On this particular day, I went to church and I spotted four siblings dressed in Ankara outfits.
I noticed a slight difference in their clothes. Although they were all dressed in native wear, the print on the eldest child’s clothes was different from the other three.
As I mused on that, the thought of a mental conversation that could be sparked up by their differences dropped in my mind.
I could imagine the eldest child being envious and wondering why she had to be different from the others. Why couldn’t her dress be the same? Why was she left out?
On the other hand, the thought of the other three also played in my head: Why was she different? Why couldn’t it be me? Why does she have to be the special one?
I never heard their thoughts. It was just my imagination but, sadly, the reality of many children, young adults and even adults.
There are very few people in today’s society who are very confident in their uniqueness. There are many people who are dissatisfied with who they are and what they have. They are jealous of the other person and strive to be like them. They are in competition with those who are just being themselves.
Everyone was created differently; in personality, in fingerprint, in likes and dislikes. It will surprise you that even identical twins don’t share the same fingerprint, and in many cases, they don’t even share the same paths of life.
Of course, many times you might come across people who share your ideas and opinions, or they share certain likes and dislikes with you. They might even desire to follow a career path that you are also interested in.
You might share similarities but you are not the same. You might be of the same kind (sharing similar values and goals), but there are always differences, either in some of the factors shared earlier or in other factors such as time, manner of delivery or presentation of the same ideas.
Interestingly, you were not created to be like your colleagues at school or your siblings at home. It’s okay to admire qualities that are worthy of emulation and learn from them, but it is injustice to deprive humanity of you by trying to be exactly like another person.
You were created differently for your unique assignment on earth and you should remain that way, as long as your uniqueness does not violate morality and hurt people.
Accepting your unique nature doesn’t give you an excuse to not improve on your weaknesses and character deficiencies. It is also not any excuse to be arrogant about your strengths; you should only be confident, but still humble.
One thing you should not be found doing is being envious of another who is different from you and who has what you don’t have. Be happy for them and desire to see them develop. You can learn from their own experiences and be inspired by them. You shouldn’t let their own strengths make you feel less.
Erik Rees’ helps you discover your unique S.H.A.P.E and what it’s for in his book, SHAPE: Finding And Fulfilling Your Unique Purpose.
Embrace the fact that you are rare and you are rare for a reason. Know that you are second to none, and so are others.
You are made different to make a difference!
