Michelle Hicks

“FORKED BRANCHES


We grew up on the same street,
You and me.
We went to the same schools,
Rode the same bus,
Had the same friends,
And even shared spaghetti
With each other's families.


And though our roots belong to
The same tree,
Our branches have grown
In different directions.
Our tree,
Now resembles a thousand
Other trees
In a sea of a trillion
Other trees
With parallel destinies
And similar dreams.
You cannot envy the branch
That grows bigger
From the same seed,
And you cannot
Blame it on the sun's direction.
But you still compare us,
As if we're still those two
Kids at the park
Slurping down slushies and
Eating ice cream.



Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun (2010)”
― Suzy Kassem, Rise Up and Salute the Sun: The Writings of Suzy Kassem

“When you become self aware, you know your uniqueness, strengths, and limitations too. You become easy to work with others. You also avoid competing with others unhealthily.”
― Assegid Habtewold, The 9 Cardinal Building Blocks: For continued success in leadership

“Take time to define your own goals and stay focused on achieving them. You're your own competition.”
― Kaleb Kilton

“Imitation is the highest form of flattery. Try not to see it as an invitation to compete.”
― Andrena Sawyer