Be True to Who You Are

Once upon a time there was a duck.  He was the kindest duck on the pond but one day he decided that being a duck was not good enough.  He thought his life was a little dull and that there would be more excitement in his life if he were to act more like some of the other animals he saw around him.  Hard as he tried, he just couldn't get himself to bark like the dog who seemed to be having so much fun.  The more he tried, the more frustrated he became with himself and the more ornery and mean he became to those who once thought he was so kind.  After living two separate lives, the life of the duck that he was, and trying to live the life of a dog that he thought he wanted to be, he eventually was so dissatisfied with his once satisfying and fulfilling life, that he saw negativity in everything.  Nothing and no one brought him happiness anymore.  All of his duck friends were no longer enjoyable to him.  The beautiful pond that he often swam in was suddenly less enjoyable and no longer a place of beauty for him.  Everything around him was dreary and depressing and he wondered what was wrong with his life.  When had everyone turned on him and why were they trying to make his life so miserable?

The moral of the story is two fold, be true to who you are ... and take responsibility for your own actions.  

First, if you don't like the person that you are, improve on those things that you don't care for but don't try and be someone else.   Each of us have unique characteristics that, when woven together, whether within a family unit, a work place or within a group of friends, can make a beautiful tapestry of love, friendship and cohesiveness.  

Second, just like the duck, there are those who have never learned to take responsibility for their own actions and place blame on everyone and everything around them for their own disappointments, discouragement, sadness and negative experiences.  Rather than looking for someplace to put blame, move forward and create solutions in a positive atmosphere.

In other words, if you look like a duck and talk like a duck, then you probably are a duck.  So embrace it!