
