“You are unique, and if that is not fulfilled then something has been lost.” ~ Martha Graham (quoted in latest newsletter at BestLifeDesign.com)
Are we living out of our uniqueness, or running from our uniqueness? I am reminded of a brief, yet memorable conversation with my niece years ago. She was maybe 7 or 8 years old. We were visiting the local art museum. As we observed the various pieces of art and shared our thoughts, she suddenly turned to me and asked “Are you an original?” To this day, I don’t fully understand where that question came from, but it has never left me.
Are we living out of our uniqueness, our God-given originality? As it says in the quote above, something is lost if we are not living out of our uniqueness. Dr. Mollie of BestLifeDesign.com shares this story in her latest newsletter, an example of living out of our uniqueness:
Steve “Pre” Prefontaine co-founded Nike. This running legend held the American record in seven distance track events from 2000 to 10,000 meters — all before he tragically died in a car accident at age 24. At the flagship store, we saw the original Nike designs, Steve’s running logs, and items showing how he championed for runners and inspired the 1970′s running boom.
Here is my favorite “Pre” quote: “Some people create with words or with music or with a brush and paints. I like to make something beautiful when I run. I like to make people stop and say, ‘I’ve never seen anyone run like that before.’ It’s more than just a race, it’s a style. It’s doing something better than anyone else. It’s being creative.”
Steve had several things going against him, including having one leg longer than the other and people telling him he couldn’t accomplish his “foolish dreams.” But his drive to be number one prevailed. He did it for the self-satisfaction and sense of achievement. He did it because he embraced that he had a gift and was born to run. As he said, “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.”
We may not be co-founders of a Nike-type company, but each of us has a gift, born from our uniqueness, to share with those around us.
How are you sharing your gift?
PS. I come across many people that feel stuck when it comes to sharing their ‘gift’. What do you think stops us from sharing out of our uniqueness? What are the obstacles that get in our way?
17/08/2010 at 5:23 am Permalink
Fear seems to keep many people from expressing their uniqueness. They wish to fit in an “be normal” (whatever that is), and then just get stuck there missing out on all of the fun.
17/08/2010 at 6:57 am Permalink
Very true, Rebecca! One of the things I’ve pondered is how do we help them overcome the fear, or maybe not overcome, but choose to move forward in spite of the fear and invite them into the “fun”. I like how you put that!