Do You Have What it takes to Lead?

Do you aspire to be a great leader or have you ever been inspired by an amazing leader?I am sure you answered 'yes' to both questions.

I recently attended elections for the National Youth Council. I was disappointed by the number of persons who showed up to vote and by the number of persons who put themselves forward to be elected to the Board of Directors. Most of the positions were uncontested.

Holding leadership roles and general involvement with National Youth Councils, Not for Profit Organizations, professional,  school and church organizations provide tremendous opportunities for personal and professional growth.  Enhanced confidence improved public speaking and listening skills, increased organizational capacity and leadership and team-building competencies are among the benefits of holding leadership positions.

In October, I will hold the position of President of the Optimist Club of Anguilla. I know I will experience challenges but I am excited. I believe in Optimism, I believe in what this organization does and I can’t wait to play my part to improve upon the success the club and organization have achieved.

My advice on leadership is to get involved in leadership roles early in your life. Start small, start big…it is up to you. Just start doing something today and simply observe the positive changes which will naturally occur in your life and your community.

Embrace Your Passion Today!

Passion breeds Purpose!

A fitting tag line for From within Dance (FWD) group – a dance company in Anguilla. The first time I heard it, I fell in love with the concept. Passion truly does breed purpose.

I am passionate about a lot of things…..foremost is my relationship with family and friends. Outside of that, I devour books, I have a strong interest and involvement in youth development and helping others and I love travelling and learning about new cultures.

Passion can wean and it can grow and the object of passion can change. For many of us, our passions lurk beneath the surface. Many times we are too afraid to let it show, too afraid of what others might say, too afraid of failure, too afraid to simply be, too afraid to make a choice.

It is so refreshing when you encounter someone who is passionate about what they do. It shows!!  Their face lights up, they are full of energy, they have purpose.  Your passion shines through everything you do but when you are not passionate about what you do, it shows as well.  Personally, when this happens, I know within me that it is time to make a choice, make a change and move on.

Passion breeds purpose.

Let your passion loose today!

To Be or Not to Be

There are some days when we are tempted to feel lethargic and apathetic. These are the days when sitting in front of our laptop or television and catching up on the latest episodes of Modern Family, Single Ladies or Gossip Girl seems like the best possible plan for our day. Hey - It happens to everyone. The problem occurs when this is our life everyday!

To be or not to be is a question we should ask ourselves every day.  What do I want to be today? What do I want to accomplish today? How can I grow in some way today?

For me these days, this question is easily answered. I want to be an entrepreneur so I am working diligently each and every day towards this goal and for me it means investing in my personal and professional development. That is, doing something big or small which helps me to grow each day.

 It also means observing and learning from my environment and others around me.  I hope to share lessons learned during this process with all of you since I am also interested in seeing you learn and grow.

So I am asking you now - To be or not to be? Make that decision today.