At the gym today, I was reflecting on commitment, because I need to commit to working out daily instead of when it's convenient or I feel like it.Commitment is a vital part of leadership, a subject that is on the mind of all thinking educators. Obviously, leadership has applications to other areas, and I need "commitment to action" to hit the gym daily, so I asked myself, Can the leader lead his or her own self? Seriously...
We talk a lot about leading others, even encouraging peer leaders, as many peer leaders, even, as there are peers in the peer population! But can we take leadership down another level? Can the inner self lead the leader?
I asked myself, Am I talking about conscience? About duty? Am I asking about rationality freed from rationalization? About the sheer will to commit to one's own physical, intellectual, and spiritual development and growth?
Maybe I'm fighting the same old battle with myself using different concepts and words, but I ask, If one cannot lead one's self, how can one lead others? Is this what "leading by example" is about?
Somehow, relating the ambivalent will to whip myself into shape to my mission in education stirs me to action -- and commitment with a capital "C."
As a reminder, I put "Workout" on my PDA calendar, recurring daily for the rest of the month. I'll renew the commitment for another month on the 31st of July.
