Arianna Huffington’s “On Becoming Fearless” has been a fantastic resource of inspiration for me lately. She talks about the pursuit of fearlessness in all areas of life, from family and relationships to work environments. I would like to think I am always pursuing personal and professional growth. The last 6 months been have a particularly accelerated period of growth for me – I have been pushed to my limits often. Thankfully I have also been reminded by those close to me, to exercise fearlessness and real leadership – servant leadership.

Please bear with me for this rather long quote from Huffington’s book, she sums up leadership so well:

“We tend to think of leadership solely as an external force – associated with those who effectively carry out the responsibilities of their office or direct their staff in a confident way. That’s very useful, but it’s only one kind of leadership. There is another kind – internal leadership – that does not depend on office or position or staff hierarchy or anything imposed or granted from without. That kind of leadership is generated instead by an inner force that compels us to try and make the surrounding world – whether it’s our family, our community, the entire nation, or beyond – a better place….Fearlessness in presenting one’s self and one’s ideas to the world is a prerequisite to becoming a leader. It’s hard to make a difference in the world when you shrink from expressing who you are and what you stand for.”