Challenges are such disguised blessings. Aside from all of the field skills that I am learning, I am learning a great deal of personal skills; tonight I focus on the great mastery of leadership. My pattern in life has been to step up to the leadership role when no one else in the group will. It seems to happen by default and yet, it is where I learn the most. My internship has guided me down that same, familiar route, only this time I am learning to own it before it owns me. Earlier in the season I felt discouraged by the additional responsibilities I had taken on by ‘default’; I realized that I was lacking the sub-conscious encouragement that comes with being ‘appointed’ into the position. Instead of hosting some lame pity-party of, “why am I not more passive? My job would be so much easier!”, I decided to appoint myself into the position. Because, after all, I know what I am doing and I know how to do it well! So I organize, I delegate, I take a lot of notes, and through this, I know most about each detail of the project and that offers me a sense of appointed empowerment. One of the most important things I have learned about leadership, at this point, is that when things get frustrating, or slow, confusing or complicated, the leader should not take everything upon herself; the best thing to do is to keep all team members active in the solution. After all, we have teams to help fill in all the gaps.