Have you ever harbored dreams of becoming a successful leader, a billionaire, or the most respected businessperson in the world?
When I was a child, I aspired to become a well-known singer and a famous director. The last thing I wanted to do was be ordinary. I was featured on public television and in weather broadcasts. My picture made it into the local newspaper, and my friend cut it out to show our whole class.
At the time, I believed I was extraordinary.
However, when I started junior high school, I discovered that I wasn't quite as good as I thought. So many people were smarter and better than me. I had a very small presence in my school. For thirteen years, I had felt special - the realization that I was just like everyone else discouraged me. I stopped going out of my way to engage in things and grew more timid and insecure. I became jealous of students who got up on stage to perform when I did not.
I tried to accept my normalcy, but I struggled.
One night, I voice my troubles to my roommate. After listening to my thoughts, she responded, "Alice, you need to know that each of us is ordinary. You need to learn to accept yourself. The seemingly normal person you don't want to become may be a source of inspiration for others around you." These few words have changed me.
Accepting the ordinary does not mean that our life or motivation ends there - it just means that we have learned to see everything from a different perspective. We are all ordinary in our own way. That's what makes us truly extraordinary.
Author: Jingrui (Alice) Xue
Biography: Alice Xue is a Grade 10 student currently attending Luther College High School in Regina, Saskatchewan. She loves singing and has been a part of the school choir since she was six. She is positive, optimistic, and enjoys her life very much.
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