The Ordinary Yet Extraordinary in All of Us

• The story we resonate most with is “Ours.”
• Breaking the chain perhaps requires a lot more than just declaring it; it’s more about standing with it, even if you’re the only one holding the line.
• Keep your motivation and hope always alive, for they are greatest powers one could possess.

Aren’t we all just a collection of consequences of what we’ve been through? Motivation, discipline, hard work, or street smart –which one of them makes us successful? The way we accept change and react to it plays a big role in how our life turns out to be. Perhaps there is no such thing as extraordinary people, but only we make it so.

The Dreams of a Child

From dreaming of being an astronaut, poet, doctor, or painter to becoming today a young leader at Girl Power Talk. There are so many ways to begin in this life, to strive, to believe, and to shine. But amid all these options comes the winter of uncertainties, the one we all battle with. 

I certainly wasn’t a passionate, extraordinary, full of motivation, or life-of-the-party child ever. My personal bubble was and still is the most precious thing to me in the world. Not because I am timid, but because I find pleasure in the serenity of observance and stillness.

From Where I Come From

In grade 5, I was diagnosed with severe seasonal allergies, making it harder for me to continue the normal educational routine and, resultantly, I dropped out of school. With a 2 years gap, and rejoining and dropping again is the story of how somehow I completed my school education. In grade 11, I was diagnosed with allergic asthma triggered by my unsuccessful allergy treatment. 

In my 4th semester in college, my eyesight started getting worse and my childhood diplopia emerged again, causing me to skip classes and lose grades. 

I was told I wasn’t a good fit for marriage because of my health issues, the marriage I am not even interested in. But perhaps because I’m a girl, and apparently in the eyes of society an incompetent one, people around me felt entitled to label me as per, usually, their closed minded understandings. 

I also ended up resigning from my job because I just couldn’t catch a flight to where I was supposed to work. I was judged for things that were not in my control. 

My relatives compared me to my sisters, my friends compared me to my siblings, and not a single person in my circle knew me for who I was.

I’m sure that all of us out there, young or old, have had our collection of setbacks, disappointments, and tragedies. In fact, we don’t get to decide what we end up facing, but we can decide how we face it, and that was the only thing that I did to motivate myself. And the way I faced it changed the course of how I perceived the circumstances that life threw at me.

Where I’m Going

Today, I go back and remember that I secured scholarships, was a top student at college, supported my family, won competitions and awards, and I’m still standing and fighting. Even so, I’m not on the list of the competent and self-sufficient ones in the eyes of my relatives yet. But is that even necessary?

The problem with people who tag us, label us, and condemn us is that they are far more than oblivious. They can’t see the fact that our concerns aren’t if our makeup looked right or if our hairstyle matched the latest trends. They just don’t see beyond the 2-page resume they have in their hands, towards who we really are. 

Why was the world unwilling to accept me when I was holding my arms open toward accepting its flaws? Perhaps that’s a question I will never find an answer to.

However, with my learnings and experiences, I’ve come to realize that diseases, tragedies, depression, defeat, and rejection are all ordinary. They happen to all of us. Yet, it’s you and me who add the extra factor in facing it. 

In the end, I wasn’t a hero in the past and neither am I today. My journey might not be exotic or life-altering for all I know. But to me, it’s as wholesome as it can be. I have come to understand the reality that regardless of who I become, some people will never acknowledge me. At the end of the day, all you can do in this life is to know and love yourself.

Moreover, I believe the guy sitting at the window across from me can’t see the details on my skin pores, my color, my identity, my insecurities, or how I rose above it all. This keeps my motivation going.

Three Magic Ingredients in Life

Acceptance, gratefulness, and constant efforts are what I believe can transform lives, bring revolutions and change life’s direction.

• Acceptance:

Acceptance is the element that frees you from the chains of the past along with regret, guilt, questions, agony, and the constant whirlwind of fixation. The energy that you’ve been spending in going in circles should be redirected and invested in more meaningful ways. We become prisoners of our minds which only blinds us and ultimately makes all the statements of others about us true, just because we are not really focusing on ourselves. 

By knowing your strengths and weaknesses, comes the wisdom that channels your energy correctly. Joining Girl Power Talk and coming across Jobelle was and still is a continuous reminder of all the power a person can hold. A power that is most beautiful and fulfilling in all its shades. Remember that with acceptance comes the motivation to love yourself.

• Gratefulness:

No matter who you are or wherever you are, there are always things you can be grateful for. The universe doesn’t hate you and God is not unjust with you to leave you under others’ mercy. You exist because he loves the combination of characteristics he put together in you. There’s great power in knowing that what you have is better than nothing and wisdom lies in situations you can’t even foresee or expect.

Maybe you are not physically healthy like others, but you are mentally and emotionally more capable than those belittling you. Isn’t that strength a power of yours that deserves appreciation? Maybe you don’t have an influential family background, but your journey of becoming self-sufficient and independent is a mark of honor for you because you are self-made. Mercy comes in all forms.

• Consistent efforts:

I believe learning to practice discipline is much more essential than having an extra factor. People like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, and Warren Buffet weren’t extraordinary to begin with, they were the same children with the same limbs as us. The only difference is that they were consistent in their efforts toward pursuing their goals. 

Trust the Timing of Your Universe

I believe that each one of us has a special miracle stored in us by God. Other people may be blind to who we are, but we must not close our eyes upon the glory of God. That’s what helped me continue my walk even when there was very little input or motivation from my surroundings. 

Additionally, the right people will come into your life at the right time just like Girl Power Talk came for me. People and places will become the constant drive of motivation for you and will help in enabling you in the journey to love yourself. I honestly can’t be happier about my resignation from my previous job after I had my first interview with Girl Power Talk. 

Girl Power Talk felt different from the questionnaire and the whole onboarding process. It’s a place that does not tag me as a non-good candidate due to my health conditions or not having an extraordinary background. An organization that is willing to invest in me and is patient with me. Something that seemed far from reality a few months back.

It’s a unique workplace with an extraordinary culture that’s embedded, transformed, and passed on by ordinary people from so many different countries, cultures, and identities.

Although I still don’t want to be that sparkling one by the definition of others, the truth is, I’m not forced to be like that anymore.

We are only as happy as we want to be. It must be you who speaks to the world, so what if they can’t see you for who you really are? Glass slippers only fit the special ones, and at the right time. Explore yourself, stay motivated,  and love yourself till you embark on the journey of becoming who you are meant to be.