I think most people want to be a leader. The title evokes feelings of respect, honor and integrity.  It means you give direction, provide hope, instill faith and clear the path for others.

While many want to be, not many can be. Think about someone asking you to become a manager at your job. You’ve seen what managers go through. They don’t get paid substantially more but their hours and commitment rise. People start having more public opinions of you while superiors have higher expectations. There seemingly is no point to having more responsibility.

That’s ok. Because most people are not leaders.

Most people walk the line, blend with the crowd and don’t take chances. These same people watch a lot of TV, overly scroll through social media, have a lot of online opinion, lack listening skills and are not contributing to their community. They have excuses. Lots and Lots of Excuses – to why they are not healthy, why they don’t get ahead, why their spouse is annoying or why our country is doomed.

Leaders are generally positive beings. They inspire others to take positive and progressive actions. Leaders don’t focus on what is wrong, but identifies what is right and what should be, could be and therefore would be if we all took effort towards a rightful cause.

So what is your right? What is something you believe wholeheartedly in your soul? What is a path you see, that you’ve walked down and can provide direction to others?

I knew my path was fitness at a very young age. I watched other people suffer from health-related issues due to inactivity and also personally struggled with disordered eating, hormonal weight gain and depression. I wanted to be a light in the fitness world. I’m not talking about promoting hardcore workouts, looking super muscly or fixating on extreme diets. I’m talking about taking care of your body moderately by drinking a lot of water, eating less processed foods and being mindful of your intake. I’m talking about moving on a daily basis, getting around nature – and above all – being around people who are like YOU.

I believe our health issue is social issue.

I believe that our society and the people around us normalize habits and behaviors. I believe that you are who you hang out with. In fact, I absolutely believe the people around you bring you up or bring you down. They will unconsciously sabotage your efforts to be healthy if they are not. They will encourage you to skip a workout, bring home pizza and eat it right in front of you. After all, change doesn’t feel good and we like to be around people who represent our routines and expectations of ourselves.

What we need right now – with over 2/3 of our country being overweight or obese – are LEADERS. We need people who will represent what’s RIGHT. We don’t need fitness influencers, we need fitness leaders. We need leaders, who create leaders. We need people who have gone through the forest and are showing others the way by clearing the brush, providing a map, creating signs, building bridges and organizing a community of people who share new values, healthy habits and encouraging energy.

Not everyone can be a leader. But, you can. You don’t even need to know everything! You just need to help people find their role so they can serve others through their passions. Do they love running? Are they good at event planning? Do they love sharing recipes? Are they kind and welcoming to others? Everyone can contribute. Everyone has value. Everyone can serve…it’s your job, as a leader, to build their esteem and help them find their place.

Respect is earned. Honor is earned. Integrity…is earned. These are priceless emotions that you cannot quantify through a pay raise or award. It’s something you receive by doing, not sometimes, but most of the time.

You think about your pact.

You think about your pack.

You think about your power to change the world by first leading the world inside of you.

YOU Lead.