Face it, You’re Unique!

Something occurred to me recently…

I don’t know anyone in this world that knows all the exact same people as me.
The only people who have the same genes (my two sisters) are the most like me, and even still they know totally different people from me.

This means the two most likely candidates  for thinking the way I do, feeling the way I do, and learning the way I do, are STILL different from me.

This sounds stupid and obvious I realize, but…
If each of us are influenced by the people we meet, the teachers we have, and the lives we lead, it is statistically impossible for anyone on this planet to be just like you.

There are countless factors in who you are; current job, past job, co-workers old and new, childhood friends, current friends, college classes, volunteering, family members, countries visited, lovers lost.

Then sometimes we do this comparison thing. We say to ourselves when watching others, “If that were me, I would ________”. Or we speak to friends and we say “You should _______”. Almost forgetting we are all influenced by totally different people, experiences, family, and more.

It seems easy to judge someone, we have our own lives and experiences to go by, and so a conclusion is easily drawn FOR them. Totally forgetting, they are NOT you. YOU are not them.

We should remember when we are quick to see a person and have an opinion, they have lived a different life from you, one you couldn't guess, and one you couldn't know with all their many factors. We don’t know what their today has been like, or what their struggles of yesterday were.

We are influenced endlessly, by endless sources, I challenge you to pay attention and judge less, acknowledging you DON’T know what people live through to influence who they become. And be secure in your differences too! You ARE unique, You ARE different

... it's a great thing!