Part of being a leader, is knowing both your strengths and your weaknesses. We all have both, however at times we seem to get caught up with knowing what we know, without stretching our boundaries personally as well as professionally.
Acknowledge that self improvement is a never ending challenge and that education must be ongoing.
It is so easy to get comfortable in being who we are. While being comfortable as a human being is vitally important, it is simply not enough as a contributing human being or as a leader. Self improvement includes taking an honest look at yourself. How patient are you? How easily do you get angry? How well do you listen to others without having pre conceived notions of what you will say in response to what has not yet come out of their mouths?
Whether you have a high school diploma or a graduate degree, how far do you stretch your learning opportunities? Do you make time to read novels or biographies? What do you know about those whose path you want to follow? Have you ever analysed all of the skill sets you may need for your career to grow, then followed through with taking a course? Oprah Winfrey's success did not come from her talk show. Her professional and financial success came from her business knowledge and her ability to open her mind to understand the politics, the accounting and the marketing of being Oprah.
Whether you take a course, read a book or listen to an audio book as you lay in your bath at night, keep on learning. Take a few extra minutes to listen fully, breathe in slowly as you sit in traffic and use that time to think positive thoughts and enjoy your own company instead of leaning on your car's horn. Every moment that passes without learning and improving, is a moment lost. Enjoy it. Life is amazing when you grab as much of it as it allows.
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