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My husband is an amazing artist. He can draw almost anything. His art work is truly stunning, and his talent is just impressive. Me? Well, I am horrible at drawing. I am lucky to even be able to make a stick figure. But I really do wish I had this talent…
My sister…she is a fantastic cook. She is a natural in the kitchen and comes up with some creative yet also tasty dishes. This gift of hers is incredible to see in action. Me? If you are a weekly reader then you already know the answer to this one — I am awful in the kitchen. It’s a miracle if I can get Ramon Noodles to turn out correctly. So each night when my husband prepares our meal, I sit back and wish I too could do better with cooking.
Then let’s not forget about singing. When I head out to listen to live music in the area, and when I hear all the amazing voices in my community, I want nothing more than to have this musical gift…but Me? Not a chance! How I wish that I could carry a tune!
And truthfully, this list could go on and on. There are so many things I am not very good at. And I know so many people who are much better at all of these things. In the past, I would catch myself dwelling on these inabilities’ way too much…until my daughter pointed something out one bizarre April morning…
Living in Eastern Iowa, most of us tend to look forward to the month of April. Sure, it’s supposed to be filled with rain showers to bring May flowers, but it’s always a great month because it means winter is behind us for yet another year. Expect this morning…because this random April morning, we ended up getting a pretty significant snow storm. But this snow storm seemed much different than the others. As we were heading to the local farmer’s market with those large snowflakes coming down, we could clearly see the distinct pattern of each one as it hit our windshield. It was a neat thing to appreciate!
And that is when my daughter asked the question that will stick with me always. She asked if every single snowflake that exists out there has its own unique pattern…if there really are no two alike? And I couldn’t wait to answer her question with a very definite YES! Because of the millions of snowflakes that exist, no two will ever be alike. No two will ever be the same. How cools is that!?!
You can probably guess next what these snowflakes reminded me of in that moment? You got it…people! Because of the millions and millions of humans that exist, no two will ever be alike. No two will ever be the same. So if we know this…if we know that no two of us will ever be the same, why do some of us spend a lifetime wishing for and wanting to be like somebody else? Why do we want to be different than the way we currently are? Why do we wish we had someone else’s talents and gifts, instead of appreciating our own?
I want to encourage all of you to really take a moment and think about the way you have been living. Do you often find yourself looking at another person and wishing you had something of theirs? Do you ever catch yourself looking at somebody you admire, even a celebrity, and wishing you could be them? Or do you possibly find yourself wanting to blend in and be just like everybody else? Do you spend more of your time thinking about what you are not good at instead of focusing on what you are exceptional at?
If so, then it’s time to change that narrative moving forward. It’s time to remember that we are all made to be different from each other. We are made to be unique. And so many times we forget that this is a good thing…we forget that it can actually be a very good thing. Because a world where we were all made to be the same would be a world that none of us would want to live in…how boring!
So let’s make a promise to each other that we are going to stop trying to be like everyone else. Let’s make a pack that we are going to stop trying to fit in…to blend in. Instead, we need to focus on being our true authentic selves. We need to be proud of our gifts and our talents that make us so incredibly unique. That should be our focus going forward…from here on out….
Because while I might not be an artist, while I might not be the best cook, and even though I can’t carry a tune…I still know that I have a big heart for all of the people in my life, I know that I am exceptional with math, and I can clean and organize with the best of them. It’s going to be these great qualities that I will choose to focus on moving forward. I hope you will choose to do the same. I hope you will remember to embrace these differences that you have and to wish that those gifts will continue to grow so that you can learn to be the best version of you.
So don’t forget to do you, do it well, and stop wishing to be somebody else.
Xoxo
Marsha
*For those of you struggling with something in life or have a topic of interest that you want me to talk about in this blog, email me at BeYourBestSelfBlog@gmail.com. Let’s work together to Be Our Best Selves!
Photo Credit Photo by Egor Kamelev: https://www.pexels.com/photo/macro-photography-of-snowflake-813871/