You are Unique

Think about this for a minute: in the entire world of about 7 billion human beings, there is exactly no one like you! You are unique, with special gifts and talents that no one else but you possess.

One of the greatest challenges we have as humans is celebrating our uniqueness. For one reason or another, we always tend to compare ourselves with others, using external metrics like level of sucess, which could be financial, academic, career or whatever barometer you might want to consider. We tend to reason ” because he or she got a better grade than I did in school, it means he or she is better….he came from a rich home, so his chances of success are far higher than mine…..she is taller, more beautiful or eloquent, therefore, she will have more suitors than me… the list is endless.

One major limiting factor in our lives is comparison. When we compare ourselves with others, we limit ourselves and place a cap on what we are capable of becoming. Parents are guilty of this most of the time. Your child comes back from school with a report card. You take a look and because he didn’t take first position in class, you tell him he is not doing well, that the other students are better than him and if he wants to succeed in life, he must take the first position, study and work hard. Gradually and unconsciously, we reinforce a false sense of lack of belief in their potential. We forget that the report card is just a reflection of that child’s state of mind at a particular point in time – the examination period. We need to learn that a report card does not define a child or anybody for that matter. Many of us today are products of childhood experiences and feedback from parents or adult figures in our lives. We were told we were not good enough, that we needed to score an “A” in an exam or behave in a certain way (like other children) in order to gain the approval, acceptance or love of our parents and or teachers. We were not given the freedom to express our personality and so our growth or development of certain natural traits were stunted.

Never compare yourself with anyone else. Every individual is unique. Discover your uniqueness, admit it, nuture and celebrate it. Perhaps, you might be naturally gifted in music or sports and someone else has maths or science as a strength. Does that make him or her better? The answer is no. The greatness you are looking for is within you. The answers to the question in your heart and inside of you. The key to the future you look for is embedded deep within you. You are a masterpiece of God’s creation. Your height, colour, complexion is perfect. Nothing about you is a mistake, absolutely nothing. You need to believe this and be convinced about it. If you must succeed in life, one key factor is self-esteem. Someone one said that if everyone believes that you can do something, but you do not believe you can, you will not be able to achieve whatever that task is. The reverse is also true. If no one believes in you, but you have a strong sense of belief in your ability, you will succeed. In other words, if you believe you can, then you can. But if you don’t believe you can, you are also correct.

In other to establish this truth firmly, I willl like to take you to the book of the beginnings. Genesis 1:31a “God saw all that He had made, and it was VERY GOOD” If you are a challenge with self-doubt, I recommend you look at yourself in the mirror first thing every morning and last thing at night, and affirm repeatedly “I am very good” Do this for the next 30 days and see what difference it makes in your personality. Say it with passion, enthusiasm and faith.