Being a Rookie

 Being a rookie doesn’t mean that you’re lousy. It doesn’t mean that you’re incompetent and it sure as hell doesn’t mean you’re condemned. 

Being a rookie simply means there is much more to learn. In life, love and everything in between. No one can say that he is the master of these, because it is simply impossible to have experienced everything in all aspects of depth and time. In my own words, no matter how "experienced" you are, deep down, everyone is still a rookie at heart. Why? Because everyday still holds new lessons, new experiences. And you can be called a fool to dismiss this fact. 

Let me share with you what someone wise once told me. He said that he would rather be no.2 than no.1. Why? Because being no.2 means there is still much more room to improve. So much more room to learn. So much more room to grow. Being no.1 will lead you to laziness to complacency and you will take things for granted. Being no.2 will push you to further your limits, to stoke the burning desire to succeed, to excel, to overcome. And at the end of it all, you will become twice the person you once were. 

I’ve learnt an important lesson before. It is not everyday that you will emerge the champion. There will be some days that you become second, or even days that you will come in last. You might even come in last for numerous occasions. But the important thing is can these defeats make you even stronger? 

There are 3 choices I’ve come across when it comes to defeats.
1) You can let it define you.
2) You can let it destroy you.
or
3) You can let it strengthen you.

Well, for me I chose no.3 every single time I fell. I learn from my defeats, my mistakes, my actions. And yes, I live with the consequences. I’ve said before in one of my posts – ‘We all bear the consequences of our misjudgements’. But I use them and I learn and grow and become stronger. Each fall makes me a bigger, better and stronger person.

Learning. As rookies, we all have things to constantly learn about and to learn from. Everyone has different levels of being a rookie. But what’s important is that we seek to better ourselves.

You can see it in two scenarios. Firstly, that the glass is half-full. Secondly, the glass is full. If you always think that your glass is already full and there is no more space to fill it up, then I would feel sorry for you. I choose to see it as half-full. There is always space to fill it up more.

And what happens when my glass reaches the brim? Well, here lies the concept of the differing levels of "rookieness". When my glass is full, I transfer some of the milk, water, ribena, juice or whatever it’s filled with to another glass. A glass which needs it more than I do. And there you have it, your glass is half-full again and that person’s glass that you just filled, will go on either to fill another’s glass or be condemned with the fact that his glass is full.

And this is why when people ask me. Why? Why do you even bother or take the time to go make new friends, to go to all those camps, to join all those activities? Doesn’t it take up your precious time? Aren’t you sick and tired of it?

Well, this is why. To fill up another’s glass, so that I may continue to learn and fill up my glass and to enrich another’s glass. I find the beauty of it all and the ultimate satisfaction and feeling of contentment when somehow someday, many many glasses later, someone comes and fills up my glass and the best thing is, he got his glass filled by someone who got his glass filled by someone who got his glass filled by me. And it comes full circle. 

Knowing that I’ve made that impact, I’ve inspired and touched those lives in many ways, is the most rewarding feeling ever. 

And I’ll never stop, because a good rookie doesn’t stop learning and growing to be the best that he can be. Because someday you will realise. That you don’t have to be better than everybody else, you just have to be the best for that special someone. And I will continue to strive to be the best because that someone deserves it 🙂 
-End

Haha, wow suddenly felt like writing. Rare inspiration to write! Hope you enjoyed this post coming into 2013 and hope that it touches and inspires you in some way to live this year out meaningfully, because I sure will! Thanks for reading and supporting me as always!

Live more, Love more, Laugh more
-Juls