To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
We beat ourselves up for things society, our families, our bosses want us to do, but we are in no position to execute. We’ve grown up in homes where our abilities have been measured and compared. Lines like, “Why aren’t you like your brother? Why don’t you do it like her?” keep echoing in our ears and breaking our hearts.
We start to feel like we are lazy, incompetent, not good enough and useless. But whose fault is it that I’m not as smart as my sister? Or that I’m not as outgoing as my friends?
In my first year in high school, my homeroom teacher commented on my report card that I’m very reserved and need to work on my social skills. Naturally, I’m a loner, the kind that would prefer curling out in my couch at home, reading a good book to hanging out in a loud crowded place.
That comment on that report card cemented a lot of what other people had said. You’re anti social, Your life is boring and so on. Over time, I started believing what everyone around me was saying, so I decided to get out of my shell and experience this ‘social’ world.
To be honesty, it wasn’t a good experience. I was trying so hard to fit in, love what other people loved, laugh when I wanted to cry. I was sad. I was an alien lost in a world I didn’t understand. In the end, I was frustrated living a life that wasn’t meant for me.
Ever since, I learnt to appreciate and embrace the person God created me to be. I am not wrong, I’m only different.
We are all different, created with unique personalities, tastes, abilities and it is only courteous if the world respected that. That employers would not throw us out because we are not outspoken. That schools will not grade us as slow learners or fast learners.
No body came empty, we all have gifts and abilities we shine at
It doesn’t matter if the world does not agree with who you are or what you do. One thing remains true: you are empowered to do that one thing and you are the only one who can ace it.
Be confident in who God created you to be. He didn’t create you to be like everybody else. He took His time to design you, He gave you those traits that you possess, the skills that you have. The least we can do is leverage them.
We shouldn’t forfeit our joy to please other people or seek to make the world happy. Let’s seek to make God happy by using our personalities and gifts He blessed us with.
