Resources for Leaders

The line that stuck out for me from our Resources for Leaders session last week is "Make time for it." Make time for community service. Make time for eating meals. Make time for exercising.

As leaders, our goal is largely to help and give to others. Sometimes because of this, it is easy for us to forget to take care of ourselves.

To me, this almost sounds like a selfish statement as I'm typing it or saying it out loud. After all, isn't my goal in life to help others? I don't make it a priority to help myself. However, as several of the presenters pointed out, taking care of oneself isn't putting aside the needs of others -- it's taking time to maximize your efficiency later.

As soon as they explained this, I realized that they were right. Images of myself staring blearily down at my anthology without a thing to say about an essay I adored, because of my mind simply not functioning due to lack of sleep, popped into my head. Had I taken a few more hours to rest, rather than going over translations of my repertoire pieces (which truly could have been put off until the next day), I'd have my talking points at the ready, and spark some potentially useful conversation, helping myself and my classmates to better understand the piece. As convoluted as it sounds, there is a great deal of truth in the simple fact that I have to take care of myself to take care of others in the way that I wish to.

By taking the time to choose foods that will keep me alert, rather than cramming foods high in both fat and convenience down my throat, I could make my waking hours that much more productive. By participating in community service, I can make a difference in a variety of places while still dedicating the bulk of my time to the causes I care most about. All in all, the best solution is balance, and taking care of oneself benefits everyone. Who knew?