I've written a number of times in this blog about my mother, Harriet. Harriet was a dreamer of big dreams. Not so much for herself (even though she always dreamed of winning the lottery, or a big jackpot at the casino), but for her children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
Harriet pictured movie stars and famous athletes, corporate presidents and US Senators and Congressmen. Harriet never quite got comfortable that her and all of her extended family lived more or less ordinary lives. She was always waiting for that breakthrough to recognized and celebrated greatness.
I've got quite a bit of Harriet in me, and my imaginary lives are where I celebrate the amazing things that could be. The difference between me and Harriet is that while I love the richness of my imaginary lives, I don't really expect to experience any of those fantasies.
There is another thing that I believe deeply, and that is that many extraordinary people are living very ordinary lives.
It is not the notoriety you get, or the celebrity you enjoy, or the accolades rained down upon you that make a person extraordinary.
I believe each and every one of us is born with an extraordinary gift. Some people spend the time to find and share their gift, and some don't. But I believe we all have the capacity to be extraordinary.
Your gift may be something highly marketable, like a great aptitude for math, or science, or mechanics. Your gift may be spoken art, or written art, or wearable art, or sung or played art.
Your gift may be the creation of food, the ability to put together beautiful outfits, or beautiful rooms.
Your gift may be thoughtful listening that makes the person speaking feel better just because of how intently you listen to them.
You may have the gift of being able to comfort any crying child. Or the gift of using humor to diffuse tense situations.
Your gift may be that you are very physically strong, or have incredible stamina.
Your gift may be to see the good in just about everyone you meet.
Your gift may be an innocent, childlike sense of wonder that allows you to truly see and celebrate the beauty in the world.
There are so many different extraordinary gifts! It matters not what your gift is, just that you take the time to find out what it is and to share that gift.
And never, ever downplay your particular extraordinary gift. We were all given our gift for a purpose. And it is in the coordination of our use of our gifts that extraordinary things happen.
Most of us are born into ordinary families and live ordinary lives. This does not diminish the importance of the extraordinary people we are.
Take the time to discover and celebrate your extraordinary gift or gifts. Think about how much good you have done and continue to do through the use of your extraordinary gift.
Strive to be your best self, because the world needs you the way you were made to be.
No comments:
Post a Comment