Be yourself, everyone else is taken
Today is Good Friday.
As a Christian, it’s a wonderful opportunity for reflection.
On this day, we remember that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, sacrificed His life for us in the ultimate act of love.
As a consequence, of His death and resurrection on the third day, we have an opportunity to be reconciled to God.
What extraordinary, boundless love.
In those inevitable defining moments, how will you respond?
When under pressure, will you be defined by your calmness, or your inability to handle stress?
When facing adversity, will you embrace the challenge, or be overwhelmed?
When someone else is struggling, will you be an encourager, or an unnecessary critic?
According to Dan Miller,
“Don’t expect your passion to show up in full force. Passion is more developed than discovered.”
Sometimes, we expect to wake up one day with a sudden epiphany of how we will spend the rest of our life.
And so we wait and we pray and we have a convenient excuse for not doing anything meaningful or worthwhile.
Of course, there are those we know who discovered their passion from a young age. They’ve always wanted to be a teacher or a doctor or a musician, so they’ve worked hard at their craft for a long time to achieve their goal.
But it doesn’t often work like that.
If you call in sick once, it’s not a habit.
If you speed on the way to work once, it’s not a habit.
If you go to the gym once, it’s not a habit.
But what if you do it twice?
Three times?
If you truly commit to daily growth, who knows where you’ll end up?
If you read every day.
Have a regular coffee with a mentor.
Study.
Take risks and learn from your mistakes.
I hope that you fulfill the requirements of your job description.
Delivering projects, meeting deadlines, hitting KPI’s. They’re all important.
But in addition to that, I also hope that you do some things for free.
You don’t get paid extra to be enthusiastic, but that’s not a good enough reason not to be.
Be the source of inspiration for those who are struggling.
Be the source of joy for those who are feeling overwhelmed.
Be the source of wisdom for those who don’t know what to do next.
Be the source of energy when everyone else is flat.
According to Jon Gordon, when you are grateful, you will find more things to be grateful for.
I would add that when you are optimistic, you will find more things to be optimistic about.
When you start looking for opportunities, you will identify them everywhere.
When you focus on making progress towards your goals, you will get closer to them.
Our thought processes are important.
Yes, there’s just one of you.
You have limited influence.
You have a limited set of skills.
You won’t be able to impact everyone you meet.
It seems sometimes as though you’re a very small cog in a very big wheel.
Can you do it?
Can you do it again?
Can you do it every day?
Can you do it with a smile?
