Once upon a time a pink elephant was born. He was so clearly different from the rest that soon the grey elephants started to distance themselves and ignore him. The little pink elephant felt very sad and rejected. He realized that in order to fit in with the rest of the herd he had to be just like them. So, he covered himself with mud and dirt until he became a dirty grey. Throughout the years he kept covering himself and hiding behind the dirt.
Then one day, rain began pouring down and washed away all the mud and dirt from his body. He was pink again! The grey elephants turned and started laughing at the sight of his obvious pinkness. As the laughter grew louder he realized that he was trying to fit into a group that would never understand him. He knew that he was different and that he needed to find a group of pink elephants just like him, where he would be accepted and learn to love himself as he was.
Imagine yourself as an “Elephant”, the largest land animal on earth. An elephant is too massive to miss. It has an enormous amount of power. If you were a “Pink Elephant” when you were born, then you are different from most of the people around you. People will think that you are a bit strange when they meet you and because of this you may try to hide your true self. You try as hard as possible to fit in, but people always notice you. Sometimes you will be admired for being different, but often you will be ridiculed. Then, you have one of two choices to make. Either you gather your strength and are proud that you are Pink or you try to convince everyone that you are exactly like them. Most choose the second option. It seems easier to just fit in.
The truth is that it doesn’t matter that people will laugh at you, think that you are weird, or feel your dreams seem totally unattainable – You must not listen to them. They are too entrenched in the limited herd mentality to see the greater possibilities that are available.
I travel around the world and teach (hidden) Pink Elephants to become themselves. I bring them together and show them that they are not alone. They come alive in the presence of others just like them. Keep in mind that all the great inventors and innovators were Pink Elephants. It takes a unique person to get to the moon, be a music icon or create personal computers. The herd is always afraid of new ideas, but unabashed “Pink Elephants” are never stopped. Pink Elephants live in a world of possibilities, not fear.
So start a Pink Elephant group in your community today and see your world change!
“What is different about you is what makes you special.”
Bernard Hiller
Excerpt from “Stop Acting – Start Living” by Bernard Hiller www.bernardhiller.com
