In my opinion, the single most dragging effect on our success is lack of confidence.  Everyone has inside of them a gift, some treasure that they are meant to share, some ability to change the world or at least the neighborhood, some nugget of greatness to share.  Nothing is sadder than to see the giftedness in a young person who believes they have the inability to flourish.

I’m not talking about boasting or arrogance.  What I’m talking about is sharing your truth; your bit of greatness. Our society surely is to blame. Anyone can be a critic.  Anonymous webcrawlers, overzealous parents, unfulfilled peers. 

I count myself as one.  I’m not sure what my gift is but I know that I have a lack of confidence in most things that I set out to do.  The fear of success or ridicule or not being good enough leads to the reality of doing nothing.

Anybody can do nothing.  Anybody can avoid ridicule.  Anybody can avoid pain.  Whether you’re a religious person who believes that everyone is gifted and that gift should not be wasted or a non religious person who believes that living is the thing; that sucking the very marrow out of life is the protocol.    Either way:  rejoice; live.  Be confident.