I have problems with the idea of leading. What important things do you all decide/lead for your families? Isn't 'leading' really more of a negotiation or persuading rather than a commanding the other(s)?
The most fundamental concept of leadership isn't the ability to command, it's the ability to be someone others would want to follow.
There aren't any lists of what areas you should lead and other areas where it's okay NOT to lead for you to follow. That isn't leading - that's following...a LIST!
You can't lead others if you can't lead yourself, so focus on leading yourself well first. Your family needs you to be the man, Luke. If you want a list, here's a short one:
Act honorably.
Always do the right thing.
Stand firm in your convictions.
Be courageous.
Be strong.
Do everything out of love.
Be patient, gentle, kind, and respectful.
If you do those^ things on a consistent basis, if that's the kind of man you are, you may not realize you're leading, but if you turn around you will see people following you.
Write that list down, or type it out and print it off. Keep it in your wallet. Look at it. Memorize it. When you decide something, when you are confronted and need to act, are you adhering to your list? Hold yourself accountable to it.
Two things stuck out to me:
1) " I am going to lunch tomorrow to meet a new possible guy friend, without asking" - Is she your wife or is she your mom and you're a little kid again?
2) "...when I said this weekend that I was going to get [the car] washed, W pointed out that it was not so dirty and so this was environmentally and financially wasteful (we try to be environmentally conscious), and I was dissuaded." - Don't be. If you want to wash the car, wash the car.
What you need is a whole lot less talk, and a whole lot more action. Be the man I described above, and do it quietly.
Quiet confidence. Strength.
-PM
M:12y - BD:12/11 - D:6/13 - 4Ds
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -MLK Jr.
