Two Mondays ago, I had the honor of spending the day onboarding as a lululemon Ambassador with 30+ other Ambassadors and the store managers from the North Chicago suburbs and entire Wisconsin region.  We call this Wiscago!

It was a fabulous day filled with inspiring discussions, yoga and really great food.  Each and every individual at the event was energetic and uplifting and are clearly movers and shakers in their communities.  The greatest theme that came from our collective discussions, was that it is our mission to inspire others through stepping into our role as courageous leaders.

As a lululemon Ambassador, we are an extension of the brand and nurture our communities within the three pillars of the Sweatlife:

Sweat – A community leader who loves to sweat and make a positive impact.
Grow – Committed to growth in community, personally, and professionally.
Connect – There is a power in connection to the self, community, and the world.  Connection is empowering, joyful and authentic.

An ambassador is committed to be a champion for lululemon products, and also the Sweatlife philosophy.  In turn, we are supported in our endeavors to elevate and accomplish goals for ourselves both personally and professionally.  A very cool deal!

Each of the three pillars of the Sweatlife can be applied to all of us, in any area of our life.  Making a positive impact, personal growth, and connecting with others so that we can elevate the world around us are what makes a great leader and frankly, an amazing human being.

A great leader is one who inspires others to lead by the example they set forth.  True leaders are not in it for personal gain, it is the reward that is received when those around them are growing and thriving because they are serving in an impactful way.

I love the spirit of the three pillars listed above because they exemplify the aspects of a courageous leader.  We are all leaders in the many roles we have in our lives.  It is in our DNA to learn and grow and challenge ourselves to be and do more.  When we value enhancing ourselves emotionally, spiritually and physically we enrich our personal and community connections.  Courageous leaders dare to be different, and as Brene Brown’s research has overwhelmingly shown, “choose courage over comfort.”

Being brave and taking chances does come with some costs, yet the ability to rise back up, stay gritty, and stay in the tough moments is how we strengthen our courage muscle.   To excel is to stay in the long game, and courageous leaders exhibit the characteristic of resilience and bounce and teach others to do the same by their example.  Our growth is dependent on us stepping out of our comfort zones.

And how does sweating make us better leaders?  In order to be fully effective, we must take care of our physical bodies.  Our mental acuity, energy, motivation, emotional stability, and overall vitality depends on it!  Our roles as parents, teachers, executives, coaches, and every job that requires social interaction, it is essential to take care of our vessels in order to reach our highest potential as leaders and human beings.

When we are able to serve our families and communities to make the world a better place, this gives our lives purpose and meaning.  This connection is the vehicle and power to put all of our leadership capabilities into action!  We are called to put ourselves out there and make a difference.   We can all step into our own version of courageous leadership to reach our  highest potential, the potential of the people we are meant to serve, and uplifting our communities.

This message from lululemon sums things up perfectly, “To all of you- the sweaty philosophers, the daredevil entrepreneurs, the audacious leaders- with gratitude.  Your spark elevates our entire collective!”