The world is divided.

Nations are divided.

Families are divided.

Are we doing our part?

Or, are we sitting back and letting our world, our community, our families and friends meander through life without devoting our talents, gifts and hard work to their betterment?

We are selfish.

We are self-conceited and self-absorbed.

We are holding the keys to unlocking joy, progress, growth, solutions and prosperity for the world around us.

Yet we sit. We moan. We groan. We take the easy path. We selfishly claim Comfort because we deserve it.

I deserve comfort! Let someone else sweat.

Let someone else put their effort into change.

Let someone else put their back behind the obstacle.

Let someone else get their hands dirty and pick up the broken pieces of the lives around me.

Let them suffer as a product of my detachment.

Let them languish because I will not commit to service.

Let me exist without ever having to stoop low to pick someone who has fallen up out of the dirt.

Let someone else do it.

Stop lying to yourself!

No one can contribute what you can contribute.

No one has the same life as you. No one can devote their hands to the work like you can.

No one will fill the spot where you should be.

No one will save what you are meant to save.

You have a gift and it is called life.

You have a gift and it is called love.

You have a gift and it is called knowledge.

You have a gift and it is called energy.

You have a gift and only you can use it.

Make your life a glowing beacon of integrity, love, humility, service and outrageous inspiring success.

Pursue excellence for the sake of showing others how to live.

Reach down when you take a step up to bring another with you.

There are 7.6 billion hearts in this world.

How many of them have been blessed by your life?

Be the leader that YOU need.

Leadership is not speaking the loudest, in the most articulate manner and standing out front.

Leadership is striving for the best version of yourself in order that others will do the same.

Leaders don’t always speak first. But they do silently begin the work first.

Leaders don’t always have grand plans for success. But they do accept the responsibility of failure without pointing fingers.

Leaders don’t always stand out front. But they do face difficulty with courage and perseverance.

Leaders don’t know all the answers. But they do have the strength to ask.

Leaders are not the oldest nor most experienced in our lives. But they are willing to learn.

Leaders don’t shut out the world around them. They are energized by the countless possibilities for impact with their own lives.

Everyone is searching for purpose.

I am searching for Purpose. You are searching for purpose. Everyone is longing for purpose and fulfillment in life. Many people pursue comfort and substantial resources in search of fulfillment. Only later in their life do they realize the value of serving those around them. Only near the end do they consider their legacy.

What happens when a young person considers legacy every day of their young lives?

What happens when life is filled with equally as spectacular financial success while also pouring your gifts and talent into the lives of others around you?

As you grow and discover who you are, show others how to do the same.

“Problems always arise when the stream of self-actualization is dammed within us. You are one in seven billion — your progress is not meant for you alone.”
 — Brent Cole

Listen, no matter who you are or what you have done up to this point, you have something to give to someone else.

There is no excuse. There is no waiting until you have more money, more success, more perspective, more experience.

The time is now. The time is every day of your life.

Who is to say that you cannot give in your own way and benefit immensely from it?

Consider your legacy today and build a life of meaning beyond financial success and comfort and therein you will find the purpose you seek.

Stop Looking for Leaders & Become One Yourself! was originally published in The Ascent on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.