Dare to Be Different

Life is about finding yourself. And sometimes that means you have the drift away from the crowd so you can stay true to yourself. So many people don’t want to stand out but over the past couple of years I have found thats what make you you. I mean look into the music world. Lady Gaga, for example, is huge and widely respected because she is true to herself; she is different. In the beginning of her career, people told her she would never make it and they rejected her. They thought she was weird and didn’t get it. I mean heck, I didn’t even get it the first time I saw her in one of her crazy outfits at the VMAs. But what I and most of the world has come to realize is that she knows herself and she’s just doing her. She’s absolutely brilliant.

Its hard at first, if people aren’t like you or don’t understand you, for you not to feel alone, or like an outsider. But after a while, people will come around. People respect you for doing what you feel is best and not “selling out.” Look at Alicia keys. She lives in a world where the entertainment industry is all about sex and makes billions off of sex appeal yet she always manages to look classy and not show that much skin. She never goes down that road the further her career. Thats a phenomenal thing to accomplish when a whole industry is doing it a different way. Or take Avril Lavigne. She came out when sexy pop stars where all the craze and everyone wanted to be like Jennifer Lopez, Cristina Aguilera, or Ashanti; all beautiful, strong, GIRLY women. Avril at the time was anything but girly. She came out on stage with her jeans, tee, and a tie and rocked out. She wasn’t sweet and gentle like most pop starts try to be, but she was outspoken, opinionated, and edgy. After Avril, I literally saw so many girls at my school looking and dressing like her everyday. It was cool to be different. People LOVED that about her. And thats my point. In life you have to figure out what makes you different and focus on that. People will Love you for that exact reason.

I remember being in high school and so confused about myself. I didn’t fully know who I was yet and I went to a school of about 1500 students and I was one of 3 other african americans in the entire school. As soon as I walked on campus I was noticed. By everyone. I felt so uncomfortable in class when teachers would have discussions on slavery or racists and I would speak in a class full of Caucasians. I felt so out of place and so judged! I wanted so badly to just be invisible because I felt SO visible. I wanted to be like everyone else. Not unlike everyone, not an outsider. Because that's how I felt. No one looked like me, so I felt alone. For lack of a better word, it sucked. I tried to wear what everyone else wore and act a certain way just so I could show people I was like them. But that was many years ago. Now I have learned to embrace my differences and show them off. I make them my strengths. I’m just doing me and it feels great! Now if Im the minority in the room I don’t care. I have embraced my differences and Im HAPPY to be different, in how I look, dress, feel, and express myself. Thats what makes me me and I am soo grateful for that.

Everyone feels like an outsider or alone at some point. Just remember that its OK to be different and sometimes you have to stand alone to stay true to yourself. Thats okay! Truth is if you tried to be something you weren’t, you would be worse off and unhappy anyways, so just do you and the rest will follow.

Peace and Love

Lysee