Two and a half weeks ago, I returned to BYU. Nearly all of my friends had graduated and/or married or have yet to return from their missions, so I've had to start fresh in the friend department. And I've been amazed at the quality of people that I've found here.
I've met people that inspire me. People that think wider and bigger and deeper than I do. People that are "movers and shakers." People that question the status quo and want to do things better. People with ingenuity and creativity. And that makes me want to follow suit. Not to copy them, but apply those principles to the things that I am interested in. Hearing them speak gets my creative juices flowing, and all of a sudden, I'm not content to be mediocre anymore. I want to make a difference, just like I started feeling when I was a small child.
It reminds me of a certain phrase from a well-known poem. It says:
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking
so that other people won't feel insecure around you. ...
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
give other people permission to do the same.
As we are liberated from our own fear,
our presence automatically liberates others.
The entire poem is quite wonderful, and I would highly recommend it (it is by Marianne Williamson even thought it is often erroneously attributed to Nelson Mandela). I chose these specific lines, because they go against what we often think/feel.
We never feel intimidated by mediocre people. Sometimes, however, we feel intimidated by brilliant and accomplished people. This would make some people fear leaving the comfortable box of mediocrity, because they do not want to make others feel uncomfortable around them. This poem, however, states the opposite. It claims that we all have the capacity and, indeed, the right to be wonderful and amazing; and by achieving one's potential, one frees the others from their bounds, and enables them to fulfill their own destiny of greatness. It's like we see that it is possible, because someone (one whom we may term a "hero") had the courage to break through.
And therefore, we should not shrink back in cowardess and do merely what is expected of us. We should raise our minds and our visions and our hearts toward the good of all, and make our footprint on the world or on some person's heart (for all of our destinies are different). But be it what it may, we would all do well to examine ourselves, and see what our contribution currently is, and what it can be. And start by surrounding yourself with good people that inspire you--liberate you--to become that.
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power, and of a sound mind." 2 Tim 1:7
