Bhagavad Gita 3.21

yad yad ācarati śreṣṭhas

tat tad evetaro janaḥ

sa yat pramāṇaṁ kurute

lokas tad anuvartate

 

“Whatever the noble ones do and say,

The common people follow their way.

What they accept as right and true,

The world will imitate and pursue.”

 

My dear Lord, it is so easy to devalue the influence that I have over others through my actions. Whether I know it or not, at some level, I am a leader to some people. Everyone, especially a leader, has their roles and responsibilities in life, and it is easy to shirk them when they become difficult or demanding. But it is the dignity and dedication displayed during times of duress that become the lasting legacy of a leader.Bless me, O Lord, so that when I am called upon to carry a heavy load in your service, I do not succumb to the typical human reactions of becoming bitter,  resentful or feeling victimized. 

Let me remember that you have a purpose in placing me in such a demanding situation and that you will give me the necessary strength to go through it and grow through it.Bless me, O Lord, so that I can become the kind of person who can be counted upon in difficulties and, indeed, whom you can count upon amid difficulties. Grant me the conviction that the most inspiring examples are set not by people with extraordinary talent, but by people with extraordinary commitment—even when they have excuses to dodge their commitments. Just as Arjuna embraced the obligation of a difficult war, empower me, O Lord, to embrace whatever obligation life brings upon me—more precisely, whatever obligation you bring upon me through life.

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03.21 Whatever action a great man performs, common men follow. And whatever standards he sets by exemplary acts, all the world pursues.

Bless me to lead with dignity and dedication during duress