You know those incessant requests to go to a certain party or outing for which the main argument in the face of denial is: “But mom, everyone goes!”.
And the answer, fathers and mothers at least once, have already given: "You are not everyone!".
What a valuable lesson!
Evidently, the moment you hear an answer like that, all you want is, yes, to be like everyone else, because being different in this case implies missing an opportunity.
Today I realize that from hearing so much that I wasn't everyone, I became a unique person!
In fact, we are all unique, but it takes a while for us to really realize that.
Most of the time we unconsciously behave in a very patterned and repeated way and end up driving the result of our actions towards the same results. When we realize this, justifying that, after all, it's like that with everyone, we accept any outcome under the fog of this paradigm called “that's how it is”.
It's not like that! It's the way we want it to be. We have that power!
Conformism has a double face and we should not confuse them.
If faced with a situation that does not depend on our decision, we are passive to its outcome, we are resilient and non-conformist.
In this way, we feel good and accept reality, adapting in order to live better with it, even if it is not exactly a reflection of our immediate desire.
When the action in search of a goal is interrupted by fear, insecurity or suffering, we see the harmful side of this feeling, because it limits us and prevents us from trying to find another path or another opportunity.
If we can have the discernment that we are not experiencing a situation on the harmful side of conformism and that extra effort is worth it, even in the face of adversity, we will have the strength and courage for the necessary impetus and for achievement.
Perhaps it is at this moment, in which the nature of conformism defines it, either as a remedy, or as a poison, that we must rescue that childhood jargon and give it a new meaning.
You are not everyone! And because not everyone can be responsible for their happiness in the way that is most appropriate and compatible with their goals.
You are not everyone! It is someone with unique characteristics and qualities that provide you with a universe of opportunities. No one is able to stop you in your achievements but yourself!
While in childhood hearing this phrase seemed like a punishment for most of us, putting us on the sidelines of events in the form of some deprivation, in adult life it is a precious fuel that reminds us of our inner strength.
Perhaps this is what our mothers wanted to teach us during those times, when the generation gap was most evident in our youthful perception.
Today, every time I have to face a situation in which many people have not been successful, adversity that are difficult for everyone and that make me discouraged by observing how many people have not managed to win, I remind myself: “I am not everyone”.
And that phrase, heard so many times and so often refuted, is the encouragement that carries me forward.
So, when you share your anxieties and insecurities with someone and hear someone say that you shouldn't persist because this happens to everyone, remember your mother... You are not everyone!
