Leader

Having the Philosophy mind that I have, I was flipping through the pages of The Bhagavad-Gita with the intentions of finding a quote I could use in everyday life. I came across the quote, “Whatever a leader does, the ordinary people also do. He sets the standard for the world to follow”, and I loved it. I memorized that quote because I thought I could possibly use it either in class or in everyday life. Funny enough, I was talking to an old friend who is a senior in high school. This old friend is a basketball player who is trying to become the leader on a young and immature team. He was kind of debating between trying to be the disciplinarian type, leader by example or just a friend. My friend was really having a tough time with this and I was trying to think of something wise and inspirational to say when I suddenly remembered what I memorized in my CIE class. Although I felt a little clichéd quoting something from a book and not using my own thoughts, I blurted out what I remembered. To put it the easiest, he loved the quote and thought it directly applied to his situation on and off the court. I talked to him a couple of weeks later and asked him how things were going with the situation he was in. He was raving about the advice I gave him and went on about how helpful it was. It was also helpful in my own life. I have since used this method and found how to be a leader by example. Whether it is in the classroom, at a party or on the court I try to keep this relevant and try to do the right thing so I can be the leader by example that I want to be.