One of my very favorite artists & designers, James Victore says, “The things that made you weird as a kid, make you great today!” and I couldn’t agree more! [I’ve got the T-shirt to prove it.]
So often, we spend far too much of our lives trying to fit in - to be normal. We go with the flow and neglect what makes us different because we’re afraid OR we go the opposite route. We do all kinds of crazy outlandish things in an effort to say, “I’m not like anyone else - I’m weird - I’m special.” I’ve definitely been guilty of both paths in my life - and neither left me feeling fulfilled.
I don’t think of weird as a bad thing or a crazy thing, I just think of it as the opposite of normal. And what’s that? Normal is in debt, overweight, unhealthy, stressed, in a job you hate, comparing yourself to everyone else around you - normal is broke. Weird is you being you, because that’s not normal.
We’re all weird - and not in that SUPER out-of-the-box, stop eating the paste kind of way. We all have a gift, a talent, a personality, skills, experiences, perspectives that are not normal, they’re what make us different, they’re what gives us clues into who we are, what we’re meant to be & do.
But most of us are taught to follow the script. Be a well behaved child. Go to School. Get straight A’s. Go to College. Get a job. Get married. Have kids. Buy a house. Live Happily Ever After.
Now, I’m absolutely not making fun of that path, truly. I think it’s great [I myself quite enjoy that version with some crazy stuff shoved in along the way,] if that’s what you’re supposed to do. I just think it should stop being glorified as THE path. I hate knowing that people buy houses because they saw their friends do it via social media. I hate knowing some women feel less than if they aren’t married or pregnant by 30. I hate knowing that people living with 7 roommates and 3 jobs are treated like losers because they don’t have a fancy, corporate, six figure paying job fresh out of college.
It’s ridiculous. Comparison is ridiculous and it’s gross. Comparison is the death of contentment. With how many people there are in the world - why would we think there’s really only one path to a happy, successful and fulfilled life?
And when we take a path that wasn’t meant for us, we sacrifice the best life we can have. Not a life free of worry, struggle, troubles or imperfection - because none of us have that - but a life that is meant for only us. I know I want that and I want that for everyone!
In Scottish, the word “weird” isn’t an adjective at all - it’s a noun.
Do you know what it means?
A person’s destiny.
Those things that you thought you had to give up to become a “normal” member of society were hardwired into you for a reason. Don’t give up on your weirdness - Don’t lose your dinosaur - it will lead you to your destiny.
Love & Blessings,
Genevieve
