Journal #2 To be or not to be

What makes a good leader?
Answer: a servant leader. An individual who is there for the improvement and aspirations of their people, not for their personal glorification. Someone who is present, passionate and inspiring.
But as a female, is it that easy? Sheryl Sandburg believes there is a fine line between success and personal fulfillment. As women, we put daily pressures upon ourselves to strive to be better, reach farther and push longer. But we strive to do this in every aspect of our lives, not just in the professional sector. And inevitably, when things become too much to handle, it is more often than not the professional part of ourselves that we let go.
We are nurturing, compassionate and caring. We are mothers, it is in our genes! We are servant leaders to our world. We give everything we can to every other person in our lives before we step back and give to ourselves. But how much can we give before giving up too much of ourselves?
I've experienced this a few times already in my many roles as a leader and busy life schedule. There were times that I gave so much to everyone else that by the end of the day I had nothing left of myself. My many positions and duties overwhelmed my daily life and left no time for my personal enjoyment. Like my passion for dancing. As a student athlete I've always looked at running as a part of me and now even a job. Dance however, is a hobby and an outlet to release stress. As my running career continued to excel and my duties as a leader in multiple organizations began to grow, my time for dance began to shrink. Eventually I had to quit.
Sandburg tells us to stay in the workforce and always keep pushing. To keep our foot on the pedal. But at what point do we finally let off the gas?