Sara | Age: 19 | Ann Arbor, MI
Founder, Sara's Soldiers
Leadership is... the way you influence others, through even the smallest of changes, to look at life and situations in order to help spark positive actions.
Leadership in Life... Most times people aim to break records, but my biggest record was my one of my biggest struggles, my health. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes as a kid and shortly after that I was diagnosed with a heart condition called Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS), causing me to pass out so often that I lost count of how many times; it was truly a record setting number. I had always been someone who never holds back. Everything I did was always done at least at 100%, and some of this effort go into leading by example. However, it was getting to a point where I couldn't finish a workout with my team without hitting the ground, and I didn't know what to do. It got to the point where it was hard to get through a few days of school without me ending up on the ground, and I was struggling to find my place. As the weeks went by, I realized my attitude was the one needing change. There was no reason that I should not be smiling each time I woke up, because I was lucky to continue to live my life. My body may be unpredictable, but my attitude is not. I started to live each day with a smile on my face through it all because I was and still am doing what I love, and that is trying to make the world a little brighter of a place. I may not always be able to lead by example like before, but my attitude and perseverance helps me lead better than ever. My struggle is still not over, but I no longer call it a struggle: I call it my wonderful life.
Advice… Take time to constantly learn yourself, because we are always going through personal change as life progresses forward. Ask questions, reflect, re-think your actions, and see how you can further define your “why” in your daily life.
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