Have you heard the news, that if you go back to school and get another degree, you're sure to get a better job? Have you heard that if your marry your soul mate that you'll be taken care of the rest of your days? Were you, by any chance, taught that if you were a good little girl or boy, everything would work out for the best? 

Getting an education, getting married, being an excellent manager and practicing virtue are all wonderful things to do. But these are things you do for their own sake, not because the answer to life lies in any of these.
 

Expecting others to deliver your happiness is as effective as burning a book when you don't like what it expresses, instead of going to talk to the author of the book.

(Am I getting too deep? Sometimes I do that but my kids are not here right now to roll their eyes at me to let me know I'm off in la la land.)

I believe we are all meant to be happy, to live lives full of meaning, contribution and prosperity. A life leader is someone who lives this way, most of the time.

But the thing is, it's not a matter of winning the lottery, marrying the millionaire, connecting with the right people,  getting into the right company or club; it's all about how you choose to deal with what is in front of you right now. 

This is what life leaders look like...even when you catch them unawares.

Life leaders know what they want to experience. They constantly revisit their life intention, revising and refining their goals. They learn to separate what they really want from what they're supposed to want.

Life leaders know that the path is made by walking baby steps. There is no rescue in the one big client, the killer contract, the amazing sale, the right mutual fund, that coveted promotion. 

You try something new, fall down, lose money, pick yourself up (again,) and keep moving forward. Kinda like when you learned to walk.

Life leaders realize that success is a process that starts inside you.

There is so much clutter in the environment; so many voices calling you to buy, to eat, to drink, to go this way or that. It takes guts to listen to the very quiet voice inside you.

Life leaders are grateful...for their health, their relationships, their wealth, their opportunities, their blessings. Even when there doesn't seem to be so much to be grateful for, life leaders find things to appreciate. Right here. Right now.

Life leaders constantly work with their thoughts to reprogram their brains for success and happiness.

Another way of putting this is that life leaders constantly question their assumptions. It's very hard to do this by yourself and there are MANY resources out there to help you. It's helpful to look at all the assumptions you hold related to money (do you think it's evil?) strong relationships (is it all about finding the right person?) health (is it genetics?,) happiness (is it all in the luck of the draw?)

Life leaders take extreme care of themselves: body, mind and spirit. No one else can do that for you. It's a matter of investing time and resources in your health, your financial IQ, your professional skills, your relationships and having fun!

The reason these people become life leaders is that their commitment to being authentic makes them so attractive that other people want to be around them. This has nothing to do with company politics; thank God.

What does a life leader look like to you?