Loving myself: I am Unique

When did you last look at yourself in the mirror? Was it this morning or just a short while ago in the bathroom? Next time you do remember that the person staring back at you is UNIQUE. Of the 7 billion people in the world, I am one of a kind. There is no one else with my set of fingerprints or my DNA.

I was born in a situation, place and circumstances that could not exactly be duplicated at that precise time anywhere else. On the day and time that I was born, the world was made that much richer by my grand entrance. My family, community and the world at large were all receiving a special package and blessing that they had never had before.

Being the last born, I am in many ways different from each of my six brothers and two sisters. I brought my own unique gifts into the family. I was a special gift to my parents and to each of my brothers and sisters. Each one of them was a special unique gift to me. As I look back now I am fascinated by the rainbow beauty of the blend of our unique individual differences and the richness that this brought into the family.

 I totally believe that on the day that I was born God was in the process of introducing into this world a very special person that he had never produced before and was not going to produce again. I acknowledge and embrace the unique inherent value that my God gave me.   I am absolutely convinced that I have a magnificence and beauty that no one else in the world has.

Your unique magnificence and beauty are only meaningful when you embrace and articulate them yourself. They can never mean anything to anyone else before they have meaning to you and are expressed by you. They cannot move anyone else before they move your own heart and you stand in awe and gratitude of the magnificent and beautiful you.     

I feel challenged to use my magnificence and beauty to make a positive difference in the lives around me.  And as I live out my purpose, I feel driven to inspire other people to look at themselves in the same way.

I have a mission in this world that is unique to me.  If I do not respond to the call of this mission it does not get done. This awareness has challenged me to seriously search for and find my purpose in this life.  

My number one purpose is to be a teacher of love and wisdom and to passionately inspire myself and others to be the best that we can be. And I have chosen to do this through writing, speaking and coaching. Visit www.silsystems.com.au

I have also dedicated my life to making a positive difference in the lives of as many AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe as I can reach out to. In this regard I have played a central role in the establishment of a charity organisation Zimbabwe Orphans Looking Ahead (ZIMOLA) - originally called the Education Fund For AIDS Orphans in Zimbabwe (EFFAOZ). Visit www.zimola.org   

I am fully aware that I can only fulfil my purpose as David Pasipanodya and no one else.

You also have a purpose only unique to you. Your dreams, vision and mission in this life have a power and meaning that only your unique mind can most meaningfully conceive, understand, visualize and translate into reality.

You are the only authentic author of the book that is your life. It is your unique input into the time you spend here that determines the quality of the life you live. Ultimately only you can most accurately tell from your unique experiences whether or not your life has been of value and fulfilling. Other people can make an attempt but they will be talking about a life that they never lived. And so their assessment can never be as meaningful as yours.    

Stop focusing too much on seeking approval and appreciation from others. Your first duty is to appreciate and give value to this unique identity that is you. When you seriously and sincerely do so consistently, you will create an atmosphere and spirit of love around you. Then other people will become attracted to you.

One of the greatest causes of failure in our lives is the fear that comes from comparing ourselves with others and feeling inadequate and less significant. We either forget or ignore how unique we are and we blindly model our lives on other people. We put these people on a pedestal and look up to them as the giants of the game of life.

For many years I tried to be like someone I admired who seemed to have everything that I wanted in life but couldn’t have – wealth, a good car, a big house, a great job. I was setting goals and doing things just to catch up with him.

At one point I took up studies to do a course that he had done so that I could acquire his qualification and live his lifestyle. At the time I was the Headmaster of a boarding high school of over 800 students. I failed to appreciate the gift of leadership and inspiration that was so clearly evident in my life. I was too busy trying to be someone else.

By all means admire what other people have done and respect them for what they have accomplished. Learn from them and see how their experiences can nourish your own unique purpose and mission in life. Feel free to even use some of their ideas. But don’t try to be like them because you can never be.

Your best comparison is with yourself. Whatever task or passion you pursue, make every effort to perform better today than you did yesterday.  Measure yourself against your own standards. Be the person you always want to surpass. That is excellence!  Og Mandino –Author and speaker expressed it so well when he said, “To surpass the deeds of others is unimportant; to surpass my own deeds is all.”

You are a one life time gift to the world and you pass through this planet only once. Make it a unique, fulfilling and successful experience. The impression and imprint that you stamp on this world and in other people’s lives are uniquely yours.

Let your unique gifts, talents and abilities make an impact that is greater than your lifespan. Leave a legacy, a memory imprint that is uniquely you and that will always be remembered as uniquely yours and that will continue to enrich the lives of the many generations that will walk this earth after you.As John Mason so powerfully put it, “You were born an original, don’t die a copy.”