At the time of writing, there are 7.6 billion people on Earth.
About 360,000 humans are born every day. And the population will only rise. It has been estimated that by the year 2100, the population will grow to 11.2 billion people.
You are one of the billion people living on this planet right now. Even more people have come before you and will come after you.
Out of all these people, you think you’re special?
Let me tell you the truth.
Truth #1: No, you’re not special.
Sorry to break your heart. Your mommy and daddy lied to you.
Even if you have amazing talents, you’ll find more talented people than you. You’ll find people with better genetics, better upbringing, or better luck.
You are not at the center of the universe. There is no one looking for you. No one cares if you will leave a legacy or die alone.
So, what point do I want to make?
Do I just want to smash reality on your face?
The answer is…
No.
But I’m going to tell you two more truths.
Are you ready to read them?
Are you sure?
Okay, here it is.
Truth #2: You’re not special (And it’s okay to not be special)
You’re not special, but you can make the gift of life special. The gift is given to billions of people but if you choose not to take it for granted, your life will become special on your own terms.
A gift does not have to be special to be appreciated. It just needs to be celebrated to make it worthwhile.
You will end. Your legacy will die. The world will end. But, it does not matter. What matters is what you do with the little time (the gift) you have on earth. You have the mind and body to experience it. It’s not special. But it’s certainly beautiful.
Beauty is in the eye of the watcher. Slow down to experience awe. Appreciate life’s simple gestures. Life gives you everything you need to grow at the right moment.
You can experience most of life when:
a) You do more important (meaningful) work than urgent work.
b) You live in the present, take lessons from the past and plan for the future.
Truth #3: You’re not special (But you can choose to become great)
You can make yourself extraordinary. Let me explain what I mean.
Most people never live a complete life. They never examine their life. They never think about their own greatness because they have been brainwashed by the society.
They think legends are only found in books, magazines or television. They fall down to the expectations of others. They model the behavior of people around them and accept their fate.
It’s not to say an average life is always a bad life. But, most people live an ignorant life. Having just one life to live is too much of a risk to live an ignorant life.
The media portrays people with money and fame as ‘special’ people. And we think there must be some secret sauce to their success.
What we never see is that those people made themselves extraordinary by making sacrifices, achieving mastery, becoming self-aware and they turned their fate around.
Some people become famous and rich due to other reasons but those people don’t become great.
Greatness is a taught skill. You don’t need to become rich or famous to live a great life.
You can choose greatness every day and strive to become extraordinary in the world full of average people.
Greatness involves:
a) Reaching your higher potential.
b) Having the courage to follow your intuition.
c) Having the courage to be yourself.
d) Giving your life meaning and purpose.
f) Having a growth mindset.
g) Embracing obstacles, fear, and uncertainty.
h) Achieving mastery with deliberate practice.
i) Continually improving yourself.
j) Becoming a student of life.
k) Becoming a student of own self.
i) Taking full responsibility for your life.
m) Being honest with yourself.
n) Practicing self-control.
o) Living by your principles and having integrity.
p) Learning to manage your emotions.
r) Learning to take care of yourself.
t) Being a good friend.
u) Having empathy towards others.
v) Forgiving yourself and others.
w) Making a positive impact.
y) Being kind and humble.
z) Expressing gratitude.
Mediocrity will never do. You are capable of something better. — Gordon B. Hinckley
Have faith in yourself and trust the process of life. Believe that everything is happening for you (not to you).
You don’t have to be special or use religion to take advantage of the power of believing. You can be religious if you want to but you don’t need to be.
You need hope. Hope brings peace and makes life worth living no matter where you are in the process of life.
Examine your beliefs and values to create yourself. Don’t blindly follow the crowd. Choose greatness to be special in your own eyes.
You could die at any moment, and you deserve to experience the greatness within you. So don’t waste the gift of life. Return the favor by becoming your best self. Leave the world better than you found it. Choose greatness every day, including today.
Success is a result of daily actions…
Design your daily checklist for high performance and success. Click here to download your free copy.
Originally published at DesignEpicLife.com