Shadman Rahman

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Embrace Your Truth

Spring break is upon us all as I write this post at San Francisco International Airport. It's crazy to think that half of my college journey is nearly over and I will be out on my own in the real world. Often enough, we get stuck thinking that we need to obsessively prepare for the world that is after college through means of professional development, networking, recruiting etc. Sometimes, though, we just need to take a step back and realize the sort of freedom to explore we have in our hands at this very moment and how it can continue to carry on forward if we choose to utilize it.

It didn't really hit me till this past month that we are meant to grace the Earth by performing an art that embodies our life story. Through these means do we leave a lasting impact for generations to come. As human beings, we should strive to continue developing others by portraying our means of thinking and acting through a vehicle that is our career. Note how I did not say job but rather career. It is with the liberty of a career that is composed up of one's life stories that makes the world continue evolving for the better. You don't have to look much further than a few interviews on YouTube to see the truth to that statement. Message me if you're curious to watch some of the interviews I've seen.

Back in high school, and even to this day, I used to study the patterns of what makes those legendary careers that much more captivating from the rest through interviews on YouTube. Why do some people have a more lasting impression on our lives than others?  At the core of those individuals is a sense of liberty in expressing their life story to the world with an intense drive that is not motivated by external factors but rather internal factors. It is the unique difference within each of us that empowers us and gives us a form of meaning in the jumbled up, confused space that is the world. The only issue with the unique difference in each of us is that we are "taught" to not embrace it since we are brought up in a negative, collectivist society that typically hinders the shining light in all of us. This is especially the case since we usually discover our unique difference at a young age but are still too impressionable at that point in our lives that people tell us not to take advantage of the unique difference. It's frankly disappointing to think about all of the talent and life stories that we are missing out on.. they all are additional pieces to the puzzle that comprises the entire image of life's meaning; without one puzzle piece, the image is not complete and the meaning of life lacking. Instead, people get sidetracked through the traditional systems that are set in place for us to abide by.

People try too hard to find something variable in life that will lead to stability. The only issue with that is that there never comes a time of stability if you embark on that path in the first place. The only thing constant in life is the truth. Period. The truth stems from the fundamental self identity that, at the core, is your unique difference which should be colored and shaped by your career's art. In doing so, you will discover something so valuable within yourself and have shared it with the rest of the world that you will have enlightened the rest of the world and left your lasting mark. This does come with a lot of hardships from others, specifically the media, at first but the shining light at the end of it all will ultimately be worth dying for.

I challenge you now to really dig deep inside and think about what is your unique difference. Take some time alone and ponder about it. What is it about you that makes you tick and is noticeably unique to only you? It may take you quite a while to actually realize what it is, but once you do figure it out, everything will become crystal clear. The next step in life won't be hidden behind a foggy road any longer. Your purpose will be discovered and all of life's troubles and worries diluted. This is because the only thing separating depression from joy is having a sense or purpose with one's self and finding a way to encompass that purpose in such a way that it provides a service to humanity and not oneself.

Go out and find who you really are and share it with the rest of the world! Find who it is you really are and obsess over why you are the person you are until you reach a point where you no longer know who you have created in yourself. There's the fear of an ending point of uncertainty but that is when you will know that it was all worthwhile, for you will have made your mark on civilization. The road ahead may look daunting and uncertain but that's where the golden opportunity is as I mentioned in my last post. You won't regret being more like you at the end of the day. Just imagine your life as this soundtrack

"Once I discovered letting my emotions erupt on the basketball court, everything about the game changed. Because now I understood that I could really lose myself through the game. And no matter what affected me, no matter what happened in life, I could always step on to the basketball court and let my game speak to that, step on to the court and just absolutely erupt... The feeling of playing with that rage was new to me but I f***ing loved it." - Kobe Bryant

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