Read this article with an open mind, if you wish to get useful value from it. I’m not asking anyone to be rude or inconsiderate to others. Instead, it’s a call to every person of vision and ambition to stop playing small in a bid to avoid criticism or scrutiny.

The Best Way to Live Life Is To Fulfill Your God-given Potential

Our creator has endowed each person with a unique talent or ability that sets him/her apart from everyone else. And he expects each of us to put our strengths to use to make others better off.

Doing so however will periodically attract unpleasantness from negative minded persons.

It is my considered opinion that a higher (probably increasing) number of adults today feel insecure and threatened by anyone who confidently puts his strengths to use.

Rather than seek ways to emulate such persons, they often readily attack him/her for being “showy” or “arrogant”. They hide behind such criticisms because they actually feel intimated by the other person’s demonstrated self-confidence.

Never Let Anyone Make You Play Small

YOU have every right to work to develop yourself to your full potential. And it will not matter who feels offended by your willingness to do so.

I make this comment because I’ve come across too many people who keep holding themselves back because they’re scared of exceeding others. They don’t want to call attention to themselves that could lead others to mock and give those names.

But that’s always a big mistake. The world needs you to be your full and true self. And you need to do so without apology- to anyone. Not even your parents.

There’s no crime in trying to be in people’s good books. But you must know when to stop. For instance, when avoiding getting on the wrong side of people means you have to avoid being your true self, there’s a big problem.

As human beings, we are driven by our passions. Whenever we have to subdue our passions, we usually feel miserable. The human spirit can never accept being restricted, limited or caged. This is why when a person is subjected to repeatedly undue criticism for acting true to his/her nature to increase, s/he is rarely happy and fulfilled.

And what is life without fulfillment and happiness? Nothing. It’s nothing.

You Owe Nobody Any Apology for Being Yourself

It goes without saying that you must be your “good” self.

For instance, you must be fair and considerate in your dealings with anyone. If your true self does not enable you be emotionally intelligent in relating with others, you need to make adjustments. That would be nothing to be proud of.

One example: I know a young undergraduate who is in the habit of constantly putting others down. Nothing gets past him. If a colleague says he has little airtime credit on his phone, this guy quickly announces he has some comparatively large amount on his. Then he proceeds to mock the other for being “poor”.

That’s not all. For him, no opportunity to ridicule a colleague or roommate based on some subject he believes he knows, ever escapes. As a result, he often instigates blind arguments with others.

To make matters worse, when told what he’s doing wrong, he boldly asserts that he will never change, saying there’s nothing wrong with his behaviour.

Now that’s wrong. And his colleagues tell him so. Yet he continues doing the same thing.

That kind of “self” is not desirable – for civilized interaction. A person guilty of such habits will often need to call him/herself to order, and possibly apologize.

Don’t be that kind of person.

You will always be better off moulding your character into one that delivers useful benefits to those you relate with.

You must get to a point where what you do cannot be correctly seen as bad, or unfair. Once there, you will no longer have to worry about offending anyone – because being yourself will be “good” for everyone you meet!