It's time to challenge yourself. No more excuses. No more procrastinating. It's time to start taking chances and making tough decisions. To become a leader, you have to start somewhere.

Start Simple

Take it one day at a time. Tell yourself, “Today I am going to be a leader.” Don't just say it to make me happy. Say it for yourself. Do you believe yourself? Do you even want to be a leader? Do you even think leadership is important?

The sooner you realize leadership is important, the better off you'll be. The realization will open the door to a whole new world for you. You'll see the world differently, from a perspective that will have you motivated, inspired, and eager to grow even more.

What Will You Do Today?

Make today a challenge for yourself. Make it a point to lead today. It doesn't matter what it is you do to achieve this, right now its important to get you pointing in the right direction. So what can you do? It can be something small or something significant. Make somebody's day, show someone you care, read a book on leadership, volunteer, or write down some goals you have.

My Wake Up Call

My sophomore year at Central Michigan University (Fire Up Chips!), was the turning point in my life. I spent my freshman year like any typical 18 year old, hanging out in the dorms and soaking up the independent life style of being away from home. In a way it was a waste of a year because I wasn't really that involved with the school outside of classes. The next year was my wake up call. My close friend and leader, Collin McRae, called me a week or two into the semester. He was attending another university, and was becoming active in the community. One night on the phone, he told me about the clubs he joined, the new challenges he was facing, and the people he's meeting. He asked if there were any student organizations at my school, and I replied with something like “I don't know, probably.”

Well, I went out and looked at all the different student organizations and found one I wanted to join, the Hospitality and Tourism Society. I joined the club within the next week, just in time to go on a trip up north to Traverse City, Michigan to tour the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa. The decision to join paid off immediately. I met so many great people and had some really fun times with them. I'm forever grateful that Collin challenged me and lit a fire under me to really get going. Looking back, that was one event or moment in time that I can say was a first step to really opening my eyes to leadership and becoming a leader. Ever since, I've been trying to learn, improve, and find new ways to lead everyday. That was my wake up call, when will yours be?