A Lesson From Sandra Bullock

Here's why you should stop listening to what other people tell you who you are.

First, remember Sandra Bullock. Last April she was 'awarded
The Worst Actress Award at Razzies. The next day, the 2010 Oscars gave her the Best Actress award. People around us have several unique ways of confusing us. They give us names and label us according to their perception. They prophesy our future and put us in a box they designed. And the worst part is... we believe them. You don't have to believe them.


My high school teacher compared my brain with the size of my rival's little finger. I was running for a school councilor then. It almost killed my self esteem right there and then. But I chose to continue with my campaign and advocacy. After the election, I got 82% votes of the total school population, pinning me at the #1 spot, surpassing even the number of votes our mayor got. Thanks God, I did not listen to that 'well respected' teacher.

Second, stop listening to yourself! That maybe crazy. But our self image has been imposed by the people around us. Most of what we think about who we are, came from the judgment of other people. 'You can't do it', 'what have you done?!', 'you're not bright enough', 'you're not Michael Jordan', 'you should be like your brother', 'your sister did better,+=3@*&^./'\ :( etc. Those words became a part of us, they became us. Press the stop button and create your own music. Start painting the real you.

The Truth

Third: you are you. The truth is you don't have to please other people to be accepted. Every human being is unique, good and a beauty in 'itself'. "If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself..." (Max Ehrmann) My college professor once said, 'we're all idiot-savant.' We may be idiot in some things, and genius in other things.

As e. e. cummings said: "To be nobody-but-yourself -- in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else -- means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting..." Be yourself.