Mr. Achievement - Stanley F. Bronstein - Personal Development BlogPersonal Development Blog of the Founder of the Achievement IQ Movement and Creator of the Laws of Positioning

Law #94

Position Yourself To Be Unique

Each second we live is a new and unique moment of the universe, a moment that will never be again. And what do we teach our children? We teach them that two and two make four, and that Paris is the capital of France. When will we also teach them what they are? We should say to each of them: Do you know what you are? You are a marvel. You are unique. In all the years that have passed, there has never been another child like you. Your legs, your arms, your clever fingers, the way you move. You may become a Shakespeare, a Michelangelo, a Beethoven. You have the capacity for anything. Yes, you are a marvel. And when you grow up, can you then harm another who is, like you, a marvel? You must work, we must all work, to make the world worthy of its children. (Pablo Picasso)

Some Definitions

Second - A moment or instant.

Live - To continue to have life; remain alive. To continue in existence, operation, memory, etc.; last.

New - Of recent origin, production, purchase, etc.; having but lately come or been brought into being. Having but lately or but now come into knowledge.

Unique - Existing as the only one or as the sole example; single; solitary in type or characteristics. Having no like or equal; unparalleled; incomparable.

Moment - An indefinitely short period of time; instant. A particular time or period of success, excellence, fame, etc..

Universe - The totality of known or supposed objects and phenomena throughout space; the cosmos; macrocosm.

Never - Not ever; at no time. Not at all; absolutely not.

Again - Once more; another time; anew; in addition. In an additional case or instance; moreover; besides; furthermore.

Teach - To impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in.

Children - Our offspring. Our sons and daughters.

What They Are - What is is that makes you what you are? What is it that makes you unique?

Marvel - Something that causes wonder, admiration, or astonishment; a wonderful thing; a wonder or prodigy.

Years - Long periods of time. An unusually long period of time of indefinite length.

Capacity - The power of receiving impressions, knowledge, etc.; mental ability. Actual or potential ability to perform, yield or withstand.

Anything - Any thing whatever; something, no matter what. In any degree; to any extent; in any way; at all.

Grow Up - To be or become fully grown; attain mental or physical maturity.

Work - Exertion or effort directed to produce or accomplish something; labor; toil.

World - Humankind; the human race; humanity. The class of persons devoted to the affairs, interests, or pursuits of this life.

Worthy - Having adequate or great merit, character, or value. Of commendable excellence or merit; deserving.

Source: Dictionary.com

What Is This Quote Suggesting?

Ah uniqueness. To me, nothing is more important.

I have prided myself, my entire life, on NOT being like everyone else. But, as I’ve always told people, I’m not like everyone else; I’m not normal; but I function within the bounds of normality.

In other words, my parents taught me to think; they taught me to NOT be afraid to be unique; BUT they also taught me how to function with everyone else and play by the rules.

In my opinion, that is a major part of what is lacking in today’s society.

The quote touches on my thoughts on this matter. It talks about how we teach “book” knowledge to our children in our schools. It then talks about how we do NOT teach them how to think; we do NOT teach them to realize they are unique; we do NOT encourage them to be special.

Instead, we teach our children to be just like each other.

But, I think we can (and should) teach them something different.

What Should We Be Teaching Our Children?

The most important thing we can teach our children is how to think. We need to teach them how to have imagination. We need to NOT teach them how to be just like each other, but instead, teach them how to be like themselves.

That’s what is missing in today’s educational system.

We need to teach our children how to be like themselves. How to be unique.

Why?

Because, recognition of uniqueness breeds special abilities. If we teach all of our children to be the same, they will all learn the same things and develop the same abilities. If instead, we teach them how to be unique they will develop MULTIPLE sets of abilities, each of which might just wind up being quite a bit different from the other.

If We Do NOT Encourage Uniqueness, Nothing Unique Will Be Created

Think about it.  How does one create unique things?  By creating an environment where unique things can flourish; where unique things can be created.

Ask yourself, if you were training the next generation of the world’s greatest thinkers and you wanted unique creations to results (such as those from Shakespeare, Michelangelo, Einstein, etc.), how would you do it?

Would you encourage them to be just like each other, hoping that you would create thousands and thousands and thousands of great thinkers who all thought like each other, or instead would you encourage each one of them to be unique, and hopefully create thousands and thousands and thousands of great UNIQUE thinkers, each of which comes up with their own incredible ideas.

Personally, I know which I would prefer.  Uniqueness is the way to go.  Encourage it in yourself.  Encourage it in your children.  Encourage it EVERYWHERE in this world.