The Gift

I remember when I was about 4 or 5 years old, my cousins and playmates keep telling me that I am smart. Do you have any idea why?

Because they said I had a huge hairy forehead and to them a person with hairy forehead means a smart person. So, I asked my dad about it and he told me that I am indeed smart because I got if from him, so I believed it. Back then, it felt good to regarded as something positive – being smart. So, I took that as my identity and embraced it. I took that identity with me as I went to school. True enough, I consistently belonged to the top 5 of the class from Kinder to 4th year high school – because I believed I was smart.

That belief was put to test when I moved on to college at the University of the Philippines Diliman. It turned out, most of the students there are way smarter than me, and the lessons are far too difficult for my intellectual capacity. In my first year I failed Algebra and Trigonometry and Chemistry. I thought to myself, maybe I’m not as smart as I thought I was.

However, I grew up with that belief – that I am smart – so it was difficult to shake off. It was already my identity – weaved into my very being. So, I held on that identity, picked myself up, and moved on. Eventually, I graduated from UP, no honors but I made it to the Top 10 of the 2008 Nutritionist-Dietitians Board examinations. Now, I am taking up Master’s degree under a scholarship grant and after this I plan to take up a doctorate degree under a scholarship grant again. And I believe I can do these because I believe I am smart enough.

What if nobody told me that I am smart in the first place? What if I was told differently – that I’m lazy, stupid, good for nothing? What if I was told these negative things by my peers and my family? What if I believed them and took those as my identity? Do you think I would have ended up differently?

Have you ever been called something positive – that you are kind, friendly, strong, intelligent, witty? If yes, please believe it. It’s their gift to you – accept it humbly and hold on to it. Hold on to it with your dear life that when the world says otherwise, you know which is true.

Likewise, when you meet people whether a kid, a friend, a colleague, a family member – always see the good in them and make sure that you tell them that. That’s your gift to them. Who knows, they might as well accept that gift, embrace it and identify with it, and then do the same to other people. Imagine the good things that can result from that very simple act. And that, my friend, is how we can change the world.