A bit of reflection and inspiration for any weekend; to recognise the amazing in you.

Sometimes we can get so wrapped up in what we believe we're not, or what other people say we're not, we forget to stop and simply appreciate who we are, what we have achieved, and who we've become so far.

As you head into the weekend, it is really important to recognise, and applaud (!), who you are and where you are, right here, right now. Even if you aren’t quite where you want to be. The future is there, to be tackled moment by moment.

Sound weird heh? Well, perhaps not, not really; the odds of you even arriving in this world were infinitesimally small in the first place so you have done pretty well so far! You have already won the ‘survival of the fittest’ competition.

So now, your future opportunities are based on the person you are right now. You are a culmination of the things you have been to date. Your experiences. Good and bad. They are you; your fibre. Your rich tapestry. They inform the things you will and won’t do. They make you more interesting. So, stand proud. Sing at the top of your voice. Dance like no-one is looking.

More often than not, it is the small things, the day-to-day things, it is these things that should define who you are and how you feel. These are the really important things.

Not the meeting you had with your boss that perhaps didn’t go as you wanted; or the words your stumbled on during a presentation; or the email you wish you hadn’t sent; or the unkind thing someone else said. They’re insignificant. This stuff has no impact in the long run.

So, what does? Well, this is what I believe.

Treating others kindly. Your resourcefulness. How you face adversity and come through the other side. The desire within you to improve who you are, and what you do. How you can help others - even in small ways - to feel good about themselves. Your resolve to listen to what others have to say, in a way that you really hear them, so that you can be heard yourself. All to make you better, and stronger than you are right now.

None of this will end up on reality TV by the way; but it will help create and sustain the essence of feeling good about who you are and where you are. Right here. Right now. It is your mark on your world. The stuff that people will really remember.

As Gandhi said, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”. No-one else can do it for you.