Sitting beachside and even going about waist deep into water….I was chatting with my befriended Egyptian friends in Male, Maldives. When we were laughing and joking, I looked around and saw people of all ages smiling or laughing at us….because of what we were talking about.
However, if this was two years ago, I would’ve spoken under my breath so I wouldn’t be heard by other people around me. Why? I was afraid. I was afraid of being myself. I was afraid of becoming the man I was set out to be in life because I was afraid of what other people would’ve thought of me.
Dale Carnegie talked in his book about a woman named Edith. She was sensitive, like most people are; however, she was terrified of dealing with people. Overweight, avoided friends, nervous, irritable, terrified anytime the doorbell rang at her house. She became so unhappy that she was heading right for suicide.
So, what changed this woman’s life? A chance remark.
Her mother-in-law said, “No matter the day, I always insisted on them being themselves.”
Yes, just a simple phrase can changed everything.
She literally changed overnight. She began to study herself. Figure out her own personality. She began studying her strong points and learned all about colors and styles so she can wear apparel suitable for her skin. She started to reach out and made new friends, joined organizations….EVERYTHING! Her motto was, “no matter what happens, always be yourself!”
“You and I have such abilities, so let’s not waste a second worrying because we are not like other people. You are something new in this world. Never before, since the beginning of time, has there ever been anybody exactly like you; and never again throughout all ages to come will there ever be anybody exactly like you again. The science of genetics informs us that you are what you are largely as a result of twenty-four chromosomes contributes by your father and twenty-four contributed by your mother. There forty-eight chromosomes comprise everything that determines what you inherit. In each chromosome there may be anywhere from hundreds of genes – with a single gene, in some cases, able to change the whole life of an individual. We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” – Dale Carnegie
You are something new in this world. Be glad of it. Make the most of what nature gave you. You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, and your heredity have made you. Cultivate that own little garden of yours. Play your own instrument in the orchestra of life.
Create that council table and whoever inspires you, visualize an attribute that he/she has that you would like to inherit. Want to become funnier? Hang around funnier people. Want to gain confidence? Start doing the things you’re terrified of doing. Become the best version of yourself so both I, and the rest of the world, can celebrate your achievement!
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Arsenio's ESL Podcast 
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