I, for one, wholeheartedly agree with what Rick Warren had to say in his twenty minute speech at TED. The crux of the talk revolved around living a life of purpose, a life that fulfills the soul of an individual as opposed to just revolving around hoarding material gains (Warren, 2006). As Rick Warren so eloquently pointed out, becoming rich never made anyone happy and content. The amount of cash earned by an individual and the amount of possessions and properties held by an individual are in no way related to the level of peace and contentment attained by an individual. On the contrary, it is frequently seen that the richest people are those who are the most fed up and perplexed about their lives (“Trash the Self-Help Books: Your Life Is Not About You”, 2016). They possess everything, have far reaching influence but still do not feel fulfilled and gratified. To solve this problem that has infested our upper and middle classes due to rampant capitalism, Rick proposes a change of approach. This change of approach revolves around an idea that we start living our lives with a sense of purpose. Rick conveys his belief that humans were not made just to pay bills and grow old.
The daily routine that we preoccupy ourselves with is not living but rather can be more accurately defined as being nothing more than existing. As opposed to distractions that each and every one of us has busied ourselves with, Rick correctly believes that each and every individual came into this world with a special purpose (Laura, 2013). This point of view is accurate as it makes complete sense of the chaos around us. We, as a species, were never an accident of the cosmos who meant to live until eighty. Rather, each and every one of us was sent here for a reason and this reason is to serve God’s species justly and empathetically. In addition, servitude of God’s creations can also be done by polishing our natural skills and pursuing our professional desires. Not only does such an approach satisfy our intrinsic and extrinsic needs but it also does well to serve all of God’s creation. Therefore, I wholeheartedly agree with Rick Warren’s thoughts and believe that his point of view has the capacity to inspire millions of disenfranchised individuals who are rotting away in their seemingly purposeless lives. How does a life of purpose relate to leadership? Leadership, as Rick Warren pointed out, is nothing more than stewardship. A leader, for the duration of the time that he occupies the position, is responsible for the nurturing and development of his or her subordinates. Therefore, if one has natural leadership traits or is suddenly thrust into a position of authority, then he or she must do right by God and fulfill his or her role fully (Lickerman, 2013).
Doing right by God in this regard refers to being transparent and just in all practices. A leader, by virtue of position, employs an extremely important post in any state of affairs. He or she is directly responsible for the smooth operation of a contingent of men, is responsible for attaining a specific goal and is responsible for ensuring that things continue to run smoothly and hassle-free (McGonigal, 2012). If an individual believes that his life’s calling pertains to leadership and authority, then he must ensure that he reaches such a position where he may use his natural talent for the benefit of the people. Life does not always provides an opportunity to use the God given gifts and if such a situation arises where an individual has the talent but not the opportunity to best serve the people through leadership, then he or she should try to reach a position where he or she may transfer the benefit of talent to the largest number of people possible.
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Squandering the natural talent not only leads to an unfulfilled life for the said individual but also prevents the masses from benefiting from the natural talent of the individual. Leadership includes positions that exude confidence, empathy, inspiration, authority and resolve to drive a group of people to achieve the preset goals. It is a serious and significant responsibility as it pertains to the future of a large number of people as well as of corporations or conglomerates. Leaders, either natural or nominated, should realize the gravity of the responsibilities that have been thrust upon them as a result of their position (Riggio, 2016). It is imperative that they conduct their affairs with justice and honesty as God has put them in a position where they have the capacity and the authority to influence the future of a large number of people. Therefore, leaders must tackle leadership with the mindset that this position is their life’s purpose. Using such an approach will not only lead to contentment and satisfaction on part of the leaders but it would also help to ensure that the rights of subordinates are not trampled upon by their superiors.
