October 3rd, 2013 | Uncategorized
First off I have to thank my teammate Louise for doing that lovely tape job displayed in the photo. She is a professional Gaelic football player for Kerry and a physiologist. I was able to actually practice in less pain after rolling my ankle a few days ago. Needless to say, I need to order some new ankle braces.
Anyways, the past few days I learned so much. Things in life won’t always be comfortable and if the things I were accomplishing were super easy, then everyone would be able to do it. We are reading a book in class called The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell. (Coach Clark actually gave me this book upon naming me captain my junior year) Before I got a little stressed and forgot about self-reflection, I should have rushed to re-read about this law.
Maxwell’s best point is that a leader must give up to go up. It’s obvious that this entire experience in Ireland is a learning lesson and I will acquire better leadership skills, so I need to be willing to make sacrifices in order to lead well. His next point is that, there is no success without sacrifice. He states “effective leaders sacrifice much that is good in order to dedicate themselves to what is best.”
I also failed to think about it from another perspective in that leaders are often asked to give up more than others. At then end of the day I have to do what is best for the team. Will I make mistakes? Yes, Will I have all the answers and understand everything? No, but the point is to learn, keep an open mind, stay positive, and never make the same mistake twice. I have to be willing to give up a little bit more than the next person for the betterment of my team in the classroom, on the floor and in the community.
Maxwell also pointed out that leadership success requires continual change, constant improvement, and ongoing sacrifice. I’m the furthest from a selfish individual, but I learned over the last few days that even though I think about other people, I also have to be ready to adjust to the changes that will happen within myself, and those that are out of my control. Ultimately, the higher I go, the more I may have to give up and it’s not a bad thing. It’s what I have to do to be a leader and to help others. I learned I will have to give up to go up.
(Special thanks to Shane, Marc, and Gareth for taking the time to listen to me, teach me, help me grow, and stimulate my mind with a lesson on cultural adjustment ☺)
