One of the beautiful things about teaching is that I know that every person in front of me has a mission in life yet to be discovered.
In a sense, however, we are all on the same journey. As humans, we never cease becoming.
Where we are now is not necessarily where we will be in five years, and each moment is essential in the evolutionary process.
Change, though essential, is frightening.
We are plagued with constant self-doubt. Do I have what it takes for that next step?
Who am I to think that I can write a weekly newspaper column that will inspire people? Will I look foolish?
The Canadian comedian Jim Carrey has written: "so many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. You'll only ever have two choices, love or fear. Choose love, and don't ever let fear turn you against your playful heart."
Rational fear does exist, and it is essential in keeping us safe, but the vast majority of our fears are not only irrational, they hold us back in our evolutionary process.
If we can learn to look beyond the fear, we see that there are not only great opportunities on the other side, there are even great lessons in the inevitable apparent failures.
Despite his humble beginnings and personal struggles, Carrey has achieved tremendous success in life by simply embracing who he is, a person who can make us laugh. As the quote above illustrates, however, he is also a man of wisdom. Carrey has risked looking foolish, and he knows that many see him simply as a very silly person. At the same time, he has given the universe a beautiful gift, the gift of laughter. He allows us to shift our perspective and see that there is much to smile about, in ourselves and the world around us.
Jim Carrey has made mistakes, and every joke he tells is not funny; but, he keeps moving forward, putting himself "out there."
He knows that every apparent failure is simply a lesson to be learned on the road to greatness. He tells us "don't let anything stand in the way of the light that shines through your form. Risk being seen in all of your glory."
Our school system can make it difficult to see our own talents. It only emphasizes certain aspects of human giftedness, primarily academic ability. Students also face the risk of comparing themselves to other people who are on completely different journeys.
The challenge is to see beyond these arbitrary standards and figure out, as Jim Carrey asks, "How will you serve the world? What do they need that your talent can provide?"
The role of a teacher is to inspire each student to achieve their greatness, but we are all teachers and we are all students.
When we choose to be who we are, to give the gift of ourselves without fear, we not only change the world, we ignite the passion of others to do the same.
