By Dr. Steve Smith, Pacers Founder and Team Doc
There are some people who can bend life to their own will. They can shape the universe to their own liking and they have the ability to shape your life as well.
There have been many such people, these life-benders. You don’t have to look very far to find them. They are among us; take a look. You have been running alongside them and probably don’t even know it.
Life-benders are leaders, though they are a very special type of breed. Remember that not all leaders stand at pulpit or in front of cameras. Instead, life-benders are especially apt at one-on-one or small group interactions. Life-benders are inspired leaders, ones who ignite people to believe in their quest. Pages of history are filled with the names of those who, with a small army defeated a superior force by sheer inspiration. Great cities were built, temples erected and governments toppled by a leader burning with belief, inspired by an ideal.
The Pacers are my ideal. We’re filled with leaders motivated to help each other, but we always need more. Consider this my rallying cry to get you—yes, you—to volunteer.
Volunteerism is the single most opportune place to develop your skills as a leader. There is almost no cost for failure as a volunteer, no visits to HR for a performance review, no being called out for low achievement.
Highly-skilled, able people develop as a result by raising their hand and saying “I’ll help! I’ll do it!” They take on more and more then figure out a way to handle the mess they have created for themselves. They have many trials and tribulations along the way, but they are rewarded by seeing others—an entire club, even—succeed. They gain experience and new abilities. They achieve the status of life-bender.
Raise your hand and volunteer. Exert your energies toward raising people up and feed the seeds of greatness that dwells within every single human being and you will be the creator of a better society.
If you would like to live among winners, then go about building winners in your midst!