In some ways, it is not easy to learn self-leadership if we don't have people to teach us. Some of us were born to parents who had little or no opportunities to study, travel, and learn about the world. So how could they teach us something they really didn't know very well? In addition to the influence of parents and families, some cultures do not encourage independent thought and action, preferring instead to consist of obedient automatons. But even in such cultures self-leaders emerge and show that having a meaningful and significant life is possible.