There is only one unique you! Just like like snow flakes no one human being is 100% similar to you. And it is those things that are unique about you that add that extra zing to your personality; that make someone stop for a second look.
These qualities might have been liabilities in the past;they might have stood in the way of your success, made you the subject of scorn etc. However, with the right perspective, they could be turned around to be your greatest assets, your catapult into greatness. Today we shall focus on those special things that are weird about you…that make you stand out for all the wrong reasons and how to turn them into assets.
Looking at great men, a little eleven year old girl, Grace Bedell, asked Abraham Lincoln, (who had lost at least five previous elections) to grow his beard in order to win the election. He did and he won. He dared to wear a beard after years of being beardless and though it is not known for sure whether it was this very thing that caused his victory, he did win. What set Abraham Lincoln apart in this story was not the beard, but his humility and willingness to listen even to eleven year old girls who could not vote. He could have ignored her. In fact, the letter Grace wrote was almost thrown away by Abraham Lincoln’s secretary. But he allowed himself to value her, read her letter and follow her advice; and to all intents and purposes, it worked!
Zacchaeus in the Bible was a tax collector, a short man who practiced a loathed trade. In the crowds that followed Jesus at the time, there were many people I am sure that craned their necks and climbed trees to see him. However, it was Zacchaeus’ queer combination of qualities that set him apart and earned him a permanent place in the Holy Book.Those qualities made Jesus notice him and visit his home that night. His height, his trade, his desire for change, his eager and dramatic conversion. His weirdness led to his greatness.
The greatest comedians and politicians have made a living of laughing at and flaunting their unique/weird traits. For Kevin Hart, it is his height, for Barack Obama, it is his African roots, for Nelson Mandela it was his prison record, for Lady Gaga…well her name says it all….what is yours?
How can you turn that strange/unique/weird quality you have to your advantage? How can you use that seeming obstacle as a footstep to the next level of excellence? We see Sarah Palin bounce back and we exclaim in shock but secretly we all admire her guts…her ability to rise and move on. We look at Chris Jenner and scoff but inwardly we are filled with wonder at how s/he can get away with it.
It is all in perspective. It is the ability to use every fire you go through as one that will not incinerate you but refine you, to use every knife cutting at you as a sharpener, to use every flood coming at you as a cleanser.
And this all starts with a few steps from my experience:
1. Take a look at the man in the mirror: Take a good long look. Be honest with yourself. Who are you? what are your strengths, weaknesses, fears? Are you where you aimed to be? If not how have you contributed to that? What do others say? How much of t is true?
2. Take a personality test; you as an individual may be unique but (newsflash!)the issues you are struggling with are not. Take a personality test to add to your self assessment.
3. Benchmark: research on which famous/successful people are like you…and why they have succeeded. Find out what they did to overcome their weaknesses which may be similar to yours.Read, research , pray: God has your manual after all
4. Copy, adapt, apply: Now it is time to map out how to put into action what you have learnt. Employ what you have learnt as recommended by your peers, mentors, and faith and be deliberate about it. Success is very rarely or never by accident. There is hard work involved; so do the work. Clean house and flush out the garbage starting with the easy habits like procrastination. Employ common proven tools people use to address the little issues because they are what build up the larger ones.
5. Take a test: test yourself, look in the mirror again, ask your loved ones again.
6. Share your story: You just might be someone’s Abraham Lincoln or Nelson Mandela!