The Starving Baker

1.) In your opinion, why is personal growth and wellness a key characteristic to good leadership?

Being able to grow and learn from your experiences is indeed a key characteristic in a leader. When you think about it, being a leader means taking that first step for the group and excepting and learning from the outcome and then guiding others in the right direction. If we didn't focus on our personal growth then those in our community could also be stunted or we ourselves could be so stagnant that our community outgrows us.

2.) What is your biggest hindrance to taking time for personal growth? 

For me personally, my biggest issue with taking time for myself, is finding the time. Everything I do has a time limit on it especially in college. Being able to find time to balance expectations and self care is difficult and something I do struggle with heavily. I haven't found a good response for how I can fit this into my life yet, but I know that I must. With that being said, I am still one to take up obstacles so I do grow from my experiences.

3.) Ancient wisdom. An old proverb says: "If the axe is dull and he does not sharpen its edge, the worker must exert more strength. Wisdom has the advantage of giving success." The lumberjack story was inspired by this proverb. We all understand the importance of "sharpening the axe." Why do you think we fail to do it? Why does it seem like a waste of time?

I think sometimes we only see that we have the tool in front of us to take care of the situation, however, we don't ever thinking about sharpening those tools because we claim to already have it. It seems like a waste of time for that very reason. but as leaders it is important to acknowledge that while you may have that tool, it may not be a sharp for you as it is for others and vice versa. Just like we did in class with our presentations, we all had that skill, but we had to refine it to make best use of it as leaders.

4.) Why is it we often feel guilty when we stop to take care of ourselves?

I personally feel very selfish because I feel as if I am putting myself before others. As a leader it is very difficult to remember that you can only be your best for those around you when you, yourself, are at your best. I think leaders get so caught up in thinking about what is best for those in their community and forget to think about themselves. 

5.) Staying "sharp" can mean lots of things. How do you do it? How do you feed and refresh yourself?

Usually for me, how I sharpen myself, is by taking a break. Sometimes there is no go time to do it, but it is necessary if I want to continue to be able to provide acceptable attention to my projects and communities. Taking a day to do nothing and get sit and enjoy my own presence is how I take time back for myself.