Daily writing prompt

Are you a leader or a follower?

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When leadership finds you

“Some leaders are born, some leaders are made.”

This quote was never my favorite and nothing about it interests me. It never spoke to me or sparked any interest. I grew up in a super competitive environment. I often felt pressured to join all kinds of skills training. Most of the time, it was not even by choice.

Back in primary school, I auditioned for athletic events like javelin, discus, and shot put but didn’t make the cut. In middle and high school, I tried sports like softball, volleyball, and basketball. None of them really fit me. So, I shifted to board games and found my stride in math competitions like Dama (draughts) and chess scrimmages. I also got involved in student government and attended leadership workshops. But honestly, all those extracurricular left me drained. The constant pressure to compete took an emotional toll. Instead of good memories, it left me with resentment and performance anxiety.

In the end, all of that pushed me into being more of a follower than a leader. I chose to stick with the mediocre, blending into the mainstream without chasing big achievements. And honestly, that brought a sense of peace and contentment. But over time, I noticed something interesting. Time would always bring back the things I learned in the past. Whenever things started falling apart around me, I’d somehow end up stepping up. This happened when the leader in charge got tired. Even when I wasn’t trying to lead, leadership kept finding me.