Monday Mantra: When Fish Climb Trees

A mantra is a sound, syllable, word, or group of words that is considered capable of "creating transformation".

Every Monday I will post a new thought, idea, or focus for the week. When you need a breather from life, when you need a little inspiration, or when you're about to jump over the conference table and strangle your co-worker, remember the mantra.

Monday Mantra: Believe that you are brilliant

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I'm pretty sure after I admit this all of you will stop being my friends, but I'm hoping you'll take pity on me and maybe even wave at me once in a while as I walk by with my head hung low.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, sadly enough, I believed that Alaska and Hawaii were right next to each other. I never understood how two places so close together could be so wildly different, one place ice and another fire.

The geography puzzled me, but it was because of a puzzle that I was so very confused. This puzzle, to be specific. Why did they make Alaska red, I ask you? Doesn't red mean hot, fire, warmth? No instructions came with this little puzzle and no warning labels were on it to specify who should use it (those past the elementary levels) and who shouldn't (those trying to learn their geography with only a Kindergarten degree). It's cool, I know where everything really is now, but the humility lives on. Trust me.

The puzzle that edumacated me.

It can be challenging, when you're told you should be or act or understanding something repeatedly and you can't quite ever make it work for you. It never comes easily, never seems right. It's most likely because it isn't. It isn't right for you.

A friend at work once gave me this scenario, when telling me how he would explain to someone that worked for him that they were in the wrong role. His goal wasn't to break them down, but show them that where they were wasn't the right fit.

He would say, "You're either a carpenter or a plumber in this company. For what we do, we need carpenters. We need those specific skills. You just happen to be a plumber. That doesn't make you any less valuable, in fact, plumbers play an important part in what we do. It just means that you need to be working in a role that uses your plumbing skills." With that, they would look for a new job for that person, one that was better suited to them.

We've all had our moments where we don't think we're good enough, smart enough, talented enough...

Enough is enough, my friends.

You are brilliant- in your own way. Maybe you can paint pictures others can't even imagine, but math fails you at every angle. Maybe you can march into a meeting, spreadsheets mapped out and strategies ready to go, while the rhythm of a poem leaves you bewildered.

We all have our special traits, none better than the other. Not only do we need to remind ourselves of this when we wish to be someone we are not meant to be, but we also need to remind others of this when they try and compare one person against another. Do not listen when they try and convince you to be someone you're not.

We each have our place in this world. Once you find it, you'll know. In the meantime, don't ever let anyone tell you you're anything less than brilliant. Fish can't climb trees and carpenters can't fix pipes for a reason. How boring the world would be if we were all the same.

You're purpose here is your own and it it most certainly needed.

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