Every day you face the greatest force on the face of this earth (seriously). It is the judgement of others, those all-knowing, all-seeing others who know better than anyone else, even you, what is best for you and how you should be. We put on masks for these others, we cater to their desires, we crumble before them and ask them for their opinion and then we wonder why we are so desperately unhappy and unsatisfied with the life we are living. So let me ask you, when you peel back the layers, who are you? If you take off all the masks that you wear for the world, will you like you? The face that looks back at you in the mirror, who really is that?
At the heart of all these questions is a decision that needs to be made, sometimes on a daily basis, about the person you think you are and the direction that person is taking. If you’re struggling in your life, if you’re generally unhappy about the way things are going, or you are having trouble with your relationships, chances are that you are allowing OTHERS to control some, most or even all of the unique, one of a kind, potentially great and maybe even genius individual that is you. Maybe it’s time to revisit some of the things that we need to remember about this blessing of life that will help free us up a bit and help us to realize some of that potential that is in all of us.
LIFE IS UNFAIR: We live in a democracy and it is messy and politics gets in the way and people get screwed every day and yet it is the best system in the world. So unfair. Every day, good people die and bad people live and even prosper. Really unfair. You can have the best laid plan in place and someone calls in sick or the weather ruins it. What? The point is not that life is unfair, it is every day, the point is how can you grow in spite of it, how can you keep solving problems. The old saying, “Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference, is what warriors do. Everyday. Be a Warrior!
YOU ARE UNIQUE: In many ways, you are just like everybody else and yet in some ways you are completely just you. It is others that put us in boxes and generalize us. Whether it is by race, gender, age, education, etc., we are told how we should be and act by the rules of the box that we have been placed in by others. The truth is we are all geniuses in some aspect of our lives and we are disabled or limited in others. If you asked me to teach leadership or coach soccer or play word games, I’m going to look like I have a clue about this thing called life. But if you ask me to fix your car or do math problems, I’m immediately going to need a handicapped sticker. The trick in life is to find where your strengths lie and find a way to do that. If that isn’t an option for you, then team up. Find people that have the strengths that you need and have a need for your strengths and help grow each other. Celebrate and grow the special person that is uniquely and only you!
OWN YOUR DECISIONS: We are at our best when we are happy and feel like we are making a difference. Funnily enough those two things correlate to you working within your strengths, the things you’re good at and like doing, and deciding for yourself how you are going to make a difference. So why would you give that over to others? That is not to say that you shouldn’t listen to others or even allow others to help you make life adjustments, but the final decision should be yours. You can’t grow if your built in excuse is others.
You. Your life. Your decisions. Your future. Who’s in control, who’s driving your bus? Is it you? Drop your handicap sticker (others) and be the genius you. It’s not only what you need for your happiness, it’s what the world needs for your growth. Go make that difference that only you can make and find the real you!
Merry Christmas to you and yours from Karen and I.