An important part of success in life is the ability to lead. It is important that we not only be able to lead others but be willing to lead ourselves. No one succeeds in life by simply following others. Sometimes we simply must strike a bold new path for ourselves.

Being a good leader is more than simply being at the forefront of the crowd. A leader must act. Too often in America, we simply accept that someone looks or sounds like a leader and too rarely do we actually look at the actions that leader performs — and that is the true test of leadership.

However, in order to become good leaders ourselves, we need to concentrate on actions rather than simple appearances. The title of this article refers to eight steps, but do not think of these as progressive steps like so many recipes or instruction manuals describe. Instead, think of these as actions that you must take on a regular basis.

First, be alert to new potentials. “Reality” is not absolute but rather subject to constant change. Think about inventors, explorers, and agents of social change who have achieved greatness. Some might simply say that certain people are successful because they are lucky to be in the right place at the right time. Maybe so, but if they hadn’t had their eyes open for the opportunity, then it wouldn’t have mattered if they were in the right place.

Second, accept inspiration from wherever it comes; even your opponents. The wisest leaders constantly study their competition. In war, politics, and business we constantly see examples of this research and reconnaissance. Too many times though a certain study, many concentrate on finding a weakness to exploit. If you want to a be a leader of positive change don’t fall victim to this trend. Instead, if you find a weakness, make sure to avoid that pitfall yourself. If you find the strength then find a way to strengthen your own qualities to match.

Third, learn something new and promote in new ways every day. This means you must continually seek to expand your horizons, internally and externally. Feed your mind with new lessons and knowledge, but constantly expand your social horizons as well. Seek out and meet new people and immerse yourself in new social situations. You never know when these new experiences will help you in your leadership role.

Fourth, search for and find answers in subtle clues. Look beneath the surface and constantly question. This is an extension of the third step in that you are seeking new knowledge. But this also means that you will need to step off the traditional paths of knowledge. Don’t simply read books in the literary canon or the bestsellers list. Take seminars rather than classes as there is more room for questioning and debate. Seek out the unconventional thinkers, teachers, and writers.

Fifth, improvise if no existing solutions are available. No excuses. Necessity is the mother of invention. How do you know it won’t work if you’ve never tried it before? Remember, not all approaches need to come from the front. Look at your problem from all sides and systematically attempt different solutions in various combinations.

Six, make at least one person you care about happy every day. If you make it a point to be thoughtful and caring for one person every day then soon this thoughtful, caring behavior will become a habit and that habit will spread to the others around you. Making someone else happy also feeds your own personal happiness. Just imagine how much better the world would be if we all did a little bit more to spread happiness.

Seven, offer help, even if there’s no apparent advantage to you. This means more than writing a check. It means giving of your time and energy and yourself. Sometimes it will mean helping someone you don’t know and sometimes it can be a very personal action.

Finally, never let negativity be your last word on the subject. If your final words are negative than no matter how hopeful you may be about the potential of a project or action the lasting impression you give to others is one of negativity. Accentuate the positive and you are more likely to see a positive outcome.

If you follow these eight action steps not only you will be a better leader but also lead yourself to a more successful life.

Leading your life is not easy, since it means freeing yourself from different assumptions. When you lead your life, you get a taste of true freedom, but this experience can be scary and painful – this is the reason that only a few people do it.

You were born and raised living in a society,  so it is much easier to follow the society’s assumptions. The nude truth is that by follow the assiumptions of society, it leaves you unfulfilled.

Check if any of the following assumptions are true to discover if you are leading your life or not.

You do things you don’t want to do, and feel obligated to do it. It happens to a lot of people, but remember that your first duty is to yourself. You can’t save the world if you can not save yourself.

You dislike your job. There are many excuses for it: you picked up a job because it was easier or safer than your ideal carrer, or you are even doing what you family told you to do.

Yo are living on a short budget. Money should never be a problem, and the real problem here are your priorities. Don’t let the things you own switch it’s place and own you.

Are you letting other people and circumstances write the story of your life for you? Rethink everything, even if you don’t consider yourself a follower, and start leading your life.

1. A leader does more than what is expected of them. Working harder than other people, leaders achieve their goal fasters. Real leaders don’t only do the necessary work to reach their success, they go beyond their boundaries.

2. Leaders are servants. They do everything first, specially what no one else wants to do.

3. Leaders do the right things. While masses usually do what is popular, these people never become great. Integrity and honesty are the foundations of a leaders value system.

4. A leader is always possessed with dreams. Working for a better future and looking ahead constantly and never settling down for less than what they desire and deserve.

5. A leader never allows murmuring-from himself or others. Leaders never allow gossip or negative talk to infiltrate their organization.

6. Leaders are positive and make others feel better with motivation, support, uplifting and help, since everybody need these things.

7. Leaders recognize their own mistakes and talk about it before talking about someone else’s. They recognize that nobody is perfect and are willing to acknowledge what they need to work on. They know that the log in their eyes is larger than the splinter in someone elses.