Birthday Post #5 ~ Be Weird

Hiya dudes! Birthday post #5 today!

Today's lesson is to be weird. 

I do mean that, too. Be weird. Don't fit in.

So many people spend their energy just to fit in. To check off the boxes. To blend in.

I'll admit - I used to be like that. I tried desperately to fit in. To blend in. To not let anyone notice me. I used to hide behind conformity, and hated anything that made me stand out. I genuinely loathed attention - it made me uncomfortable, angry, and deep down, afraid.

I vividly remember thinking to myself on multiple occasions how much I wanted to blend in. I used to argue with God about it, and insist I was better off blending in. He never agreed. More than a decade later, I understand what He meant.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still learning this lesson - I just understand why now. I'm having to undo years of trapping myself in box upon box, hiding myself away, for no good reason. The "reasons" I had for hiding aren't actually reasons - it all comes down to fear, and I took a stand against fear several years ago. That means I get to be bold, weird, eccentric, and love every single second of it.

God doesn't make people with a cookie cutter. We aren't meant to blend in. Even flowers of the same species all look different, and flowers in general are all wildly different. If they were all exactly the same, the world would be pretty boring. You could say those exact two sentences about literally anything, just replace "flower" and there you go. Including people.

You're a person. You weren't made to conform. You were made to be unique. 

Be true to yourself, and ignore the checklists. If you want to be a clean-cut business savvy career person, do it! If you want to be a musician hippie living in a travel van with three other people who don't shower too much but love every minute of it, then do it! If you want to dye your hair green, do it! If you want to wear a suit every day, go get that suit and wear it with pride!

There is no wrong way to be weird - just be you. As long as you're not hurting anyone else, there's no wrong way to human. Life is short, messy, and wild. Be you, whoever that is. 

"Weird" isn't a bad thing - it just means you don't fit the mold. I say, good. Don't fit that mold. Screw the mold. People don't grow by sticking to the mold - they just end up average and boring.

So, lesson #5: Be Weird.