this post is a little late...

when i think of courage, i think of

• being yourself, and not caring what other people think about you.
• standing up to people who are mean to you, or others.
• not giving up, even when things seem hopeless.
• letting go of people who will only hurt you.
• believing in santa clause when no one else does.
• doing the right thing, even when no one else is (especially when no one else is).
• crying in the middle of a crowded place and not caring who sees.
• not only following your dreams, but chasing them.
• forgiving someone, whether or not they deserve it.
• giving your parents a hug and telling them you love them, when your friends are around.
• telling the stupid, annoying, distracting kid(s) in class to stfu.

lead. follow. or get out of the way!

"if you follow the crowd,  you might get lost in it." that's something i'll always remember. i try my hardest not to be a follower. followers were always frowned upon when i was growing up, although i'm not quite sure why. an expression i heard almost daily; "be a leader, not a follower."

so if you're not a follower, does that automatically make you a leader? that may be so, but i'm not sure i'm the best leader either. i can take charge in certain situations, rather than rely on someone else to get things done, but that doesn't make me a good leader. i feel like i'm the person who leaves the group altogether--with no intention of leading anyone--and simply goes where she pleases.

i'll only follow the crowd as long as it takes me in the direction i want to go. and it seems to me that even if you're the leader of the crowd, you've still got a pretty good chance of getting lost in it eventually.