“If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” - Vincent van Gogh
A few week ago, my friend posted a picture of a tree with a line “When in doubt … ,” and I immediately thought of the word “bloom!” The story behind the tree: many were doubtful that the tree would even survive. The tree ‘knew’ that the only way to cast away the doubt; it not only survives but also blooms - silencing all the voices. It made perfect sense to me right at that moment. What would be the best way to face the doubt we have of ourselves: the things we set to achieve, the goals and our dreams? I believe we all have the answer in us. Don’t Doubt Your Dream!
“What If…” by Jackie French Koller
Did you ever stop and think
how the world would be
if folks had turned out
differently?
A dear friend posted this in her Facebook yesterday sharing this great column written by Mary Schmich in Chicago Tribune 1997. Mary posted a challenge to anyone over 26 to entertain themselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates. Who knows, some day we just might be invited to share some words of wisdom with an audience of caps and gowns? What words of wisdom would you have shared with an audience of graduates?
I believe when you read the speech by Mary Schmich below, you would be able to relate to some of the things she had written just like I did and hope that you will enjoy reading this speech as much as I did too.
Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97:
Wear sunscreen.
If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.
Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.
Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.
Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.
Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-old I know still don’t.
Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.
Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.
Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.
Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.
Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.
Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.
Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.
Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.
Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.
Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.
Respect your elders.
Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.
Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.
Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.
For some, it would have been ‘easier said than done!’ They might even resign to the deck of cards that fate had dealt them. “It is my fate! I must resign to it.” They said. Sad to say, they are right, if they believe so.
I believe no one promised him that his journey would be an easy one; no one painted him a journey with straight smooth paths and flowers at the side, where the sun will always shine brightly with occasional rain to nourish the lands. And definitely no one guaranteed him result.
It was his fate to scale all brick walls that stood in his way to top his class and I believe that he will continue to go against all odds in his life.
Brendan Lee emerged as the top student despite his dyslexia. He said,
“I didn’t have much of a childhood. I had to go to the dyslexia association, Singapore General Hospital for my speech therapy, home tuition, school tuition, so there was no time for leisure. Many times, I was demoralised. My friends would ostracise me because I failed all my subjects.“
Fortunately for Mr. Lee, he chose to play the cards that was dealt to him differently and against all odds. How would we have played his cards? Are we to resign to our fates? Or are we to re-engineer our own fates? Either way you are right to choose whichever path you want to take.
The path to re-engineer our own fates is not one without challenges, just as it was a challenging one for Mr. Lee. And I certainly do not promise you that it will be an easy and smooth sailing one. As the saying goes, “There is no shortcut to any place worth going.” Now the question is, “Is it worth it for Mr. Lee?” I would leave you to answer that question on your own. Either way, you are right; it is a matter of choice.
Even for billionaire Richard Branson, he didn’t do well academically; he has mild dyslexia and according to an article by John Shepler,
“Richard didn’t breeze through school. It wasn’t just a challenge for him, it was a nightmare. His dyslexia embarrassed him as he had to memorize and recite word for word in public.“
Richard Branson is the 261st richest person in the world according to Forbes’ 2009 list of billionaires, with an estimated net worth of approximately £2.6 billion (US$3.9billion). Was it worth it to re-engineer his fate and not resigning to it? Mr. Branson wrote in his autobiography of the decision to start an airline:
My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable challenges and trying to rise above them…from the perspective of wanting to live life to the full, I felt that I had to attempt it.
Was it worth it for Richard Branson? Same thing, I would like to leave that answer to you. And either way you are right. Re-engineering one’s fate and changing is challenging. Most people, including myself, resist changes. Changes may not always be for the better; however, one thing for sure, if we do not change, we may become obsolete and may become the next on the extinct list.
Photo by vivekchugh
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One of the most powerful quotations which I have always liked to share is by Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the Change that you want to see in the world.” The wisdom in the quotation is timeless; it is as applicable today as it was in the time of Gandhi when he uttered those words.
In a world where the only constant is change, we have always been talking about changing the world and people around us. However, not all have realised that for change to take place, they must first change themselves. Do not seek without what we can find within. If we start out with the perception to change the world, then we would fail badly. But if we start by changing ourselves, the change in the world would come naturally and inevitable.
In the short film which I am sharing with you, the boy may not know the above quotation by Gandhi or wouldn’t know that he was applying what Gandhi mentioned about being the change. It was a natural instinct that we often see in children; the ability to see things in a simple manner. We adults often complicate things while trying to come out with the best solution. He started out to be the change and in the process, he inspired others to follow suit.
Starting to be the change we want to see in the world, we would also inspire change in the world which comes from within each individual. Children are our best hope of positively influencing the world to love and care for each other. To put aside differences and to focus on the similarities. Before that, we are still the prime influencing force affecting not only our children but the future of the world that they will be living in.
We must be the change we want to see in the world.
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“If you hear a voice within you say “you cannot paint,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.” - Vincent van Gogh
A dear friend posted this in her Facebook yesterday sharing this great column written by 
For some, it would have been ‘easier said than done!’ They might even resign to the deck of cards that fate had dealt them. “It is my fate! I must resign to it.” They said. Sad to say, they are right, if they believe so.
