登陆注册
2760300000058

第58章 Love the Perfectly Imperfect You(5)

For the next five minutes, I baited mall rats. Whenever window shoppers stopped or glanced at me, I twitched, smiled, winked, or bowed—to their utter shock and horror! Of course, this bit of punking provoked uproarious laughter from my co-conspirators watching from outside the store. Afterward they made the case that if my public speaking career ever faltered, I could always find work as a department store dummy.

LIGHT IT UP

I‘ve learned to laugh about my disabilities and the strange responses they provoke, but there is an even better method for overcoming doubts about your self-worth or your inability to love yourself as you are. Instead of dwelling on that pain within, reach out to ease someone else’s pain. Put your focus on someone else in need.

Volunteer at a soup kitchen. Raise money for orphans. Organize a benefit to help earthquake victims. Find sponsors who‘ll donate money if you take part in a charity walk, or bike ride, or dance marathon. Rise up and reach out.

When I do that, I discover what is perhaps the best solution for anyone who has failed to turn on the light of love within.

If you can’t resolve your own issues, be the solution for someone else. After all, it‘s better to give than to receive, right? If you don’t love yourself, then give yourself away. If you do that, you‘ll be amazed at how valuable you feel.

How do I know that? C’mon, mate, look at me. Look at my life. Do I seem like a happy and fulfilled person to you?

A nose job won‘t bring you a life of joy. A Ferrari won’t make you admired by millions. You already have what it takes to be loved and valued; it‘s just a matter of releasing and maximizing all that lies within you. You won’t always be perfect, and that‘s perfectly fine. The idea isn’t to attain perfection in your lifetime; it‘s to seek it.

You want to keep striving, keep growing, keep giving all you have to give so that, in the end, you can look back and say, I gave it my best shot.

Take a look in the mirror right now and say, “This is who I am, and I accept the challenge of becoming the best I can be.” You are beautiful because God created you for His purpose. Your challenge is to find that purpose, fuel it with hope, drive it on faith, and put your you-niqueness to the highest possible use.

Loving and accepting yourself is the only surefire cure for self-pity and victimhood. Drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity offer only temporary relief, and eventually they bring only more pain. When I came to see myself as a child of God and a part of His plan, my life was forever changed. You may not be a believer in Christ, but you can believe in your value and purpose on this planet.

BE A FRIEND AND BE HAPPY

My best advice for finding inner happiness is to reach outside yourself, to use your talents and brains and personality to make life better for someone else. I’ve been on the receiving end of that, and I‘m not exaggerating when I tell you that it changed my life.

I was sixteen and a student at Runcorn State High School in Queensland. I usually had to wait an hour or so after school for my ride home. Most days I’d hang out talking to other kids or to a great guy named Mr. Arnold. He wasn‘t the principal or even a teacher. He was the school janitor. But Mr. Arnold was one of those people who glowed from within. He was so at peace with himself, so comfortable in his coveralls, that everyone respected him and enjoyed being around him.

Mr. Arnold could talk about any subject. He was spiritual and wise. On some days he led a Christian youth discussion at lunchtime. He invited me to join, even though I told him I wasn’t big into religion. But I liked him, and so I began attending their sessions.

Mr. Arnold encouraged kids to talk about their lives at these meetings, but I always turned down his invitations. “Come on, Nick, we‘d like to hear your story,” he’d say. “We want to know more about you and what you‘re thinking.”

For three months I refused. “I don’t have a story to tell,” I‘d say.

Finally Mr. Arnold wore me down. The other kids were very open about their feelings and their experiences, so I finally consented to talk about my own at the next meeting. I was so nervous, I prepared note cards with bullet points. (Nerdy, I know.)

I wasn’t expecting to impress anyone. I just wanted to get through it and get out of there, or so I told myself. A part of me also wanted to show the other kids that I had the same feelings, hurts, and fears that they‘d expressed.

For ten minutes that day I talked about what it was like to grow up without arms and legs. I told sad stories and funny stories too. I didn’t want to seem like a victim, so I talked about my victories. Since this was a Christian group, I did say that there had been times when I felt God had forgotten me, or that I‘d been one of His rare mistakes. Then I explained how I’d gradually come to understand that maybe there was a plan for me that I just hadn‘t figured out yet.

“I’m slowly learning to have more faith that I wasn‘t a mistake,” I said, trying to get a laugh.

In truth, I was so relieved to get through my talk that I felt like crying. To my amazement, most of the kids in the room were crying instead.

“Was I that bad?” I asked Mr. Arnold.

“No, Nick,” he said. “You were that good.”

At first I thought he was just being nice and the kids in the group were pretending to be moved by my speech. They were Christians, after all. They were supposed to be nice.

But then one of the guys in the group invited me to speak to his church youth group. Then another invitation came from another kid for his Sunday school class. Over the next two years, I received dozens of invitations to share my story to church groups, youth organizations, and service clubs.

I had avoided Christian groups in high school because I didn’t want to be labeled as the do-gooder preacher‘s kid who was all about religion. I acted tough and sometimes cursed so I could be accepted as a regular guy. The truth was that I had not yet accepted myself.

Obviously, God has a sense of humor. He wrangled me into speaking to just the group I had avoided, and it was there that He revealed my purpose in life. He showed me that even if I was not perfect, I had riches to share, blessings to lighten the burdens of others.

The same holds true for you. We share our imperfection. We need to share the beautiful gifts we’ve been given. Look inside. There is a light inside you just waiting to shine.

同类推荐
  • 商务英语900句“袋”着走

    商务英语900句“袋”着走

    本书提炼出外企员工日常交流中使用最高频的话题情景,力求生活化,真实化。全书点面结合,通过句型替换,举一反三,以一句顶万句,方便记忆。 本书采用口袋书设计,方便携带,可谓挤地铁乘公交的上选佳品。便于随时随地学习,为自己充电。上班前看一眼,一天都能用得到。
  • 娱乐休闲英语口语即学即用

    娱乐休闲英语口语即学即用

    在当今紧张的工作之余,人们总是争取大量的空闲时间来休闲娱乐。在各种娱乐场合,人与人之间容易增进感情,加深关系,促进交往。书中每个单元都设有与内容相关的简单句型结构和短语,并配有多个例句和汉语翻译,便于读者套用和练习。每章开篇都为读者提供了该主题所蕴含的文化背景,方便读者对语言文化的学习。
  • 从零开始学英语,“袋”着走

    从零开始学英语,“袋”着走

    这是一本简单易学,同时也能带给你成就感的英语口语入门书!100%从零开始,不论你的英语目前处于什么水平,只要你有信心,随时都可以拿起本书开始从零学起!长期以来,对于英语初学者,尤其是对于自学者来说,都期望拥有一本好的英语学习书。学了十几年英语的人有成百上千万,但是真正能将英语学以致用的人却是凤毛麟角。因此,一本比较切合中国英语学习者实际需要的英语学习书就显得尤为重要。
  • 用英语介绍中国这里是广州

    用英语介绍中国这里是广州

    外国人面前,你能否用一口流利的英文介绍自己所在的城市呢?走出国门,你是否能够让更多的外国人了解广州灿烂悠久的文化?本书为读者奉上原汁原味的人文阅读精华,详细介绍了人们最感兴趣的广州历史文化、城市风景、广州生活、名人逸事等,带您全方位地了解广州。读者在学习英语的同时,又能品味这座南方文化名城的独特魅力。
  • 大学英语四级词汇新解

    大学英语四级词汇新解

    部分内容包括构词、词形变化等,能使同学们化整为零,举一反三,进而快速有效地记住单词。书中每个单词后面都列有该词最常用的中文释义。当释义多于一项时,用等加以区分,并配有同反义词,使同学们全面掌握与此单词相关的词汇。
热门推荐
  • 星月同辉

    星月同辉

    她本是千金小姐,跳级教书,却遇见了他。奈何家中突变,她回家却陷入了上一辈的恩怨......
  • 你的眼

    你的眼

    第一次见面的时候他说“小妖精,过来给爷亲一个。”第一次送她礼物的时候他说“丫,漂亮吗?”第一次带着她逃课时他说“丫,我爱你”,后来,第一次分手的时候他说“小妖精,我和你玩够了,再见……”后来她说“医生,不要告诉他,他的眼睛是我的……”
  • 道源天封

    道源天封

    天地经形,演宇宙,化洪荒,道种众生,冥古而成,万灵同生普天,古稀恒古久远。自古,生命太初难定,道途太始难言,古往今夕难测,立命生死难解。生之初。在与世间,然,命道有途,生极必死,纵轮回六道,归途始终,亦难逃亡死。必,肉为尘,骨为土,魂归道天,浮沉归黄土。死后始。天地棺木,葬过往,埋生机,命末之数,难改难逆。虽,仙有不朽,神有不灭,圣有不老,却难逃亡道天地,天地死,众生献祭,永生难逃,终归去,陪葬天地化尘土。亡道烙印,无为有形,被过去注定,被未来摹刻,万尘众生能所看有形亡,却无能摆脱无为死。生死轮回,谁能跳跃?
  • 时间裂痕

    时间裂痕

    一次意外一声惊雷撕裂了时空揭开了一个惊天的秘密和阴谋生存还是毁灭一念之间亿万年,无痕
  • 枭仙传

    枭仙传

    三百年前五国之战,江湖溃乱,天地灵气十去七八,最后一辈仙人也随之尽绝。秦冲生在西疆,长于中原,偶得绝世功法,自此横空出世。不沾尘俗白衣仙子?魅惑精灵的魔道妖女?还有个娇柔公主?等等,等老子把大魏皇帝干掉再说!
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 问道BS全集之猪妖记

    问道BS全集之猪妖记

    本部小说主要撰写网络游戏问道BS的故事!猪妖记、白骨记、顶天牛魔王、羊头三雄等故事!
  • 武运山河

    武运山河

    佛道是武。巫术是武。科技是武。儒亦是武!武,即是人类挣脱命运枷锁的无上手段。华纪历一万八千年,末法时代。众圣隐遁,大道不兴,玄门离散…………最黑暗的帷幕,在乱世缓缓拉下。唯有武道,可运山河。
  • 仙女变

    仙女变

    变什么不好,为什要变成女人?还好可以修真!修着修着,竟然就变成仙女了,你让我一个大老爷们情何以堪呐!
  • 守护甜心之暗夜的血色彼岸花

    守护甜心之暗夜的血色彼岸花

    彼岸花...有花不见叶...有叶不见花...而她和她,又将怎样...一切,都还只是个迷而已。彼岸的那个你,到底,哪个才是真?哪个,才是假?如今,我看不透你了,璃茉…