Have you ever heard that in order to effectively lead others that you must be able to lead yourself first? The greatest leaders of all time have all been people who had mastered the art of personal leadership and have been able to set an example to inspire others. So how do you begin to lead yourself properly and develop the characteristics of a true leader? If you are ready to take control of the most influential person in your life, which is yourself, there are three basic principles you must begin with. Once you understand and master these, leading others will come naturally.

The very first thing to do is get your energy focused on the things which are under your control and off of the things which you cannot. Too many people waster their resources trying to make themselves responsible for the opinions, perceptions, emotions and desires of others. This is not only a waste of your energy, but it is a dead end in trying to influence others. Instead it will lead to codependent compromise based relationships at best. Make it a point to examine all of your actions and motives to see if they are based on an attempt to be responsible for others or for yourself.

Once these lines are drawn, you move on to being proactive about your future. Where most people go wrong here is being proactive in dealing with things which they believe that life is going to pass their way. This is simply preparing to manage your life for the sake of avoiding crisis, and it will not help you to get what you really want from your future. Instead, being proactive must be based on asking yourself where you want to be in five or ten years and working backwards from there to the present moment. Be sure that as you do this that the goals of the future are treated with as much urgency as the potential problems.

Finally, you must develop a clearly written plan which is both measurable and flexible. Measurable so that you can track your progress as you go and flexible so that you can adjust your actions according to what the measurements reveal. While it is easy to develop a system to get results, any system which lacks the capability to examine and redefine itself sows the seeds for its own destruction. The harmonious working of measurement and flexibility will ensure that you have a means by which you can persist at your plan until you reach the desired goal.

Follow this process consistently and you will find that personal leadership naturally gives way to the leading of others. As Napoleon Hill said in 'Think and Grow Rich', "The world has a way of making room for people who can show that they know where they are going." This is the most important thing when it comes to leadership, people will not only get out of your way if you are certain about your direction but they are also more likely to forgive you when you fail. The most important thing is that you do not give up and that you fight on the face of what appears to be failure. This will prove without a doubt that you are a leader worth following.