I need to admit something: I have a problem. I judge myself. Often I ask questions of myself like „Will I ever be able to lead so many people when I am so young?“ or „What if I don´t become a great speaker ten years from now?“.
We all need role models. It´s also very important to look up to people who inspire us, but judging ourselves against them is a bad habit. Why? Because it´s impossible to become like somebody else.
Recently I saw Kung Fu Panda 3. In this movie it is Po's turn to actually teach Kung Fu. He's totally scared and asked his master a question along the lines of "Wait, you want me to become more like you?" To which his master replies, "No, I want you to become more like you!"
This conversation stuck with me and I couldn't forget it even weeks later. The truth is simple: All I can ever do is try to become a better version of myself, I can't ever turn into someone else. Someone once said "The only person that you should try to be better than is the person that you were yesterday.".
So with that in mind I'm going to stop judging myself against others. It'll be hard and I won't succeed all the time, but I'm going to give it a shot. I'm going to focus on me and my personal development. Period.
I have thought of three reasons why you should stop judging yourself against others and think to improve yourself starting today. They're probably obvious, but they might be a good reminder to you, and they might help put yourself into perspective.
You have a past like nobody else
Your memories, your experience, your education. Nobody else has exactly what you have. Where you are right now is a result of your unique history. You might be in a bad place right now but I know bad places turn you into great people, with great stories. Check out joshshipp.com.
Believe me or not, you are writing a story and it got the potential to become a great one. If you stick to what you, and only you, can become, your story will not only be unique, it'll be unbeatable.
You have gifts like nobody else
There are millions of totally different people on this planet, but does anybody else have your unique giftings? Maybe you already discovered what your grace is, maybe you haven´t. I encourage you: Go on a journey to discover or to develop what God gifted you with. Try something new, start volunteering, do whatever it takes to find out what you are capable of. Just don´t waste what you, and only you can contribute.
You have access like nobody else
Your network of family, friends and colleagues make you more unique than you know. Them as well as the places you visit on a regular basis together make a massive area of influence. You´ve been given a unique variety of relationships. I bet there are at least a handful of people who value your encouragement or even counseling. This alone is something that no one else has, and something to be grateful for. Why not make use of your circle of influence to help you discover more about what makes you great?
What else makes your life unique? Let me know in the comments below.
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