The Hardest Person to Lead Is Yourself

Last week, I shared my belief that more is caught than taught and how much our environments influence our habits, behaviors, and ultimately our results.

But here's the thing.

You can surround yourself with the right people, attend all the trainings, read all the books, and have the best mentors in the world.

At the end of the day, you still have to lead yourself.

And in my experience, that's often the hardest person to lead.

I've spent years coaching, training, building businesses, and leading people. And one thing I've learned is that most of us already know what we need to do.

We just don't always do it.

I've done this more times than I can count. I've told myself I'm too busy. I'm too tired. I'll make my calls tomorrow.

And then I judge myself on my intentions instead of my actions.

What's even funnier? We judge everyone else on their actions.

We can see exactly what someone else needs to do, but when it comes to ourselves, we can come up with a hundred reasons why today isn't the day.

We can be great at holding others accountable while letting ourselves off the hook.

Because leading yourself isn't just about discipline or checking things off a list.

It's about managing your own thoughts, emotions, excuses, fears, and reactions.

It's having the difficult conversation instead of avoiding it.

It's taking responsibility instead of looking for someone to blame.

It's noticing when your emotions are making your decisions for you.

And maybe the hardest part of all?

Being honest with yourself.

Honest about the excuses you're making and the habits you're holding on to. Honest about what you're tolerating and the stories you're telling yourself about why you can't, shouldn't, or aren't ready yet.

Because here's something I've learned:

You can't change what you aren't willing to acknowledge.

That's where self-leadership begins. Before we can change what we DO, we have to become aware of who we're BEING.

So here's something to reflect on this week:

Where am I making excuses instead of taking ownership?

What am I tolerating that I know needs to change?

Am I leading myself in a way I'd be proud for others to follow?

We can't always control our circumstances, other people, or what life throws our way.

But we can take responsibility for how we respond, the choices we make, and the person we're becoming.

The hardest person you'll ever lead is yourself. The good news? It's also the one person you get to lead every single day.

Next week, we're going to take this one step further. Because becoming aware of who you're being is one thing. Consistently doing what you know you need to do? That's a whole different challenge. 😉

To your best life,

Tara