When you think leader, what pops into your head? George Washington? Queen Elizabeth I? Why do we always think of political figures? Well, you think to yourself, isn’t that what a leader is? Someone who is the head or ruler of a community, country, empire, etc.? No, a leader is someone who is respected, admired and followed. They don’t even need a fancy title. They just need to help those they’re leading to strive and reach their common goal.
And these leaders are everywhere around us. They may be a motivational teacher who teaches kids to follow their dreams. Or someone who starts a protest to keep a school or park from being torn down. A leader can be recognized for their actions. They don’t talk the talk; they walk the walk.
One example of an amazing leader is Clint Borgen, president and founder of The Borgen Project. The Borgen Project, located in Seattle, Washington, is on a mission to end extreme poverty. This project began when Borgen, as a sophomore at Washington State University in 1999, volunteered at Kosovo refugee camps. He believed that the United States needed to do more to help people in these terrible conditions. So, after graduating in 2003, he worked in Dutch Harbor, Alaska on a fishing boat to begin funding his amazing organization. Now he works to persuade Congress to support his quest and help end poverty once and for all.
Susan B. Anthony is another incredible leader. She worked for abolitionism for slaves, women’s suffrage and temperance. Anthony was incredibly strong-willed and determined, always fighting for what she believed in, and never letting anyone stop her. Her moral values guided her through life. Susan, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, created the Women’s New York State Temperance Society, as well as the New York State Woman’s Rights Committee, American Equal Rights Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association, and also had a publication called The Revolution that fought for women’s rights. Anthony, along with Stanton and Ida Husted Harper, also wrote several volumes of History of Woman Suffrage. To take things a step further, Susan B. Anthony had a meeting in Washington, D.C. with President Theodore Roosevelt to lobby for a women’s suffrage amendment.
If you dream of being the kind of person who is looked up to, stop dreaming and نريد it. We all have something we’re passionate about. Find your passion or cause and start acting. Trust me. People will follow.
