“Be one in a million, not one of a million” may not sound profound, especially if you are an English as a second or a foreign language speaker. Despite the subtle nuance, both have different meanings and we can learn to be aware of the significance by making a mental comparison. Which one are you? One “in” a million or “of” a million?
“One in a million” literally means being a special one among a million, while “one of a million” simply translates as being an ordinary person among a million. Many of us believe that we are simply a part of the statistics, which means being an ordinary person among a million or even billions. We go to work, go back home, and do it all over again the next day. Routine has become a habit and a habit has defined who we are, more likely.
We oftentimes forget how special and how powerful our mind and heart are, especially when we conscientiously combine them and make them work in alignment. Such synergy can be extremely powerful beyond measure. Yet we might not realize it and overlook many things, just because. Now, what makes us so special, we may ask?
We might think that there are so many people like us. For instance, there are so many people all over the world who receive similar trainings and were brought up in similar environments. There are so many things around us that cloud our own reflection in the mirror without being distracted and seeing a compromised version.
We admit that we often forget how we were born as special beings. I am not going to repeat things we have known, but let us ponder upon the elements around us that frequently creating a veil over our feelings of being special. Being created, designed, and born one of a kind.
In certain cultures, acknowledging how special we are is oftentimes considered pompous and arrogant. There is, on the other hand, a thin line between being “confident” and being “arrogant.” In most Asian countries, it is always preferred to keep a low-key profile and not to outshine others. There is an Indonesian adage that says, “The higher you have become, the more you need to bow down.”
Sure, it makes a lot of sense because there is no doubt humility will go a long way, even in this highly wired modern world. Still, many people misunderstood it as “lowering ourselves as low as others or lower than others, so we do not threaten other people by being ourselves.” That is a total misconception.
The fine line between being “confident” and being “arrogant” is an awareness of self and how one relates to the environment. A confident person accepts accolades with grace, strives to better themselves and their surroundings with dignified efforts. They do not take things, either tangible or intangible, from others. They know where they stand and how to get where they are heading in life. An arrogant person behaves differently: they do not accept things with grace, even take things that do not belong to them, and tend to belittle others in order to elevate themselves.
One thing that we should not forget as special beings is that we are all born with multiple intelligences. According to Howard Gardner, there are at least eleven types of intelligence:
- Linguistic intelligence
- Logical-mathematical intelligence
- Spatial intelligence
- Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence
- Musical intelligence
- Naturalistic intelligence
- Interpersonal intelligence
- Intrapersonal intelligence
- Spiritual intelligence
- Existential intelligence
- Moral intelligence
What we need to be aware here is that everybody has a concoction of special intelligences. We all have our strong and weak traits. Simply do not focus on what you do not have, but instead hone whatever you have at hand. I personally prefer, however, focusing on what I can do best because that is my “niche” in the world. Whatever is easy for me might not be that easy for other people, which is awesome.
At last, let us all be aware of how special we are. Because, after all, we are one in a million, not one of a million. Let us be special persons with a lot of grace. Let us be confident and accept our strengths and weaknesses that make us superstars in our niche. We are all born special, so let us live as special individuals. Unabashedly, yet with a lot of humility.
