Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree. It will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.

-Albert Einstein

I came across this quote and it stuck with me. Words are such powerful weapons and whether they’re wheeled with malice or not they can cut a person deep to the core. If a person is continuously told who they are is not enough, they learn, they are not enough. This was my experience. I spent most of my life trying to fit in and trying to be what I thought everyone wanted me to be. The problem is when you do that and you hear those messages it doesn’t matter what you do. You will never feel like you measure up. You can’t because your inner chatter message continuously places the tune, you don’t matter. 

You may think the words have to be extremely harsh for this to happen but they don’t really. Seemingly innocuous words can have a disastrous impact because they come at you from more varied angles and perspectives. They sneak out of the woodwork when you least expect them stinging, searing, and burning deep to your core. It’s why they are so harmful and yet you can’t say anything because then you are too sensitive, too emotional, and that carries another round of things to beat yourself up about. Judgements and words mounted upon judgements and words.

But just as the words in the quote about the fish believing it is stupid are true so are the words “everyone is a genius.” That part seems to get left out of our teaching through life as we are taught to overcome hurdles, to tackle our fears and weaknesses, to be someone we are not. What type of impact do you think it would have on our children if as they grew and learned they were taught each of them is a genius in their own right because they are unique and have unique talents. What if those unique talents were harnessed? How successful do you think they would become as adults? What if they could just be who they are and not judged because they aren’t the same as others? It sounds simple, doesn’t it? I wish with all my heart it was that simple.

My dream is, that all children someday will get to be themselves. They will get to be the beautiful unlimited creatures they were born as, throughout their entire life. They will grow up knowing their uniqueness is brilliant and that embracing it will allow them to live a life shining their light. Ah … what a world, what possibilities!