I recently saw an ad for Las Vegas that ended with the line “What happens here, only happens here.” What a great line! Vegas is unique; all that happens in that town truly make it one of a kind.
I am one of a kind and it is a good thing, no one should want to be like me. A few years back I was catching up with friends and at one point in the conversation, someone in the group compared themselves to me. The response from another friend was “not even close!” I chuckled; my friend sticking up for me was great. While I was flattered (on both counts) I also thought to myself, “Why would anyone want to be like anyone else? Why would they not want to be who they are?”
It’s a challenge being one of a kind, as we all share so many similarities. As Shylock says in Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice, “If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh?” It is human nature to want to be like others, that is why we create and belong to different clubs with similar interests. ? Every now and then, it’s ok to be the same to fit in with our tribes.
While there are similarities between all of us, there are also differences. In an interview after the Super Bowl win for the Kansas City Chiefs, Quarterback Patrick Mahomes was asked if he was disappointed by not winning the NFL MVP for 2019. He responded in part by saying, “…I just try to be the best Patrick Mahomes I can be.” He is aware that he is unique and intends to make the best of it. For me, it’s the differences that makes us interesting. We all experience things differently and that is awesome. It’s those differences that make us who we are. It can be uncomfortable, but it is being one of a kind that makes each of us extraordinary.
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else.” – P.T. Barnum
Have a one of a kind weekend.
Vijay