As I am writing this, it is currently midnight October 9th. While driving home tonight, I was on I-45 heading North. If you live in Houston, that highway will sound familiar. Anyways, I saw a billboard that says… Look Inside Find Exceptional with the first letters of each words highlighted to spell LIFE. It was 11:40pm.

This definition of LIFE really made me think. Is it our purpose to find what makes us exceptional? I asked myself.

Before seeing this billboard tonight, I had another definition for LIFE. It was Living Intentionally For Excellence. So I decided to combine both definitions and then I came up with this hypothesis: We are in this thing call LIFE. We have to find what makes us exceptional and strive for excellence in it.

That made some sense to me but I thought it needed more clarity. So I decided to look up the definition of exceptional.

Exceptional is defined as unusual, not typical, unusually good, outstanding.

After reading the definition, I had an “ah-hah” moment.

Being exceptional does not mean you have to be perfect. We are imperfect beings.

To find what makes us exceptional, we have to find what makes us unusual, not typical, unusually good. And then, we will know what makes us outstanding.

In my case, here’s what makes me exceptional. I am a person who stutter when I speak. That is unusual, not typical, and unusually good in some scenarios. That’s what makes me OUTSTANDING.

What I learned tonight is this… What makes you outstanding does not always have to be a talent that the world praises you for, it can also be a disability or an impediment.

Moses from the Bible had a speech impediment and God chose him to lead the Israelites to Freedom. Just like Moses, I believe God put me on this earth to do something great.

Be great despite whatever obstacles you are facing. Your perceived weakness is your strength.