As I look back on my Plebehood days, I realize that it was my self-leadership skills that helped me overcome the countless challenges that came my way. Through self-leadership exercises, I developed the skill of self-control, which allowed me to make time for personal needs and compliance. This enabled me to relate to Deci and Ryan's self-determination theory, which emphasizes that the desire for a meaningful life drives self-leadership behaviors.
During those ten months of rigorous training, I learned to take charge of myself and my decisions in order to achieve my personal and professional goals. I started by identifying my strengths and weaknesses, and focused on self-reflection to determine my limitations. From there, I made a list of my goals and priorities, and broke down large goals into smaller ones to slowly achieve them. I learned to adapt to the environment and eventually made progress towards my goal.
As my Plebehood came to a close, I focused even more on myself and how I could improve each day. I learned that the first leadership principle is to know yourself and seek self-improvement. Understanding oneself is the first step to being able to understand others. Through self-leadership, I found the drive to be more effective and the courage to face any challenge that came my way.
Looking back, I realize that the first responsibility of a leader is to define reality, and the last is to say thank you. In between, a leader must serve their people and be willing to take charge of their own lives. Self-leadership is the foundation for any successful leader, and I am grateful for the lessons I learned during my Plebehood that have helped me become the leader I am today.