I was sitting on my humble little patio tonight, staring at an almost full moon, and feeling something between satisfaction and frustration with my life. Hey, don't tell me I'm the only one who thinks that way.
Suddenly a sense of knowing came over me. That happens once in awhile to all of us, even though we sometimes tend to ignore it. What I realized was this; I am the very best there is at what I do.
I already hear the criticism out there. Who the hell am I to think such a thing. I must be incredibly vain.
Well, I don't think I will challenge the vain comments, but I do want to make something very clear; I do believe I am the best at what I do. I also believe everyone, each of you, is the best at what they do.
This may seem odd and possibly too philosophical, but I firmly believe it to be true. Of course, you first must understand what it is that you are "the best" at. I know there are things I can do as well as, or better than, anybody. The fact is, so can everyone else. While it may seem like a nice thought to recognize talent in every individual, I want to be clear that I in no way think of this as a nice, motivational idea. It is very simply a true statement.
On the surface this is not a difficult concept. If we think hard enough, we can see something good in everyone. A person can be a good parent, a good boss, a good child. We can all be good at something. But I mean everyone is "the best" at something, and I do mean everyone.
Think about the last time you passed a homeless person on the street. Did you feel pity? Anger? Resentment? What exactly did you feel? Did you think that the person you were observing was "the best" at something? I'll bet not. But trust me, that person was. What was that person the best at? Ah, there is the point. We don't know, and we will probably never know.
What about the geeky guy in high school? The person with a severe handicap? The slow learner? Some look down on people like this. Of course many of us are big enough to treat them with dignity and respect. But do we really? Do we really respect them? Do we realize that each of them is "the best" at something?
Every single person not only has talent, but they are truly the best at something, whatever it is. The terrible shame is that, for the vast majority of people, often even for ourselves, we never find out exactly what that is. What a terrible, terrible shame.
When you see a person, possibly homeless and sleeping on a street, maybe old and in a nursing home, maybe someone who has a learning disability, and yes, maybe someone like you, know that in them (in you) there is something not just good, but something that is the best that there is. How wonderful it would be if we could all get in touch with that "something" in each of us. How wonderful it would be if we could even get in touch with that "something" within ourselves.
I want to say that along these lines is a statement I often hear from people: "I'm not creative." This is such a comparative statement, and it sets us up to let ourselves down before we've even tried what we think being creative means. I'll bet that 9 times out of 10, the people who say this have never actually tried. And they probably go through their day with an expectation of themselves that they can't possibly achieve, all the while missing the fact that they're doing all sorts of incredible things that just don't come naturally to others. What does that mean--"I'm not creative." Even my own mother says this to me, and she's nuts if she thinks she's not creative. Everyone has vision, and that vision is what drives us to do the thing that we are best at. So Kevin, what are you the best at? I mean, what do you feel you are best at? Because whatever you think, you're right. If it's writing, you have a style that no one can compete with. You're right. Everyone is the best at something.
ReplyDeleteKevin,
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I know you. Thanks.
Hey Bro 2, I'm glad I know you too. And the fact that this shows as "anonymous" is a freaky thing associated with this website.
ReplyDeleteHi there, Atomic Rose. So in answer to your question, "What am I best at?", that requires a degree of thinking combined with a sense of humility. On the one hand, I could say I am best at a great number of things. On the other, I could say I don't really know. That, in fact, may be the point. I, as am you, as is everyone, really good at what they believe they are really good at. Obviously I'm thinking more intellectually, because if I believed I was a really good quarterback, the fact is that I suck at that. We need to be in tune with who we are and why we are who we are, if that makes sense. For me, I think I am really good at, maybe the best at, trying to understand what I am really good at. And trust me, that is not a play on words. That is a unique skill.
ReplyDelete