I will never forget the words spoken to me from a former supervisor, when I shared with her my excitement about going to graduate school. "Wow, I don't see the marketability of that degree." I could have taken offense to her statement and lashed out, or I could have taken her advice and stayed in that dead end job, never fully realizing my potential. However, I decided to do neither, and simply reminded her "Oh, well the section chief has the same degree, and she's doing quite well, so I think its going to work out for me." My former supervisor wrinkled her nose, and hoisted her heavyset footsteps in the opposite direction of me. It was apparent that my words cut deep; I was not going to be intimidated or made to feel insignificant because of my gender or the color of my skin. I understood my worth, and my contribution to society. My career choice was not to become the next biochemical engineer or brain surgeon, but I chose to become the next public administrator that understood public service, and the importance of advocating for the disenfranchised and underserved.
Sometimes there a people in life that will try to minimize your contribution to society. These types of people are like huge boulders; larger than life, but have been eroded by the winds of time. They are immovable, and set in their ways. They will try to block your path to success by dismissing your impact on the world. They love to brag about their accomplishments because they are hollow and lack self-esteem; and they like to make others feel insignificant because it feeds their need to feel superior. Yes, big boulders have the allure of size. They make big splashes and ripples in the sea of life. But I learned something in physics long ago. Small objects when dropped into liquids like water disturb the surrounding mass, displacing the liquid in the form of ripples as well. Meaning, a small pebble tossed into a vast ocean will have a small splash, but the ripples from its impact can travel quite some distance. So just because you may feel your contribution to the world is small, doesn't mean it is insignificant, or less impactful. Pebbles create ripples too. Never let a big boulder convince you otherwise. What are your thoughts? Please comment and share. |
AuthorAkon M. Walker, MPA, motivates readers to transform words of inspiration into life application. Archives
June 2019
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