With the first semester of the school year ending and the second semester just starting to begin, I began some self-reflection. This first semester was non-stop. It was probably the most go go go time of my life. As a high school senior, I’ve been trying to slow everything down and absorb the last bit of my high school experience. Being involved in so many things outside of my academics means to-do lists are my best friend. As Student Council President, I try my hardest to have my due dates and to have my schedule set out every week for my council and I to stay informed and on track. Nobody anticipates a hiccup. But the hardest thing is- life happens.

Sometimes, events don’t run exactly like they were anticipated. Sometimes, not everyone pays attention to the meeting information. Sometimes, materials are forgotten. With a schedule like the one my council runs, those instances can be hard to take in. But life doesn’t stop. It’s impossible to understand exactly what every person on your council, in your clubs, on your team, in your classes are going through, just like how they wouldn’t know what I would be dealing with. Sometimes, what they’re giving you is as much as they can give you for that day- and that is okay.

Being a flexible leader, however, cannot always be the easiest task. Here are some ways that I have become more flexible over the past year:

Know that imperfect is amazing! (That gives you even MORE room to improve!)
If you’re trying to spread knowledge- know that if you get ONE person to listen, to take in the information, you’ve done it.

Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.

Give someone else what you wish someone would give you.

If you’ve gotten this far, take some time for yourself today. Step back and flex your schedule just slightly. Life happens, but that doesn’t have to be a negative thing. Sometimes, events run better than they were anticipated. Sometimes everyone will get excited about something you’re talking about at a meeting. Sometimes, everything is perfect- all because of a little flexibility.

Leadership is Flexibility.