Are you a Tigger or an Eeyore?

This question was first asked by Randy Pausch. Diagnosed with an incurable form of pancreatic cancer he gave a final lecture to his students and wanted to pass on some of his life lessons.

I had a good think about it the other day. After all, Tigger is very popular, he has his own movie, theme song and is friends with everybody in the 100 Acre Wood (I’ve been a Pooh fan since I was little).

But just what is it that makes Tigger so popular?

Tigger’s theme song says it all:

The wonderful thing about Tiggers,
is Tiggers are wonderful things’.

Then comes a long list of his accomplishments and finishes off with:

But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers is,
I'm the only one.
Oh, I’m the only one!

And of course, Tiggers are fun. Poor Eeyore on the other hand, is just that: poor in spirit. He really feels hard done by the world and no matter the situation, he can find the worst possible spin on it. Everything that happens is just to prove how bad life treats him. Quite frankly, I’m surprised that he has any friends in the 100 Acre Wood (maybe because this fiction after all), because I know a few people like Eeyore and don’t like to spend very much time with them. Mainly, because I can be having a perfectly normal day, and within two or three sentences they can bring me down and start me questioning why I haven’t slit my wrists yet. A world full of Eeyores is a bleak and dark place.

Imagine a world full of Tiggers. It could get a bit much after a while. All that bouncy-bouncy and fun, fun, fun!!!! BUT look at how Tigger feels about himself. He has a theme song that only highlights his good parts. There is nothing in there about how he gets lost, occasionally annoys his friends, talks with a funny accent, doesn’t know who his family is. What if we all felt that way about ourselves. WE ARE WONDERFUL because we are who we are. We are unique and there is nobody else like us. It wouldn’t matter if other people found you slightly annoying, or could only handle you in small doses.

So, do you love yourself because you are different? Do you love every part of yourself and accept yourself as you are? A wonderful, unique YOU.