A lot of the time, the leaders we think of first are presidents, CEOs, and people with high ranking and a lot of power. But the folks at the top aren’t the only leaders. In a webinar for Intuition, Stephanie Bingham, the certified Reiki Master behind Brilliant City Reiki, made it very clear that leadership happens everywhere. And you’re a leader, too.
“You always have been. The reason why we tend to forget this—or not embody this—is because we’re afraid of our own influence in ways we don’t even consider,” she says. “We’re also afraid to let go of this idea of leadership that we have in our minds, because we could just rely on someone else to lead us all the time, and that feels easier than having to listen to your own voice.”
In reality, leadership shows up constantly. “It could be as simple as giving someone some words of encouragement, because that can point them in a direction of positivity and opportunity,” Bingham says. Being a leader—and realizing your true potential—just takes some practice, and there’s an exercise Bingham loves that can help bring out the best in yourself and others.
How to Bring Out the Best in Yourself and Others As a Leader
1. Write Down Your Top Leaders
The first step is writing down the top five people in your life that you consider leaders, and why you consider them leaders. Think beyond “typical” leaders. It might be a friend, a family member—really, anyone who’s a leader in your own world.
2. Think About What You Have to Offer
Next, Bingham says to think about the attitudes and gifts you have to offer the world and write them down on a piece of paper.
3. Think About What’s Most Important For You to Create
Now, think about what feels most important for you to create next year and write it down. “What kind of space, what kind of world—what do you want to create?” she says.
4. Write Down Your Feelings
Finally, write down which feelings are associated with what you’ve written. “When you think about your attributes and what you want to create, what kind of feelings or sensations are associated with that? How does that feel?” she says.
5. Take This New Wisdom and Run With It
As you go about your everyday life, continue to get in touch with these feelings. Bingham recommends doing this by doing a daily five-minute meditation. “This will help you get back into that higher awareness and higher perspective,” she says. You can also do a “30 Days of Joy” challenge.
“Joy—and focusing on things that bring you joy—really brings you back into that place of authenticity and truth. It pivots your thoughts from the disagreements and the politics in your office and back into your own energy,” she says. “By practicing joy, you’re practicing leadership because your own true nature is leadership. And when you shift back into your own true nature by feeling joy, you’re shifting back into leadership.”
For the challenge, remind yourself to sink into moments of joy—even the littlest things, like that first sip of coffee in the morning. Before you know it, you’ll not only be bringing out the best in yourself, but getting to a place where you’re able to bring out the best in those around you as well.
