Be who you are...
It's a valuable piece of advice I've been given many times in my life but never quite understood until I saw it in a meme—which conveniently I can't find right now. But I don't think you need the meme to understand what I'm saying.
Lately, I've been feeling like I don't have a "tribe," like there aren't any people who see the real me and like me. It's frustrating and lonely to be in this position, especially as an adult. Where do adults make friends anyway? Especially eccentric and sometimes loud adults...
The meme I saw sent a very simple and clear message I think we can all benefit from not only in personal relationships but in our careers and life goals. "Be who you are!" The right people will come to you. You, with your quirks and your oddities, that loud personality, the bubbliness, and yes, even sometimes the down days.
If you're always trying to fit in and look good to everyone, no one is going to see the real you. They'll see the package you present as you but maybe it's not the truest representation of who you are. And if they can't see the real you, how can they like you? The real you...
I have spent my whole life trying to fit in with whomever I was surrounded by. I did what people told me I should do to be the person who was friendly and open. That got me used and left high and dry, and very lonely. No one had a chance to see the real me. I'm weird and quirky and loud sometimes. I have issues like everyone else and sometimes I don't know when to shut up.
My writing journey has taught me a lot of things, but mostly it's taught me that there are so many personalities, in writing, in characters, and in the real word, that someone out there is just like me—weird, loud, and odd. I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but I can definitely be someone's bottle of rum! (See... weird.)
When we stop trying to fit someone else's mold and learn to be okay with being ourselves and waiting for the right people to show up, I believe we'll be happier people. And we'll see a truer representation of the talents and skills we all bring to the table. Because when you're not afraid to be yourself (whether they like you or not) it might mean you're not afraid to speak up about that strategy at work, or write that character no one else is bold enough to write.
It might just mean someone else will be comfortable in their own skin because they see you being weird or loud too. :)
Just a thought...
XOXO
~Ovni
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