A common human trait that we humans have is to feel insecure about our differences. Ever since we are children, we try to fit in. We try our best to avoid being weird or different. But what if this fear of being different keeps us small, and is actually holding us back from our brilliance?
Like Meryl Streep said, “What makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.”
Embracing Our Individuality
If we were all the same people, who looked the same, dressed the same, had the same thoughts, would we be human any longer? We would just be one of many robotic beings. What would set us apart?
When you embrace what sets you apart, you allow yourself to shine bright. You stand out from the crowd, and in a good way! You get to be different, unique, and inspiring! Think about people who have inspired you – were they “normal” or did they have something unique about them that stood out?
Accept Yourself
Just being different or unusual doesn’t guarantee excellence. You have to accept your uniqueness and become comfortable with it. Only when you can be fully okay with who you are, can you use your uniqueness as something that’s not hindering you but helping you.
When you accept the parts that you dislike, you are able to love parts of yourself that you have rejected for years. This helps you be more at peace with yourself, building confidence and self-worth, which in turn helps you achieve your goals.
Identify & Develop Your Strengths
After you accept everything about yourself, you can also begin to develop your quirks into strengths. The parts that you, or others, find “weird” about you can often be your superpowers! For example, people who are shy are often especially good at helping others because of their fabulous observational skills. People who are quiet and always lost in thought can be extremely intelligent thinkers with unparalleled creativity and problem-solving skills.
When you embrace yourself fully, including your quirks, you can tap into strengths that you may not have been aware of earlier.
Improve your Mental Health
If you judge yourself, you set yourself up for failure. When you can’t embrace your quirks, you will constantly hear that inner critic in your ear nagging you and pulling you down. This inner criticism is the cause for so many forms of self-sabotage, including perfectionism, procrastination, and people-pleasing. Inevitably, this results in low self-esteem and self-worth, which are both detrimental to your mental health. To be excellent, you must first take care of your mental health, and that means embracing your uniqueness.
Help Others
When you love yourself for your uniqueness, you give others the permission to be different, too. You show them that differences can be loved and cherished, and that everyone doesn’t have to be the same to be accepted. There have been countless examples of “strange” people in history who have done bizarre things, only to have become role models and sources of inspiration for future generations! So, embrace your strangeness and step into your infinite potential!
