The Houston Post carried an article about a man the Dutch police
arrested in the town of Rosendaal. They found him in possession of 186
false papers, including 29 Nigerian passports, 30 British passports,
74 Dutch work permits, 12 British driving licenses, 18 birth or death
certificates, 2 British student cards, an international driving
license and 20 forged checks. They said that the man had not yet been
conclusively identified!
A humorist said, "I go to this doctor and pay him 75 dollars an hour,
and all he does is ask me the same question my father used to ask me
all the time: 'Who do you think you are, anyway?'" Not a bad question,
actually.
I think I spent the first 20 or 30 years of my life wondering who I
really was. I thought I'd never know what to study in school and I was
sure I'd never figure out what kind of person I might be happy
spending my life with. Then, just when I thought I knew myself fairly
well, I changed! And through the years I changed again. And again! It
seems like I've always been up against the question, "Who do you think
you are?"
I appreciate Benjamin Kubelski's story. In 1902, his father gave him a
violin for his eighth birthday. It cost $50, a small fortune in those
days, and especially for a recently immigrated Russian family.
Benjamin did well and was playing concerts as a teenager. At age 18 he
teamed up with a woman pianist as a musical team in Vaudeville.
But he suspected the violin did not satisfy his heart's desire. Then
one night, Benjamin impulsively decided to tell the audience about a
funny incident that had happened during the day. He later said, "The
audience laughed and the sound intoxicated me. That laughter ended my
days as a musician." And it began his life career as the comedian Jack
Benny.
He found who he was and everything fit into place. He knew that if he
followed his heart's desire, he would end up all right.
You and I may never know ourselves conclusively. But listen to your
heart. Listen for that still, small voice within and make up your mind
to follow. I don't know where you will end up, but it will be all
right.
Steve Goodier Publisher@... is a professional
speaker, consultant and author of numerous books. Visit his site for
more information, or to sign up for his FREE newsletter of Life, Love
and Laughter at http://LifeSupportSystem.com.