Have you ever wondered what enables a leader to emerge and meet the challenge of the hour? Or what would enable you to step forward and successfully meet the challenges in your life?

"Leaders develop daily, not in a day," says John C. Maxwell in his book "Leadership Gold: Lessons I’ve Learned from a Lifetime of Leading". John also says that the choices we make in critical moments help to not only form us, but to also inform others about who we are.

I believe that statement to be true.

Most days come and go. But a few days are unlike the others, and those are the days we remember. Many defining moments come as a surprise, often arising during times of crisis.

Why do these days stand out more than others? The reason is simple. On those particular days, we stopped, thought about our life, and took action.

Maybe we saw an alternative we didn't recognize before. Maybe we faced a difficult moment. Or maybe we accomplished something new. Whatever the reason on that particular day, we seized the moment.

They might be difficult or they might be joyous, but certain moments in our life define us.

As John C. Maxwell explains, defining moments are important for several reasons:

1.   Defining moments show us who we really are.

2.   Defining moments declare to others who we are.

3.   Defining moments determine who we will become.

My life-defining moments have certainly determined who I have become. If I were to take away even one of those moments, whether it was good or bad, I would not be the person I am today.

There are lots of ways to pinpoint the defining moments in your life.

You may already know many of them. Even if you do, it's worthwhile to look for more. One way of exploring this idea is to think of the possible categories. John Maxwell suggested that many defining moments fall into one of four categories. I've added a fifth category from my life:

1.   Ground Breaking: These moments start something new. They are opportunities to change direction.

2.   Heart Breakers: These are the difficult moments, which give us the opportunity to stop and make a needed change in our life. They are a good reminder that not all defining moments are positive.

3.   Cloud Breakers: These are defining moments that come when we see a new opportunity and seize the moment.

4.   Chart Breakers: These are exciting defining moments which allow us to soar to a much higher level.

5.   Kindness Breakers: You can change someone else’s life and change your own through acts of kindness. These are the defining moments when you made a difference, big or small, in someone else's life. Remember, to the world you may be one person, but to that one person, you may be the world.

None of us can schedule our defining moments, or choose what they will be. We can, however, choose how we handle a defining moment when it happens. We can also influence how many defining moments occur.

The more you seek opportunities and take risks, the more defining moments you will experience.

The best is yet to come. It starts with you.

Your friends,
The UpCloseTeam