A scurvy elephant.
This term might mean nothing to you unless you’ve listened to Dr. Wayne Dyer’s lectures. Dr. Dyer usually tells the story about the day he told his foster mom that the teacher had called him “scurvy elephant.” When the foster mom called the school, she learned that what the teacher had really said was that young Wayne was a “disturbing element” in her classroom.
Scurvy elephant or not, Dr. Dyer has positively changed the lives of millions of people by being authentic and willing to break rules that weren’t aligned with his values.
Rather than a scurvy elephant I was a purebred teacher’s pet. I always followed the rules and got perfect grades. I was such a “good” kid that I became sort of a celebrity at my school. My mom chuckles as she recounts how other mothers would approach her and ask how she had managed to raise the perfect kid. They wanted to know my mom’s secret.
Truth is, there was no secret. I just had an innate desire to be perfect.
During my younger years, achieving “perfection” wasn’t that difficult. I graduated valedictorian and was accepted into the college of my choice.
That’s when life became more complicated.
Soon enough I learned that getting perfect grades in subjects such as Calculus III, Mechanics, and Thermodynamics wasn’t going to be an option. I also learned that being a perfectionist involved a great deal of stress and anxiety about stuff that in the end didn’t really matter.
That’s when for the first time in my life I started to think on my own. And soon after, I realized that thinking on my own felt a lot better than doing what everyone else wanted me to do.
Henry David Thoreau said, “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured and far away.” This means that you must allow yourself to discover and follow your true calling, even if you end up upsetting some people and even breaking a couple of senseless rules.
How to know if you’re on the right path?
When you follow your calling, you’ll feel good inside. You’ll be energized by the positive energy inside of you, and even if people criticize you or disapprove of you, you’ll still feel empowered to achieve what you desire. If your goal isn’t aligned with your true calling, you might feel embarrassed to tell people about it. Don’t confuse this with your ego’s desire to please others. Your embarrassment will be rooted in the knowing that what you’re doing doesn’t match your true values. A sense of unease will always be with you.
At the same time, I invite you to realize that you might be one of those people criticizing others who are pursuing their calling. Here’s a simple lesson I recently learned: No one wants to be told what to do.
When you try to control other people, even if you have the best intentions, you’ll either drive them to do the exact opposite or they’ll follow your advice out of obligation and resent you for it later. Trust the wisdom that is inherent in everyone. Every person on this planet has access to universal consciousness, so your loved ones will eventually find their path. Yes, they’ll probably make mistakes, but they’ll learn from their experiences as you have learned from your own mistakes.
Keep an open mind while you find your true calling. This includes questioning even your own beliefs. Beliefs are no more than repeated thoughts, so the thoughts you’ve repeated to yourself your whole life might not be true. Maybe you are creative. Maybe you can overcome your fear of public speaking. Question whether the concept of yourself that you carry around is limiting what you can achieve.
Finally, let go of attachments, including attachments to how thing should be done. As Louise Hay always says, eliminate the word “should” from your vocabulary and replace it with “could.”
Get out there and let the world see what you have to offer. Be the best you can be. You might even become a local scurvy elephant.
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Cloris Kylie Stock, MBA, is a career, academic, and life coach from Simsbury, Connecticut. She is a sought-after lecturer who has achieved the highest Toastmasters awards in communication and leadership. Her calling is to help people realize their maximum potential.
Blog: https://selfactualizedlife.blogspot.com
Online radio show: https://blogtalkradio.com/magnificent
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DISCLOSURE: NO CONNECTION, UNPAID, NOT MY OWN
I have not received any compensation for posting this content. The views expressed in this guest blog do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of HJMT. Individual links could be associated with affiliate marketing sites and through the use of affiliate links contained herein, I may collect fees from purchases made.
