Boy, aren’t we all trying to live our lives the best way we have learned how! This life can be either challenging, boring, exciting, amusing, mundane and unpredictable all at the same time. Others cannot live it for us but it must be lived day in and day out by the individual. In this game of life- it may not be fair to compare, contrast or measure your level of success against your colleagues’, mentor, friends’ or siblings. To paint this imagery clearly in your mind’s eye just hold out your fingers or wiggle your toes, have a look at them and then ask yourself whether they are each identical in size? If you have done this simple experiment correctly then you will come to the realization that they are not all equal but each finger fulfills an important function in our daily, weekly, monthly and yearly assignments and tasks.
As individuals, we owe it to ourselves to cultivate and nurture the best that is in each one of us. I remember, a few years ago where I attended and participated in a Youth Conference on cultivating our best selves and particular emphasis revolved around what we had done with our inner child. Since that conference, many years ago…. inside my wallet I carry with me a picture of myself as a handsome young child and now looking forward in retrospect with the number of years that have passed; I always ask myself whether I have made that young boy happy or miserable through my life’s decisions.
God has placed in each one of us….. talents and abilities that are wasting away and waiting to be dug up, cleaned an discovered. We have been made to be as powerful as we can and sadly—we often sell ourselves short of our greatest potential through individual and societal excuses. Some of us complain that our parents did not take us to the best Ivy league schools of the world or that we were not born into a reputable family— which would enable us to network with individuals of local and international renown. When we allow ourselves to develop this kind of attitude then we also end our upward trajectory in the game of life. Someone once opined that our attitude in life will determine our latitude.
When we begin this journey of building ourselves to become better individuals in our homes, workplaces, communities and even the word at large then those around us will notice our character and our zeal for life! We will no longer be competing against others but we will be working around the clock to become the best that we can possibly be. Herein lies the secret to life’s success having cultivated and nurtured a winning personality and a yearning mind. I conclude with these words taken from the book ‘A Return To Love’ (1992) by Marrianne Williamson:
“...Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous?
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small does not serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are all meant to shine, as children do.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.
It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.