One day, as I was driving, I noticed the sign for the Parliament of Antigua and Barbuda. It must have been new because I don't recall seeing it there before. Then it dawned on me that Antigua and Barbuda was a country. Bare with me, I can be a bit slow-witted. Seeing the sign made me really see that this little island nation was an actual country with population, flag, anthem, culture, etc. This got me to thinking.

What made one country more significant than another? What made us become more aware and knowledgeable about one country than another? I'll use the United States of America as an example because it impacts us in the Caribbean more than other developed countries. Granted that it is much larger than us, but why does the USA command such attention on the world stage? Why doesn't Canada or Brazil?

Is it because it is the best country in the world? Well not really, it ranks #37 in health care, #31 in education and #1 in wealth. After much thought I've concluded that it is because it says it's the best. It knows it's strong suits and tells you about it. The USA is not afraid of exporting to the world what makes it grand. I'm sure many people around the world know what Times Square and the Golden Gate Bridge look like without even stepping foot on American soil.

So how do we use this to our advantage? How can we become bigger than life and let the world know what we are working with? We act like the United States:

• Know your strengths and weaknesses;
• Try to soften the weaknesses;
• Broadcast your strengths;
• Keep producing content that show your strengths;
• Don't be afraid to express yourself;
• Even if you are not producing content, give your opinion;
• Have fun, get out there and be adventurous;
• Be the best at something;
• Even if it sounds stupid and it might not work, do it anyway;
• Make people laugh;
• Be compassionate and show that you care;
• Make a lot of friends, you never know when you might need them on your side;

Now I won't say do all these things at the same time, but consider them as a starting point in getting yourself noticed in a world that is getting noisier and noisier. Growing up, we try to be like everyone else, turns out we should have been trying to just be ourselves. Isn't it time the world see who we really are?