Today is the sixteenth day of the new blog series entitled Bring Your Leadership to Life! Join us throughout the month of March and beyond as we feature guest bloggers who share their perspective on how they bring their leadership to life! This blog series highlights the theme of the 2nd Annual Evening for Austin Leading Ladies, an event that SOS Leadership is honored to be hosting in partnership with The Concordia MBA on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at Concordia University Texas. Learn more about this powerful event and register at www.austinleadingladies.com.
Dara Carrillo is the Founder of Muse Stream, a communications coaching and consulting business in Austin, Texas. Her vision is that all people will live a fulfilling life with passion and a deeper sense of self-awareness thus unlocking the door to the infinite possibilities of their lives.
How I Overcame Limiting Beliefs & Discovered My Leadership Voice
How many of us are fearful of conflict, change and the unknown? Many of us, right? It is a shared human tendency for many people to turn away from things that are painful, new, or uncomfortable. For many of us, the unknown is a scary place to go. That is, until, we discover that the journey to finding our true self just might be the greatest adventure of our lives!
“The only way out is through.”
Dorothy, in the Wizard of Oz, had to overcome so many obstacles on her journey to get back home. I can relate to her story. I overcame barriers to find the leader in me. Dorothy faced her fears, and ultimately succeeded in finding her way back to Kansas.
Until recent years, I didn’t believe that I was a leader. The circling thoughts in my head whispered, “Who am I to be a leader?” I just thought that being a leader was a far off achievement that very few people, with special talents could become. I’m not sure where I acquired this belief system, but I sure know how I crushed it. Read on.
When I was a child, I remember being asked what I wanted to be when I grew up. I responded with a smile, some reluctance, yet also, with intrinsic sureness, “I want to be President of the United States when I grow up.” In the early 80s, that sort of dream was only proclaimed by boys. I remember being perplexed about why girls did not dream that “big”. Why can’t I be President of the United States too? I’m just as smart as those boys. I have just as much value as they do. “Out of the mouths of babes.” Then, somewhere along the way, my strong sense of self faded. I have been on a journey to find my sense of self ever since. Sound familiar?
Consequently, I found myself diving into every opportunity that presented itself to discover my true voice. Out of the many experiences, it was in serving others where my leadership came to life. It was when I dedicated my attention to helping others that allowed me to break away from having the limiting belief that I was not a leader.
I am humbled every day by how small we are in this big universe, but also, incredibly impressed with the positive outcomes that come to fruition when we realize that we are all in this together. My question to myself then changed to, “Why can’t I be a leader?” I have a VOICE. I have PASSION to help others. I have deep DESIRE to make a positive difference while I am here on this earth. And, so I will.
Very much like Dorothy, I overcame many obstacles on my journey home to finding my true self. By serving others, listening to my inner voice and believing in myself, I found my leadership voice!
I know now that the world is a better place when I share my voice. It will be even brighter when you share yours too!
Happy sharing friends!
Stay tuned in the days to come as the Bring Your Leadership to Life Series continues….