You are special.
Remember when we used to hear that as children? Doesn’t matter how often it was said or who said it but it was something we were told as kids and it felt downright awesome. Whether from your teacher or from your parent, Barney or Sesame Street being told we were special made us feel special. It made us feel understood, and it made us feel valued. It made us feel that we too belonged, even when it came from a giant purple dinosaur. And that means something, even today.
I want you to really remember that moment when someone or something told you that you were special. I want you to create that memory even if it never existed and I want those who have experienced it to go back to the moment you felt it. That precious moment. Close your eyes if you’d like, I know I did when writing this. It was awesome and a downright brilliant exercise.
While completing my EMBA from INSEAD just last year, I met some of the most incredible people from all parts of the globe and corners of this majestic Earth. These people, all of whom were strikingly successful in their careers had one thing in common in that they either needed validation on how they were running their lives or had to create a new validation on how to carry on going forward.
I learned so much from these people, but most importantly I learned the value of feeling special. As a business coach, just recently I asked my sister to write down what she was good at so that we could come up with a plan on how to execute a marketing strategy for herself to attain new clientele. After giving me the document, she told me how good it felt to see what she thought made her unique on paper. How many of us do that today anyways?
The quality of questions we ask ourselves is what determines what kind of answers we give to the action we then take.
When we do what we’ve been doing for far too long without question, we run the risk of cheating ourselves out of opportunity.
Being in an environment where you can be your best self may seem like a nonexistent utopia for some, but for those that truly know the value of it, it’s like a narcotic of life whose high is felt in every decision made.
Treat yourself to acknowledging what you’re really great at–what in essence makes you special.
It’s almost like the first pair of those favorite new shoes your parents bought you. Complete and utter ecstasy of wearing those new shoes that you knew were bound to get you not only attention and envy of others, but acceptance. It made you feel so darn special didn’t it?
Next time you walk out into your daily routine, I want you to go back to that feeling of wearing those shoes. You deserve to feel special as others around you deserve to feel special as well.
Celebrate yourselves, your accomplishments, and just how incredible the gift of your gift is such a wonderful contribution to society.
Celebrate special.
Ramy Ballout
Entrepreneur & Business Coach