The World's Greatest Wonder: YOU!

Be yourself; nurture your talents; and whatever you choose to do, do it wholeheartedly because the people who matter in your life will always support you and find you worthy no matter what.

Author: Utuje Bénie

Has anyone ever told you that you were too serious, slim, fat, shy, your voice was too deep, your skin too dark, or that you weren’t cool?

Have you wasted your talent just because you thought it wasn’t cool and people wouldn’t like it?

Have you chosen a career that is completely different from what you actually wanted because you didn’t want to disappoint someone?

Did you go in a test having not revised because you didn’t want to look like a nerd?

Do you ever feel like your work is useless because someone has told you so? I can bet that most of the people would answer yes to at least one of these questions.

Many of us have, at some point, wished to be like someone else. We have changed many things not because they were bad, but because we wanted to fit in.

I don’t suggest that we should never change. On the contrary, I believe that everyone needs to learn from others and grow.

But the problem is; what makes you feel the need to change how you naturally are?

Is it because you want to be better or is it because you want to be like others?

Our modern culture wrongly teaches us, even when we are still young, that there are some kind of standard behaviors, talents and looks that one should have in order to be accepted and considered worthy.

We fail to see that diversity is what makes life beautiful and worthy of living. Try to imagine what it would be like if everyone had the same talents and interests.

If we all danced who would sing for us? If we all looked the same who would see our beauty?

If we all worked in offices who would construct our houses and where would we get food without farmers?

What if we all knew everything and had all talents? The truth is; life would be miserable and meaningless.

No art would be appreciated, creativity and courage would be forgotten, books would never be read, I mean… where’s the fun in reading things you already know?

But the worst thing is that we would lose the precious feeling of being needed and helpful.

The fact that we are all imperfect, sometimes weak and vulnerable is what connects us. Why would we choose to spend time wishing to have what others have instead of being grateful and developing what we already have?

Those who think that doing what others do is the only way to feel happy and successful, there’s something I need you to give a thought to.

Breathing is the most important thing someone could ever do.

But why is it that no one ever gets proud or brags about their ability to inhale and exhale? It’s because everyone has it. There’s nothing special in being like everyone else.

Bravery is trying something different from others. Success is becoming the best at whatever we choose to be.

If we ever get recognized, it won’t be because we imitated others really well but because we achieved something that has never been achieved before.

Trying something new is uncomfortable and yes, it is full of uncertainty, but the thought of losing all creativity and courage in the world because of this is chilling.

The need to be like others causes us to be satisfied with mediocrity and that is a big loss to the whole world considering our potential.

I personally think that holding back our talents and abilities for the fear of drawing attention to ourselves is a form of selfishness. We are not the only ones who benefit from our work. Others need us too.

The world doesn’t need the same people who do the same things and behave in the same way. It needs different people who complement each other.

It needs courageous men and women who don’t care what people will say as long as they are doing what they are good at and is needed by the society.

Our talents are way too precious to be wasted because of the fear of uncertainty and being judged. The fact that someone doesn’t find you beautiful and cool enough isn’t worth giving you a depression.

Beauty is relative, every talent is needed by the world, every good work can be highly profitable, and every person is worthy no matter how they look and what they do.

You can’t let critics dictate you how to live your life.

They are not comfortable with the way they live theirs and that’s why they feel the need to shove their poisonous ideas down your throat every time you start to be better than them.

Be yourself; nurture your talents; and whatever you choose to do, do it wholeheartedly because the people who matter in your life will always support you and find you worthy no matter what.