Expressiveness

Second letter in the acronym ME WISH is the E, which stands for expressiveness. I wanted to put creativity in there, but then the acronym wouldn’t have worked out as well as I planned. Expressiveness is a more powerful word than creativity anyway.

Everyone in the world is creative in his or her own way, but it is how he or she decides to express that creativity which is important. In this way I really value expressiveness. Someone who is willing and able to express him or her confidently is someone who is grounded and understands who he or she is.

A weakness I believe in society today, especially in western society is that we don’t have the confidence in ourselves to express who we really are. We have so much freedom and opportunity to express ourselves yet we shut ourselves off because we aren’t confident in whom we are. Self-expression… true self-expression is a liberating experience as it allows us to make ourselves vulnerable by showing who we really are.

I feel like there is so much that is fake in our lives in the western world because true self-expression is looked down upon. If who we are doesn’t match the standards of what is expected from our parents, our friends, or society in general than we feel we need to conform and instead of expressing ourselves, we hide ourselves. We hide behind our clothes, our accessories, our cars, our money, our music, and all the other comforts that we can lose our true selves in to become something else.

I value expressiveness because when people can express themselves truly you know that they have found themselves. Especially as a basketball coach I wish for nothing more than for my players and those I affect to reach their fullest potential as a human being. It takes a person to understand themselves truly until they can understand what it means to reach their potential. Each person is born different with different gifts. It is up to the individual to unlock those gifts and potentials and express them in a way that leads them to success and happiness. At the end of the day each individual knows who they are, and it is up to them to figure out how to properly express themselves.

It is awe inspiring to watch as a person finds their true self. It is even greater to watch them express that self in a way that fits them so perfectly. That is why the Olympics are so great to watch. That is why I cannot help but fight back emotions as I watch a mother in the stands watching their kid on the basketball court because they know that their kids is exactly who and where they want to be at that exact moment. Parents know, coaches know, teachers know, and leaders all over the world know the feeling of watching true expression and when someone is doing it there is nothing more breathtaking.

Part of expression that I really admire is creativity. I am always searching for ways to express my creativity, but I figure I’m not the most creative person. Only in a goofy way, but I want to try and express who I am through this poem.

I’m vulnerable in a way that I’ve never been before

Right now in life I am searching for who I am

Even though it’s not time I want my life to begin

But that isn’t what the future has for me in store

Now I’m in the city with just my dreams and ambitions with me

Even though opportunity seems empty and dire

I know I have to stay positive and be worry free

Because my time will come and I will achieve my desire

I hope that someday I can look back and say I did it right

And I can tell my kids that I never gave up the fight

I want to be a leader through action that inspires

And I won’t stop until I get there even when my comfort is under fire

I will never give up and never give in

I just wish I knew how to begin