YOUR SIZE DOES NOT MATTER -By Samuel Ufot Ekekere

As students in my high school many years ago, my colleagues and I often held this belief that those who were diminutive often caused the most trouble and made the most noise. I wanted to see for myself so I began to study such people. One was my English teacher, a 3.11 ft woman. She often made my peers and I go through difficult English problems and we dared not provoke her else we’d go through rigorous punishment.

Most of us disliked her often because when she got on her nerves she would shout at the top of her voice evoking spasms of fear distances away on us. Her behavior didn’t seem parallel with her simple diminutive look. We agreed that she was feigning that seriousness just so that we will respect and fear her. I’ve noticed similar attributes with people this type. They often try to force their ideas and ensure they are the sources of attention.

Life has an open check for everyone however the debacles around. The size or status of a person has no immediate effect on the treatment life gives. Whether tall or fat, short or slim, it welcomes all. However, human factors have limited what we get out of life. Human factor sees from the natural eyes of size and height. We tend to measure capacity by the outlook of a person. We think because one is short, he lacks the capacity to carry out a task as a tall person would. This thought process is inconsistent with the capacity imbedded in even the most disadvantaged person.

This seeming disadvantage is a great advantage which has to be proved. That’s what diminutive persons try to show in their having to shout at the top of their voice to gain recognition. There is a natural tendency to overlook them wherever they find themselves mixed with people of average or tall heights. Their thinking is, they may be short but not short of ideas and capacity.

One fact is our size can make us popular. You get nicknames such as “fatty”, “biggy”, “shorty”, “tally” or “thinny” from your host of admirers. It’s all too glaring for the diminutive man who instantly gets the tag “short man,” and has to live with it all his life. It could be depressing carrying this tag but he manages to come around it acknowledging that he has no capacity to create himself or change anything about himself.

His incapacity at making himself look the way he’d love to physically, forces him to develop capacity in other areas of his life so that he can take attention away from his physical nature. He often is very good at what he does developing a degree of importance anywhere he finds himself. This attribute makes him a somewhat leader even over those who are far above his height. He tries to develop a good sense of perfectionism that is considered odd for the casual mind of his average or tall counterpart. This is because he wants to prove he can do above his taller counterparts, a major motivation.

People of diminutive nature find delight at licking their tall counterparts. They often prove they can match them level for level and skill for skill. They show they can do great things that their other peers do and even greater.

However your size or disability, there is an ability hidden underneath that makes you stand out. Think dwarf David and the giant Goliath and you would understand that doing great things isn’t about how big you are. It is about what drives you.

Developing the right drive is consistent with those who truly want to do great things. Your ability to achieve something great is developed from a kind of spurring or stimuli which could be external or internal. The external stimuli results from the propellant cause by friends, colleagues, family, books, audios, videos or any other factor outside you. The internal stimuli results from your mind work, your quest to achieve against any odd which is often instigated by a feeling of discontentment with the status quo.

Don’t quiver at the largeness of a task because of your seeming disability or inferiority as compared to others. Fear is the only factor that militates against any one whatsoever and you especially. Once you can get over your fear, you can do great things.

You are not small. There’s a big you in that small case.

Samuel Ufot Ekekere writes from Uyo, Nigeria. He is a teacher, motivator, writer cum author. He writes inspiring writs on personal development for all categories of persons. He believes everyone needs motivation. Connect on twitter @inyang21 and www.facebook.com/ekekere, +2347062809301