Webster's defines leadership as : “1. office of position of a leader, 2. capacity to lead, 3. act of instance of leading, 4. LEADERS.” Dale Carnegie, founder of Dale Carnegie Institute and teacher of leadership skills, defines leadership as a mixture of traits and skills that can be learned and honed. John C. Maxwell, founder of INJOY and professional speaker on leadership, agrees with Carnegie, but further states that there are five levels of leadership with highest level being attained by only a few people.

So what really determines leadership? Does position or office determine leader or is it capacity to lead? Just because a person holds a certain position in a company or in government does not necessarily mean they can be a leader. We can look at out previous President and see that office does not make leader. Because a certain individual has been promoted to a leadership position with a company, does that make person a leader? They are expected to be able to lead, but what truly makes a person a leader? Is it a skill that can be learned, practiced, and enhanced by qualities that we are born with?

Leadership is a combination of traits, qualities, and skills that not only learned and practiced, but are not necessarily inherent qualities that a person is born with. To develop leadership we must become students of human relations. The we can become goon communicators and listeners, offer genuine appreciation and praise to others, and show others respect they deserve. WE then must learn not to be overly critical, to harness enthusiasm, give people a good reputation to live up to, and keep a sense of fun and balance in out lives. These are all good qualities that one must strive to obtain to become a leader of people. Not only will they then reap rewards of being a leader, but they will also begin to develop others into leaders, thus expanding their influence as well as building up organization they are associated with. Not only is that a trait of a good leader but also that is a responsibility leader must live up to if they wish to become a great leader. In his book, “Developing Leader Within You,” John C. Maxwell lists five levels of leadership as:

I just read an installment from another self-improvement course that states that celebrities are unhappy because they don’t have gratitude for what they have. I disagree.

Have you ever had a time when you were making a good living, lived in a nice place, drove a nice car, took trips, had everything you needed and more – and yet you were still unhappy?

It wasn’t that you were ungrateful for what you had, just something seemed wrong. You weren’t fulfilled, or some- thing, but you couldn’t quite figure out what problem

was? Maybe you’re in a situation like that now. You feel like you should be happy, who wouldn’t given all that you have, but you’re not.

It simply means that your life is out of balance. Something has been shoved under rug and forgotten about. It might be spending quality time with family or friends, or even just by yourself. It might be that you’re not eating well enough to keep your body balanced. It might be that even though you make a good living, you don’t love what you do.

If you look at life of a celebrity, you can understand why they would be so unhappy. Their lives are totally out of balance. They spend years on road. They don’t have time for important relationships and recreational time. They’re always under pressure to be “star”.

Think about how you feel when you’ve put in a lot of hours at work and then have no energy left to give to your family. You don’t have energy to eat a good meal or get exercise you need in order to have more energy.

People are on never-ending treadmill trying to get money. But money itself will not make you happy. Life is a delicate balance of relationships, emotions, desires, and responsibilities to others as well as to yourself.

What do you really need to live a balanced life?

A clean, safe, calm home to retreat to – your escape from rest of world where you can let your hair down, relax, and be yourself.

A healthy diet and exercise to stay fit, healthy, trim and full of energy.