Are You a Pink Elephant?

Once upon a time a pink elephant was born.

He was so clearly different from the rest that soon the grey elephants started to distance themselves and ignore him. The little pink elephant felt very sad and rejected. He realized that in order to fit in with the rest of the herd he had to be just like them. So, he covered himself with mud and dirt until he became a dirty grey. Throughout the years he kept covering himself and hiding behind the dirt.

Then one day, rain began pouring down and washed away all the mud and dirt from his body. He was pink again! The grey elephants turned and started laughing at the sight of his obvious pinkness. As the laughter grew louder he realized that he was trying to fit into a group that would never understand him. He knew that he was different and that he needed to find a group of pink elephants just like him, where he would be accepted and learn to love himself as he was.

Imagine yourself as an “Elephant”, the largest land animal on earth. An elephant is too massive to miss. It has an enormous amount of power. If you were a “Pink Elephant” when you were born, then you are different from most of the people around you. People will think that you are a bit strange when they meet you and because of this you may try to hide your true self. You try as hard as possible to fit in, but people always notice you. Sometimes you will be admired for being different, but often you will be ridiculed. Then, you have one of two choices to make. Either you gather your strength and are proud that you are Pink or you try to convince everyone that you are exactly like them. Most choose the second option. It seems easier to just fit in.

The truth is that it doesn’t matter that people will laugh at you, think that you are weird, or feel your dreams seem totally unattainable - You must not listen to them. They are too entrenched in the limited herd mentality to see the greater possibilities that are available.

I travel around the world and teach (hidden) Pink Elephants to become themselves. I bring them together and show them that they are not alone. They come alive in the presence of others just like them. Keep in mind that all the great inventors and innovators were Pink Elephants. It takes a unique person to get to the moon, be a music icon or create personal computers. The herd is always afraid of new ideas, but unabashed “Pink Elephants” are never stopped.

Pink Elephants live in a world of possibilities, not fear. So start a Pink Elephant group in your community today and see your world change! “What is different about you is what makes you special.”


-- Excerpt from “Stop Acting – Start Living” by Bernard Hiller

Will, Fern, and the Power of Encouragement

Two frogs named Will and Fern fell into a deep pit together. At first, they thought it would be easy to jump out. But after lots of failed attempts they cried for help and a crowd of animals gathered around the pit.

Everyone agreed it was hopeless so they urged Will and Fern to accept their fate. The harder the trapped frogs jumped, the more the crowd yelled at them to give up. Finally, Will stopped trying. Fern refused to quit and with one mighty try she leaped out of the pit. The crowd was amazed. Someone asked her why she kept trying when everyone told her she had no chance.

Fern was baffled. “What are you saying?” she asked. “I’m a bit deaf. I was sure you were all cheering me on. I couldn’t have done it without your encouragement.”

I learned of this story from a woman who was in a transitional housing program recovering from a long period of drug abuse, homelessness and hopelessness. She wanted everyone to understand how important positivism and encouragement can be to help people who seem down and out to get up and out. She said she got out of her own pit because caring people helped her believe in herself and gave her the confidence she needed to jump a little harder.

There will always be people in your life ready to tell you what you can’t do. Real friends root for you, support you and help you discover your inner talents and strengths. I hope you will find and treasure those kinds of friends and be one yourself.

Remember, character counts.


-- Michael Josephson (www.whatwillmatter.com)

You are what you do

The beginning of a habit is like an invisable thread.
Every time you repeat the act you strengthen the strand.
Add to it another filament with each repetition,
until it becomes a great cable
and binds you irrevocably to each thought and act.

First you make your habits,
and then they make you.

Your thoughts lead you to your purpose.
Your purpose always manifests into action.
Your actions form your habits.
Your habits decide your character,
and your character fixes your destiny.

Your habits are either the best of servants or the worst of masters.


-- Max Stein

    

The Nature of Character

Abraham Lincoln was very concerned with character, but he was also aware of the importance of having a good reputation. He explained the difference this way: 'Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.'

Put another way, your reputation is what people think of you. Your character is what you actually are.

In a world preoccupied with image, it's easy to worry too much about our reputation and too little about our character. Building a reputation is largely a public-relations project; building character requires us to focus on our values and actions. Noble rhetoric and good intentions aren't enough.

What we're looking for is moral strength based on ethical principles. Character is revealed by actions, not words, especially when there's a gap between what we want to do and what we should do and when doing the right thing costs more than we want to pay.

Our character is revealed by how we deal with pressures and temptations. But it's also disclosed by everyday actions, including what we say and do when we think no one is looking and we won't get caught.

The way we treat people we think can't help or hurt us (like housekeepers, waiters, and secretaries), tells more about our character than how we treat people we think are important. People who are honest, kind, and fair only when there's something to gain shouldn't be confused with people of real character who demonstrate these qualities habitually, under all circumstances.

Character is not a fancy coat we put on for show. It's who we really are.

-- Michael Josephson