While it is a big question, realize it is also a life long process. All it really takes is the desire and commitment to do so. Then, let the adventure begin! But first, let me ask you this -

Are you willing to be responsible for every decision that you make?

You are the one that chooses your direction in life—and how you will respond to situations that show up. No one else is responsible for you. Even as an employee, you agreed to do a job for a certain wage and it is your responsibility to hold up your end of the agreement. When you step into self employment, you wear both hats (well, many hats actually).

But even now, do you stand behind your decisions?

Do you walk your talk?

When we work for someone else, it is easy to just follow someone else. I’ve heard it said, “Suit up, show up and move at a reasonable pace.” When problems show up, it is very common to play the blame game with fingers pointing to someone else. With your own business, those days are over.

The responsibility and liability of leadership will be yours if you start our own business. Period. Are you ready to accept the responsibility and liability of being your own leader?

Who are you when no one is looking?

What are the skills that you feel are important leadership qualities? What are the qualities that you want to develop in yourself? Mastery of these skills simply requires attention and practice.

Let me say that again: Gaining mastery of leadership skills that are important to you simply requires practice. Practice. Practice. Practice.

You will have opportunities to practice these attributes on a daily basis. And each time an opportunity arises, you will choose whether to respond in a way that is in alignment with this new skill, or not.

Either way is ok—this is a learning process. Sometimes we don’t respond as well as we would like to. When that happens, simply re-evaluate the situation and reflect on how you would have preferred to respond. You will get another opportunity to practice it, I promise!

What will happen is that you will become more aware of the opportunities to practice your leadership skills, thereby making more conscious decisions and becoming the person you want to become. It’s called personal growth and empowerment.

In order to flourish, you must be willing to take charge of your life.

As you develop the ability to become aware and restructure your life with clarity where necessary, your leadership of self skills will continue to develop. The Toastmaster club produces a magazine to support the growth of their members. In Becoming a Leader One Step at a Time, they note:

“The contemporary view is that leadership is a set of attributes, attitudes and skills that by and large can be learned or developed through work, study and experience. Management scientists have looked at and studied factors such as Consideration—the leader’s concern for followers’ well-being (think clients); Structure—the leader’s skill at setting goals and determining work schedules and methods; Production Emphasis—the leader’s ability to get work done well and on time; and Sensitivity—the leader’s ability to keep people on the team happy with one another (think clients and word-of-mouth advertising). From The Toastmaster, Sept 2002, pg 9.

As you can see, they are all learnable skills. You can do this, one step at a time. The question is—do you want to? What leadership skills are important for you to develop?

Some people are very good at communicating with their Self, and others are rather new to it. Here is one meditation tool for you to use to gain the answers from within ourselves. The following “Answer Room” exercise comes from Barbara Marciniak’s Path of Empowerment. It provides a framework to ask questions and receive answers.

You can empower yourself, and set the reality that you want into motion, by taking time to communicate with the subconscious and unconscious levels of your mind. First slow down and focus on your breath. Gently separate your jaw and relax your tongue, and allow deep, rhythmic breathing to relax your body and open your mind to an enhanced state of awareness. Continue to breathe deep and imagine your body fully energized with golden spirals of energy. Now visualize a wave of energy, like a gentle spring shower, sweeping over the top of your head down to the bottom of your feet. Any tension that you have been carrying will be washed away, leaving you feeling fresh, clear, and free to proceed unencumbered into the depths of your being. There is a place in your mind called the “answer room,” and you must use your imagination to cross the bridge and find your way to the door. It may be on a busy street in an old stone office building, down a quiet country lane, or secluded like an eagle’s nest overlooking a cliff.

The answer room is your creation and can be anywhere you choose; feel a strong intent to go there, and then see yourself standing before the door. Take special note of the quality and color of the door, as well as the shape of the doorknob and once they are clearly etched in your memory, open the door. The answer room is very well furnished with beautiful fabrics and a comfortable seating; fascinating pieces of art, a globe, books, plants, flowers and a tea set add a warm welcome, and large glass doors open onto a sumptuous garden. Now enter the answer room and make yourself at home. You will find anything you ant in this room. Once you are cozy and settled in, thinking about what you want to know. Look around the room, allowing your gaze to rest here and then there, steadily taking in all that you see. When you are ready, clearly state the question to which you are seeking an answer and ask that an answer be clearly presented within the next three days; then sit back, enjoy some tea and bask in the serenity of your room of inner knowledge. You can visit this room anytime you choose to fine-tune your frequency and gain greater clarity about yourself and the world at large.

We all need some time to find counsel with ourselves—this is one way. There are many other ways to do it. We each need to find out which ways work well for us.

Is it time for you to step up to the plate of Self-Leadership?

Are you ready?