YOU ARE NOT WHAT OTHERS SAY YOU ARE.

2014; There I sat in my living room in Calgary, contemplating life. It was summer break from university and I had just completed my most difficult semester of math yet. All of a sudden I heard footsteps at the door, then the rattle of the mail box. Curiously I walked over to the door, opened the mailbox and saw a letter addressed to me from the University of Victoria. My heart started to pound, “Maybe I failed”, “Maybe I wasn’t cut out for math”, “maybe I should have stuck with football”. With all these thoughts running through my mind I said to myself “no matter the outcome, I have no regrets, I have strived my best at school and math; from the 10 hour days in the library, to working with professors, mentors and peers I had left no stone unturned. 

Slowly I opened it, and then the biggest smile instantly ran across my face. It was from the dean of mathematics, he had invited me to join the honours program for pure Math!

Reaching your goals is a great feeling, wouldn’t you agree? 

But reaching your goals is just a brief moment of satisfaction and bliss. What is even more impactful is the insights, lessons and growth you gain along the journey. 

When I was a young man in high school; football, sports and weights consumed my life. It was all I cared about and even more importantly it was all I thought I was good at. In elementary I was given an individualized learning plan, told “I would struggle in school more then my peers”. In junior high at a parent teacher interview my teacher told me and my parents “I should never study math” even though it was my favorite subject.

What is the effect of the labels on an young mind, one that does no yet posses core confidence?

The effect is belief. We believe what others tell us about ourselves and we begin to embody those beliefs. If someone calls you fat or ugly you may think this that is all you are and all you will ever be! If someone calls you dumb, then you may never strive to be smart, for you believe you cannot.

If we don’t have strength of Character then we fall into the trap of believing what others tell us, how others perceive us. 

This hinders us from reaching our potential, from trying new things and potentially finding that one area we excel at!

Rise above! Rise above what others think you are! 

It took the journey of busting my a** in Mathematics to find that I was capable of being an awesome student. But more importantly to realize that there was nothing that I could not accomplish if I applied myself. This realization has opened many doors and opportunities as nothing is now out of the realm of possibility, nothing is unattainable.

What labels do others have for you?

What labels are holding you back?

Discover this, change your own perception of yourself and through that you will become free of the shackles that weigh you down. From this you will reach your true potential.