…Today I want to share with you some thoughts about leadership.

I would like to begin by sharing with you my own story.

It is a personal story. Yet, humble as it may be, it also is a story of leadership. Like your own personal stories, it is a story still unfolding, and the end has not yet been written.

Each and every one of us has a story; written and directed by the choices we make in our lives. Leadership is itself a choice, although it is sometimes placed on our shoulders like a test from God. Even then, we can accept it or not; always learning more about ourselves in the process.

I am an 11th generation New Mexican. My ancestors came to New Mexico more than 300 years ago and settled in the mountains of northern New Mexico about 30 miles north of Santa Fe in a place called Santa Cruz de la Canada.

They were brought to this remote land in 1695 by Francisco Montes Vigil I, his wife and 11 children.

One of those 11 children was Francisco Montes Vigil II who married Antonia Rivera-Giron and had 12 children of their own.

When Antonio died, Francisco Montes Vigil II re-married a woman named Lorenza Molina Quintana and they had 12 more children.

Eleven generations later, I arrived as one of 9 brothers and sisters. Most of my family still live in New Mexico today.

I relate this example of personal history because I think it's important for us to realize that there is a connection between knowing where we come from and where we are going.

I believe that knowing where we come from gives us vision for the future and that vision for the future is a prerequisite for leadership.

I believe we are not alone. We are not only with each other, but with our ancestors who brought us here over countless generations. I believe their memories live in us.

Science has revealed that even physically, the memory of our ancestors is etched in the genetic maps that lead to our faces and bones.

By discovering the past, the secrets of history give us clarity about the future and about ourselves, not only as individuals, but as nation a nation and a human race.

We have survived more than we ever will know and we are stronger than we can ever imagine because the strength and courage of our ancestors is within us.

Each of us is a history book. Let's not look in the mirror and see only the cover.

Let's look beyond the cover deeper to where spiritual powers dwell. Let's see with more than just our eyes, and feel with more than just our touch.

As a child I grew up in a modest, but happy home. In grade school I was educated by the Catholic Sisters of Loretto until the school closed in 1969. I graduated from Taos High School in 1972.

When I was 24 years old I worked for a utility company.

I was single, and involved in a shaky relationship.

Sound familiar?

I had an Associates Degree from New Mexico Highlands University and was still working on completing my Bachelors Degree in French.

I didn't have a lot, but I did have intestinal fortitude.

I wanted to be New Mexico's Secretary of State.

I had a lot of challenges when I first ran for Secretary of State in 1986.

Geographically, New Mexico is the fifth largest state in the union. Gas money was a problem. It can be 600 miles from one town to another. Nobody knew my name and nobody left the light on for me.

I had plenty of gloomy days and bleak nights.

A lot of politicians said that I was nobody, that I came from nowhere, was going nowhere, and had no chance to reach the third highest executive office in the state.

Yet, in November 1986, at the age of 32, I was elected Secretary of State in New Mexico.

Over the course of 18 years in public service, I have learned that politics in New Mexico is a contact sport, and I have had more than my fair share of political black eyes and broken teeth.

I found out that,… although it may not be pleasant…, very often we learn more from defeat than from victory, and that the loss of a battle does not mean the way is over.

Joan Baez, the singer, said once, "Action is the antidote to despair." In 1998 I was elected again to the office of Secretary of State, and in 2002 I was re-elected.

What I have achieved is nothing compared to so many women, African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans and other minority leaders in history who have made their mark in every area of human endeavor to prove that there is nothing we can not accomplish.

The dictionary says that a leader is one who goes before the others, one who guides or one who shows the way. A leader is one who guides in direction, course, or opinion to influence or induce others to action.

Consuelo Castillo Kicbush, Retired Lt. Col. U.S. Army, and the author of JOURNEY TO THE FUTURE; A ROADMAP FOR SUCCESS FOR YOUTH, said, "When it comes to leadership, we should become servant leaders. We must continue to protect our families, our environment and our nations."

If the price of greatness is responsibility, I believe it is also the price of leadership.

Leadership at every level demands responsibility. It is only a question of how much responsibility you are willing to take.

At the most fundamental level, we are faced with taking responsibility for ourselves and for our own actions. We find that even at this most basic plane, responsibility is a challenge. Yet if we do not take responsibility for our own lives it would be impossible to exert sustained leadership at any other level.

We are each responsible for out own condition. It is a fact of life that we ignore at our own peril. It is the first and most important lesson to understand about leadership. We are each fully responsible for where we are today.

Anything less than taking responsibility for yourself and your own life gives your power to someone or something else.

Your life belongs to you. Not to others. Not to fate. If you have given it away, take it back. Do not be afraid. There is much greater danger when you are not in control of the steering wheel.

Leaders have to lead their own life first. A leader says, "I, and no other, is responsible for my life." My friends, this is the beginning of personal liberation and power. This is the beginning of leadership.

It is a simple concept. Yet powerful and profound in its impact.

Without leadership there is no morale. Without morale there is no productivity. Leaders inspire morale and productivity, by example and communication that is positive.

Every level of leadership demands the ability to inspire and motivate. I can think of no better way to do this than to simply treat every person you meet with respect and kindness.

Every person you meet is deserving of your attention and encouragement.

A true leader will not underestimate the power of kindness. Kindness is not derived from weakness, but from great inner strength.

All of us are capable of leadership if we take responsibility for our own lives.

Leadership at any level; in the family, community, state, nation, or the world, is possible with the authority of personal responsibility.

You are all accomplished women. Yet I call on all of your to join me in aspiring to a higher level of leadership.

We are all spiritual beings. We are leaders every time we take responsibility, and every time we accept responsibility we affect someone's life. In this way, all of us are leaders; and that is the most valuable lesson that I can share with you about leadership…

Additional information about Rebecca Vigil-Giron