Many desire to wear the cloak of kings but few can stand under the weight of its burden. The privileges of power beckon with promises of wealth, prestige, protection, and authority. But power is an apple whose core is poisoned — one bite too deep and all is lost.
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way
Those who lead the way have no one else to follow.
There is no instruction manual for leaders. No map can tell a king which way will steer his country to prosperity and which will lead to its destruction. Leaders must forge ahead with certainty, calculating every possible outcome to ensure the safety of those who walk behind them.
Even the velvet of a royal cloak cannot cushion the weight of the thousands of lives that rest on the king’s shoulders. Leaders must maintain a delicate balance between the privileges of their authority and their vast responsibilities to the followers who look to them for guidance. A queen who feasts in her palace while her people starve will quickly discover that if her title cannot turn into food, and her crown cannot turn into water, then her people cannot be stopped when they turn on her.
A king is not a king if no one chooses to follow him.
Are you prepared to lead when times are hard and your people look to you for direction? Not all desire to be royal but all desire to be better. In your family, work, and daily life, prove your readiness for more through the things you accomplish with less. If you hope to lead, first you must find the path before others can follow your directions. ▲
Wherever you are in your journey — and however dark the road may seem — know that the knowledge you have stored throughout life will be your lantern for the path ahead.
Pilots rely on the accuracy of their instruments to choose the safest route. Humans rely on the accuracy of their judgement to choose the path for their lives. Seek knowledge, wisdom, and experience to sharpen your mind’s instrument so that the road to your goals will prepare you for your destination. An investment in knowledge is the safest of life’s gambles▲
"A crown, golden in show, is but a wreath of thorns" ~John Milton.
Do you desire to be a leader, or are you merely a seeker of the power and privileges that leaders command? The people may see their king upon a throne and wonder why one human is allowed to reign above another — believing that they are deserving of a life they believe to be easy.
But when war comes to their gates, will they have the courage to decide whose children must be sent to fight and die, and whose will stay and live? When the crown of a prince’s fathers and grandfathers adorns his head, will he be able to feed and defend his people or will he be a failure to the countless generations who led before him? When you answer to no one, no one answers your cries for help.
It is easy to strive for the benefits of power or wealth while overlooking their great responsibilities. If you are meant to be a leader, seek wisdom over riches. Those with power and no wisdom often lose it; those with wisdom and no power often gain it. ▲
“A leader has been defined as one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”
~ John C. Maxwell.