Leaders and Followers
Jenny Miller
Section 57
9-17-07
Comparison and Contrast
Leaders and Followers
Until now, I have always been a quiet, “go with the flow and try to fit in” kind of person. Throughout my high school years though, I have come to the realization that I should do things the way I feel is the right way, even if it is harder. I shouldn’t have to worry about what other people think. I have discovered that I have mainly been a “follower” all my life. Now, I realize that I am sort of a “leader.” Leaders and followers have extremely different points of view.
One huge difference in leaders and followers are their self esteem levels. I know when I was a little bit younger, I didn’t have as much self esteem as I do now. If someone had come up to me and told me that my shirt was really ugly, I would’ve believed it, and I would have been down for a long time. I believe that that was the outcome of following in everybody else’s footsteps, not my own. Now that I am older, I have realized that having confidence in myself is far more important than worrying about what my peers think. If someone doesn’t like what I wear on a certain day, I don’t care because it’s my own style and preference.
Another difference between a leader and a follower is their point of view about “fitting in.” I was always trying to be like everyone else when I was about middle school age. I guess I just wanted a lot of friends to fit in with. I used to spend way too long deciding whether to wear the cute blue striped shirt or the pink tank top to school. I also worried too much about how my hair looked that day. Was it ugly when it was up in a ponytail? Should I take it out and wear it down the rest of the day? Now I wear whatever feels right to me. Many days, I only feel like wearing comfortable sweats and a tee shirt, so I do. I just act like myself and I’m fine with that. Sure I have to try to make new friends, but I’m not going to change myself for other people.
Leaders and followers also differ because leaders can become role models. Most of the time people that follow others aren’t really put in situations that they can be a role model in. Because I am a dancer, I feel that I have become a role model to younger girls who want to grow up and pursue their dancing. Every year, my dance team puts on a clinic for young girls to teach them more about dance. Last year, there was this one little first-grader in the group I was teaching. She was so amazed at my dancing abilities that she said, “Wow! I hope I can do that someday!” Even though I am not the strongest dancer, a young girl saw me as a role model to look up to. And that’s what makes me feel good about myself.
Leaders and followers are very different in their points of view. Throughout my past experiences, I have learned that being yourself is far better and gets you way further than just following everyone else all of the time. I hope that I can continue to be a leader and role model for many others throughout my life.