Focus on Your Uniqueness, and Encourage that of Others

A lot has changed in the past year. Life has taken twists and turns that I never thought would be a reality. 
This year, I have been extremely fortunate to be able to surround myself around some of the most creative, effective, and entrepreneurial souls I have ever met. My mind has been expanded in many ways, thinking of ideas, solutions, creating and being different. There have been many blessings, and I could never be more grateful.

However, there has been repetitive thoughts that kept popping up in my head. I found myself comparing, thinking thoughts such as “Why am I not like them? Why am I not creative? Am I going to be a failure my whole life? Am I not cut out to be like this? Should I wait for someone to tell me what to do, instead of taking initiative with the chance of making a mistake?” 

With the blessing of being surrounded by creatives, there was also a black horse that loomed over. The horse of comparison. I see my friends hammering through projects that they’re passionate about, creating their dreams into realities, working daily and succeeding in service that they love. It left me feeling lost and unclear. Do you ever feel this way too?
Yet, if we spend out time comparing, we fall blind to our own gifts. We end up in a destination where we thought would please others, to then realise we ourselves were lost. People are waiting at your destination when you focus on your path, but instead we arrive at a destination that wasn’t destined for us, and leave everyone waiting. 

Fortunately with the help of a friend and mentor I came to realise the destruction of this thought.  She made me snap out of this mentality, and made me realise that WE ALL HAVE OUR OWN GIFTS AND TALENTS. She said that our gifts are usually the things that were embarrassed out of us when we were kids. For me, this was my discipline (I’d get up everyday at 5am to read before school), my constant desire to grow and be better, my ability to really care and feel compassion which was seen as ‘weak’. Now I realise these are all innate powers that we are able to develop, that if accept instead of put away, can create value in people’s lives. 

It’s not about whether you are as ‘good’ as the other, whether you’re moving as fast or faster. Whether you’re better or worse. It’s about discovering your uniqueness and expressing it into the world!

We are all UNIQUE in our own way. Think about it. Think about that person you always compare yourself with, who you wish you could be just more like them. Then think, if every single person in the world was exactly the same as this person, what would the world be like?
Maybe sometimes it is promoted to be more extroverted, more confident, louder and funnier. But for us who are a bit on the quieter side, we need to realise there is a clear beauty in being able to listen intently. To observe and act with clear thought. A balance is needed in the world.

It made me realise, looking at all the people who inspire me… Ophrah Winfrey,  Abraham Lincoln, my beautiful creative friends, my dad, my mum, my brother… everyone is different. Some are confident, some are shy, some push through and make things happen fast, others take it slow but create absolute beauties.





Everyone is their own hue, everyone comes in their own shape, everyone’s diverse qualities create the beautiful diverse garden of humanity. 

What do we need to do as individuals? We need to focus on our own beauties. We need to really look at our own gifts that we have to offer to the world, and use these to serve humanity. Let’s stop comparing, let’s start encouraging instead. Encouraging the strengths of others, and encouraging the strengths within ourselves. And truly realise, that we are one beautiful flower in this garden of hope.

So I invite you to ask yourself these questions this week:
  1. What inate gifts do you have that may have been seen as ‘weird’? Special qualities that not many other people around you have?
  2. How can you use these gifts more to bring value into the lives of others around you, and your own?
  3. Who are you comparing yourself to? Acknowledge their strengths, let them know, then realise that you have your own. Be your own shining star.

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