Is any idea really truly original?
Can we claim originality of an idea or are our efforts the products of stimulations of other forces and people with whom we have interacted? I was watching an award ceremony recently, wondering if any of us really deserve the accolades that the world would bestow on us if we are a result of the environment around us.
We know that great people are not born and formed in a vacuum. As we grow up there are many relatives, teachers, employers and others in our lives. Those people influence, encourage and even disappoint us as we develop our world view.
‘Pay any price to stay in the presence of extraordinary people!’- Mike Murdock
One day I stopped watching the news so much, stopped concerning myself with affairs that I had no control over and began filling my consciousness with the positive real life stories of people who had pushed through great odds to do something amazing.
That was the day I began to feel like there was some greatness in me also! Even our hero’s weaknesses does not devalue them in my eyes, but ultimately makes them more attractive and worthy of praise. This also helps us realise the potential greatness in ordinary people like us.
Sociologists tell us that generally we will become the average of the five people we spend the most time with. That means that in this small online world, how we choose good voices to speak into our lives and follow people who have lives of significance is imperative.
I am in a small group of men who have been sharing our lives for over 15 years. Sharing each other’s highs and lows, victories and defeats, glories and the frustrations, and even situations of life and death, they are my adopted brothers whom I have watched and learned from as we have all prospered in our personal lives and careers. I believe I have succeeded in part because of their encouragement.
I took the time to reflect upon and determine what is of real value and who and what is worthy of the most of my attention and effort.
Give up chasing the unique in the quest of ‘finding ourselves’ so we can spend more time with those who add to us and challenge us to be better and go further. If there is anything great in us that requires an award, surely, the glory also belongs to those who have served us, loved us and even those have hurt us because their input and stimulation have provided assistance for us in becoming who we are.
I trained myself to reflect my ‘best self’ in all the areas of communication, especially where I am not affected by TS.
As Willie Nelson jokingly says, “If you steal from enough people, somehow you end up doing your own thing.”
We are all originals anyway and we all have something to offer to this world as we are; so let’s stop trying to be different and just be ‘the difference’ of who we are. Remember that being different is your biggest asset and you don’t have to be like everyone else.
If you need a career coach, drop me an email or private message today to get you on the right track.
Dave Brebner.
About the Author:
Dave is an Adult Educator, Speaker and Youth leader living in Western Sydney, Australia where he teaches the Electrical Trades at the Western Sydney Institute. He has Diplomas in Business and Training, a BachelorsDegree in Adult Education, Vocational and Workplace Training and a Masters of Education with a major in Career Development. He has lived with Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Anxiety Disorders since an early age. He is married with 6 children. He is a passionate coach and mentor to young people especially in the vocational guidance and career development areas. Dave is a professional member of the Career Development Association of Australia and has authored a course on Living with Tourette’s which you can study and purchase online through his website – www.davebrebner.com.