Never again is there going to be another YOU!

Never again is there going to be another you, so make the best of yourself –  This is a quotation from Tough Times Never Last, Tough People Do, by Robert H. Schuller.

It is a fact that you are unique. We all look different, have unique speaking styles. Our uniqueness expands to our social image, cultural backgrounds and personal interests. We have seen enough movies to know our fingerprints and our DNA sequences are unique. You know what else is unique about you? Your tongueprint. Yes!

We all have some inherent talents and interests. Beyond all this, we all have dreams. We achieve some and we give up on some. Why does this happen? When you are deep inside a jungle, your vision is blocked by trees. Similarly if you are thick in the jungle of your own life, and don’t see beyond a week or a month confidently ahead of you, its time to take a step back and analyze the big picture. Most of us are busy firefighting our daily routines. But we all have a great number of opportunities to live life better.

I want you all to realize that the best investment you can make is in yourself! Sometimes we give up on goals not because we are incapable, but the circumstances demand our attention elsewhere. Change and uncertainty have always been a part of life, and always will be.  Its not a negative thing to anticipate change even when things are going right. In fact, a fixed mind set creates a tendency to avoid challenge. Its very important to look at opportunities that change represents – it’s the proverbial approach of the glass being half empty or half full. Optimism will let you accommodate change while not shifting your focus from your goals and interests. Remember, life is always about choices and continuously improving your personality.

Now the question is - how does one enhance their personality? Another quotation for you - “The best way to grow as a person is to surround yourself with people smarter than you”. How apt! I believe that each of you has some quality I can imbibe. Learning new things will only help us gain a broader perspective about life in general. Your personality development also depends on your knowledge of self. The way you feel about yourself, your self esteem, impacts your happiness and confidence. Its also imperative that you have a broader social vision in order to learn new things.

I saw this movie a year-and-half ago called “Accepted.” The protagonist is a high school student who does not get an admission offer from any university. He fakes an admission letter to his parents from a fake university. The university has a good campus and even a website – fake and unauthorized of course. Similar students without any admits come to know and actually enroll thinking of this university as real. Out of fear and in order to keep things moving, our folks ask the students to chalk out courses and even teach, result being skateboarding 101, rock music 101, etc. From a movie perspective, its silly and funny but come to think of it, anyone who saw that movie would think it’s an ideal school to graduate from – you learn what you want to learn. But the world has its own agenda; you don’t get paid for knowing how to commute using a skateboard. This is precisely the same reason why most of us take the safe route and invest time and energy in career options where our monetary position is safe. I would not urge anyone to be irresponsible in financial matters; we all have families to take care of. But I would definitely recommend stretching yourself and adding more facets to one’s personality.

The world will not come to an end. So its for you to halt, and re-think how best to lead the rest of your life? You can learn a new art form – music, painting, dancing? Why not pursue that other degree which you always wanted to but situations didn’t let you? Learn a new language, be a writer, teach something, learn a new sport, join other clubs and may be even start your own venture. Increasing your knowledge base and interaction with others becomes necessary. So visit a library, surf the internet, read the news, do some travelling, or have a conversation with someone who may or may not be familiar. We have been taught there’s a time for everything, but the fact remains that the time for anything is now. And if you have a new-found passion, all you need is a big-picture outlook to accommodate this change into your “tight schedule”. Doing the usual is something we do anyway, but experiencing the unusual will in turn help you add more creative value to your routine activities.

You were not born to simply exist, you are born to live. But you are a mortal, and you will live only once. I believe that each of you is born to learn, succeed and inspire. There are so many things your personality can achieve, and obviously no one can estimate your potential including you! I read a quotation long time ago and it has stuck with me ever since, “Aerodynamically, the bumble bee should not be able to fly. The bumble bee does not know and goes on flying anyway.” Follow your passion and add more to yourself, because never again is there going to be another YOU!