Conformity is a choice, being different is also a choice we need to make.
This week is going to be slightly different! We invited one our subscribers on board in order to inspire and get you prepared for the hectic week ahead. Charles Aji an avid follower, had a inspiring message he wanted to share. So here goes.
Hi Guys,
Let me begin by telling you a story about James, a young boy. All he ever wanted was to be loved. So he thought, to make my parents love me, I will only do the things that pleases them. To make my friends like me, I would talk, act and be like them. What James failed to realise was that he craved and longed for something called 'conditional love'.
Conditional love is generally described as the appreciation you receive, which is only dependent on you acting a certain way. What James doesn't know is that this act of 'conformity' was an habit that would later limit how great he could become.
Now let me ask you a question; 'Are you sacrificing your uniqueness just to receive that 'pat on the back'? I am sure a lot of you are shaking your heads and thinking to yourselves...I do not conform to anyone's expectation of me! I am only doing me! But think about it for a moment - Who are you so eager to please that you would do absolutely anything to make them accept you?
I read a quote once, which suggested "If you can easily spot me from the crowd...that is an interest that I would continuously invest in. For this is where my value lies". Individuality speaks volumes!!
To be different is to live a life of your own creation. Not a life shaped and formed by the opinions and views of others.
A friend of mine wrote a thesis on the human nature and how it relates to self interest. His thesis was based on the notion that human beings are only interested in what will generally make them happy. In other words, my expectation of you is something that would only please me and add value to me. Thus, conforming to someone elses expectations, will serve you no interest.
Can I ask you a question; would you ask a blind man for directions to your destination?
Everyone knows the story of the three blind mice. - The question is - which one of them was leading the rest?
A blind leading the blind; do they know where their destination lies or how would they know when they have arrived? Now ask yourself this; am I been led astray by blind, old, outdated beliefs or perceptions of those who I have grown to respect and love?
If you want to succeed, you must be willing to think beyond common sense or conventional wisdom. You must be able to see things differently, in different shades and outcome. Be prepared for criticism and rejection because there are many people who will tell you it cannot be done. Malcolm Muggeridge once said..."Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream".
Take a look at all the people who have ever changed our way of life; the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham bell.. These guys had a radical way of thinking. They refused to conform and chose to be different.
Will Smith, the famous American actor once said ''Being realistic is the most common travelled road to mediocrity". Imagine coming up with the idea for the first telephone or Airplane, these guys were ridiculed and regarded as unreasonable and unrealistic. But look around you, these guys forged the way into a future we all live in and enjoy.
So come on, do one thing today which you have never done before; Challenge an assumption and Ask yourself; what if?
As you go along this journey, you will start to map out your own uniqueness and discover yourself in the process.
Have a brilliant and daring week!
This week is going to be slightly different! We invited one our subscribers on board in order to inspire and get you prepared for the hectic week ahead. Charles Aji an avid follower, had a inspiring message he wanted to share. So here goes.
Hi Guys,
Let me begin by telling you a story about James, a young boy. All he ever wanted was to be loved. So he thought, to make my parents love me, I will only do the things that pleases them. To make my friends like me, I would talk, act and be like them. What James failed to realise was that he craved and longed for something called 'conditional love'.
Conditional love is generally described as the appreciation you receive, which is only dependent on you acting a certain way. What James doesn't know is that this act of 'conformity' was an habit that would later limit how great he could become.
Now let me ask you a question; 'Are you sacrificing your uniqueness just to receive that 'pat on the back'? I am sure a lot of you are shaking your heads and thinking to yourselves...I do not conform to anyone's expectation of me! I am only doing me! But think about it for a moment - Who are you so eager to please that you would do absolutely anything to make them accept you?
I read a quote once, which suggested "If you can easily spot me from the crowd...that is an interest that I would continuously invest in. For this is where my value lies". Individuality speaks volumes!!
To be different is to live a life of your own creation. Not a life shaped and formed by the opinions and views of others.
A friend of mine wrote a thesis on the human nature and how it relates to self interest. His thesis was based on the notion that human beings are only interested in what will generally make them happy. In other words, my expectation of you is something that would only please me and add value to me. Thus, conforming to someone elses expectations, will serve you no interest.
Can I ask you a question; would you ask a blind man for directions to your destination?
Everyone knows the story of the three blind mice. - The question is - which one of them was leading the rest?
A blind leading the blind; do they know where their destination lies or how would they know when they have arrived? Now ask yourself this; am I been led astray by blind, old, outdated beliefs or perceptions of those who I have grown to respect and love?
If you want to succeed, you must be willing to think beyond common sense or conventional wisdom. You must be able to see things differently, in different shades and outcome. Be prepared for criticism and rejection because there are many people who will tell you it cannot be done. Malcolm Muggeridge once said..."Never forget that only dead fish swim with the stream".
Take a look at all the people who have ever changed our way of life; the Wright brothers, Alexander Graham bell.. These guys had a radical way of thinking. They refused to conform and chose to be different.
Will Smith, the famous American actor once said ''Being realistic is the most common travelled road to mediocrity". Imagine coming up with the idea for the first telephone or Airplane, these guys were ridiculed and regarded as unreasonable and unrealistic. But look around you, these guys forged the way into a future we all live in and enjoy.
So come on, do one thing today which you have never done before; Challenge an assumption and Ask yourself; what if?
As you go along this journey, you will start to map out your own uniqueness and discover yourself in the process.
Have a brilliant and daring week!
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