#12 The Golden Child

I have often said that in the world of Dragon Ball, Gohan is the character that you want to tell your son that he is. Gohan always has the potential that he needs, his task is always to tap into it. In other words, Gohan’s always got this, he just needs to believe in himself. 

I think that’s something that every child needs to hear. The first thing that kids need to learn is that they have what it takes. When I wrote about Chicken Little, I talked about the hand. The hand is the part of us that sees opportunities to advance, and believes that we have what it takes to make good use of them. It gets us excited at opportunities for growth because we know we can handle it. Those early years of our lives are where we get that hand from. The first thing we must learn is that we can handle what life will throw at us, and this must be the first thing we must learn about ourselves in our lives. But Gohan doesn’t remain a kid forever. Eventually, he grows up and stops fighting. He has the potential, but he doesn’t use it. Why is that? Because he doesn’t want to. He wants to pursue other things. Just because he’s good at something doesn’t mean he should pursue it to the ends of the earth. He chooses to be his own man. 

I think that’s where we all should be: confident that we could do a lot of things, but choosing whichever we truly want. This creates a life of joy because we operate from a place of abundance. We don’t do things because we feel like it’s our only option, or the only thing that we will ever be good for. Instead, we choose to be who we want because that’s what excites us. 

So take some time to jot down all the things that you are good at. If you feel like you aren’t good at anything, jot down things that you can successfully accomplish. This could even be the small things like “I can put on pants without falling down the stairs.” If you have skills that you are confident in, then great! If not, then anywhere is a great place to start. After all, you have made it this far in life somehow, right?And from there, you will be able to go places in life! You can begin to say “no” to the things that others want you to do. They may even be things that you are good at, but simply don’t like doing. I don’t quite understand it, but that’s a thing that actually exists. It happened to me, actually. I shot up to my current height in middle school. By the time I hit the sixth grade, I was closing in on six foot, and the basketball coach was begging me to sign up. I had to tell him every day that it wasn’t going to happen because I wouldn’t go to school on a Saturday for practice. That just wasn’t in the cards for me. 

But eventually, raw potential will fail you. No matter how good you might be naturally, it won’t be enough to get you where you want to go. Whether you want to be a writer or an engineer, everyone has to put in the work to grow to greater heights at some point. Of that, I can guarantee. So be prepared to work hard at whatever you want to do. You will have to push yourself for something, and that thing that once got you out of bed every day might fill you with dread. But eventually you will make it through because it’s what you truly want to do. 

But I say that not to discourage you, but to remind you that you should learn how to work hard, regardless of whether or not you have a passion for what you are doing. Hard work should become a part of your DNA. Then, when the passion comes, you will be ready with the kindling to turn the cause into a mighty bonfire, instead of letting it die out. 

So learn how to work hard, and remind yourself that you truly can do anything that you set your mind to. I pray that you come to truly believe that, and that God guides you to the right cause.

Until Next Time

May Peace be your Guide.