Each of us has a vital and important role to play - at work and home, in the local community or the international one. And yet many people put themselves down thinking that they are unimportant and life has short-changed them at some level.

To get perspective on this, think of life as an orchestra. In the same way that an orchestra works together to produce a musical experience, life is working together in some mystical accord for you too. The ebb and flow of an orchestra offers insights on successful living, and each person's importance in the grand scheme of things.

1. First insight: An orchestra has many instruments, each with its own unique quality and sound. This gives it depth and charm. Imagine if all the instruments were the same - how boring and lifeless the whole experience would be! In the same way, human diversity brings richness to the tapestry of life. If we were all famous, beautiful and talented - how boring. So the first and most powerful lesson is that 'who you are is a glorious difference'. Success asks you to embrace your 'youness' and value it. A violin cannot ever sound like a guitar and who would want it that way?
    
2. Second insight: All the musicians arrive and warm up before the performance irrespective of whether or not the part they play only comes in half way though the piece. Can you imagine how disrupted the playing would be if the musicians came and went all through the performance? The lesson we learn here is that just being present is a vital and important part of what is happening, and is contributing towards the functioning of the whole. The presence of non-active participants is vital – and the audience falls into this category too since although they do nothing, they add meaning to the process. In your personal life you might never become a civil leader, or head a campaign to feed the poor, but this second insight shows you that just being here is a essential contribution.
    
3. Third insight: All the instruments each have their own special place where they get played. Having all the instruments playing all the music all the time would be terrible music. I love the 'conversation' between instruments as the violins seem to say something to the cello and the piano chats with the harp. All music, from classical to rock and roll, has this conversational nature, and the silence of each instrument is as important as the playing. From this we learn that there is a distinct time and place for each of us to do our thing. Being silent adds to the beauty of the whole.
    
4. Fourth insight: Not all the instruments get to play the same length as each other. The violins might get to play 90% of the time, whilst the triangle only gets one tiny turn. The length of playing time does not make one musical instrument more important than another. Imagine a beautiful piece of music where the final crescendo ends with the sweet 'ping' of the triangle, and that 'ping' ends it off perfectly. Without that 'ping' the score wouldn't be a masterpiece.

You too should not measure your worth by the amount of visibility in your life. Maybe your life's work is like that triangle and you will only be heard for one tiny moment in a very tiny way, but that tiny contribution is the difference between ordinary and extraordinary. So this week take time out to enjoy the symphony of life, knowing that you just being here is adding to the magic for all of us!

© Catherine M Glennie