You are unique.
Think about this. Every person you meet throughout your life is a unique individual. Each person has a unique combination of emotions, thoughts, behaviours, characteristics, personality and emotional intelligence.
I woke up bright and early one morning, with these words in my head,
‘I am fearfully and wonderfully made!’ Words I haven’t thought of for a very long time. It usually takes me the most of 2 hours to turn from a sleepy grump into a ‘normal’ human being and that’s only after my breakfast of porridge and a strong cup of ground Italian coffee. I’m NOT a morning person, more of a night owl really
Unique Fingerprint
But this morning was different. I woke up suddenly, wide awake thinking of those six words and then continued thinking during the day how each person on the planet is unique – even ‘identical’ twins and triplets are unique. They may look the same, but they aren’t. Everyone has a separate identity. At first, when twins or triplets are born they may appear to have the same DNA, but there are slight differences. The current DNA testing may not always be able to detect these small differences but they are there. (See Understanding Genetics – genetics. the tech.org). This is evident because each person has a unique fingerprint – Yes! Even ‘identical’ twins and triplets are unique. Amazing!
The current world population is very quickly growing towards 7.95 billion unique persons!
Today, it has a population growth with over 50 million babies born so far this year compared with approximately 21 million deaths this year ! (Worldometers.info, 11/05/2022)
Body, Mind, Emotion, Soul
Imagine! Just think about it for a second; each one of those babies is unique. Each person is not only unique physically, a unique finger print, but is also made up of a unique combination of emotions, thoughts, thought processes, intelligences, abilities, values etc that make up their unique personality.
We are not just one dimensional (body) or even just 2 dimensional (body and mind). I suggest we are made up of many dimensions and 4 of these are core (body, mind, emotion and soul).
No wonder humans are so complex. No wonder psychologists have such a difficult task of studying us and doctors the difficult task of looking after us. Scientists and politicians tend to look at the similarities and try to put us into categories (the dreaded boxes). But it is the individual differences I find much more interesting.
Purpose
Each of us is made for a purpose and each has a unique purpose.
My job, as a coach, is quite often to help the individual find that purpose for their life or work or an aspect of it. It can be about exploring and discovering it, setting goals and helping the person to achieve that purpose. Helping them with career, or getting that promotion or some area of improvement or change or making a decision. But sometimes it’s not that.
Sometimes it’s about helping the individual to just be, to take time out and enjoy their life as a human ‘being’, and not just a human ‘doing’, to encourage them to look after themselves – to look after their mind (dealing with stress and not being overwhelmed with pressures of work and life, or helping with time management), to look after their heart (emotions) exploring emotional intelligence and resilience – bouncing back from disappointment and moving forward, or dealing with the everyday conflict of working and living with others or dealing with anger or grief, or confidence and self-esteem, or to look after their body (eating properly and taking time to exercise – something I have to keep telling myself) or to take care of their spiritual welfare (exploring beliefs and values, and that their behaviour is not in conflict with their core values and it can be about exploring the bigger deeper questions).
And, sometimes, it’s about the whole well ‘being’ of the individual.
We are unique human beings; fearfully and wonderfully made (See Psalm 139, NIV, Holy Bible).
Don’t let anyone put you in that box.
And, if they try to, just jump straight back out!
The very next day after writing this article, who should I spot out shopping – yes you’ve guessed it – TRIPLETS, skipping along in front of me with their big brother in tow!
Pictured here are the lovely little ladies; Sarah, Lois and Ellen, with kind permission of their mum, who says that indeed each one of them is very different. Each girl is unique!
