What do we owe ourselves?

🌟 Honoring Our Personal Mission: A Leadership Imperative

I recently reflected on a thoughtful message shared by Tati Ballesteros, and it resonated deeply with me — not only on a personal level but also from a leadership perspective. She speaks about the “invisible debts” we accumulate with ourselves: the goals we postpone, the aspirations we delay, and the commitments we continuously defer while prioritizing everything and everyone around us.

In the story she shares, Clara (a professional who lived life at high speed) rediscovered a list of goals she wrote at age 30. At 45, she realized she had not fulfilled a single one. Not out of lack of ambition, but due to the constant habit of placing her own purpose on hold. This moment of awareness revealed the substantial debt she owed to herself.

This reflection raises important questions for all of us; particularly those striving to lead with impact:

1. How many opportunities have we postponed because we believed “there’s still time”?

2. How often do we say “yes” when we mean “no,” compromising our own well-being?

3. How many strategic dreams have we deferred while focusing solely on operational demands?

As professionals and leaders, we are often deeply committed to our organizations, our teams, and our families. Yet true effectiveness requires alignment with our own mission, purpose, and vision. When these remain unclear or unprioritized, we create internal gaps — debts that eventually surface as frustration, fatigue, or lost potential.

Honoring our personal mission does not mean abandoning responsibilities or pursuing drastic changes overnight. Instead, it involves intentionally taking steps (even small ones) that reinforce the life and leadership path we want to build. It means recognizing that personal development is not a luxury; it is a foundational pillar of sustainable impact.

Bernard Shaw captured this insight profoundly when he wrote:

“The greatest sin toward oneself is not hatred, but indifference toward one’s own life.”

In a fast-paced world, it is easy to overlook ourselves. But as leaders, we are called to model self-awareness, authenticity, and purpose-driven action.

💡 A strategic question worth considering:

What do I owe myself, as a human being and as a leader, to fully honor the life and work I am meant to build?

Taking steps toward that answer ultimately benefits our teams, our organizations, and the broader communities we serve.

#Leadership #Purpose #Leadership #ProfessionalGrowth #SelfLeadership #Mindset #OrganizationalCulture #Wellbeing