I’m Different

Different is Good

Do you know this musician? Jimi Hendrix. If not, (and you like rock music), then give him a try. I love his music but even more, I love how he was himself. Yes, his life ended tragically (note: the 27 club) and if he’s looking down from heaven, he’s repeating these lyrics: (from Stone Free)

Everyday in the week I’m in a different city
If I stay too long people try to pull me down
They talk about me like a dog
Talkin’ about the clothes I wear
But they don’t realize they’re the ones who’s square

Reportedly a shy person, he was transformed on stage. Whether he was playing his guitar behind his back or lighting it on fire, he was unabashedly himself. He makes me wonder, what would happen if I were completely myself? without a thought to what others think, say or do? What would that look like?

Two Kinds of People

I believe everyone feels “different.” It’s part of the human condition. There are a few reactions to this feeling…there are those who feel different and

1. they stay the same
2. they use that feeling to change who they are and what they experience

I completely understand why people don’t want to change. Change is scary. It’s hard. It’s alienating. People around us don’t want us to change because it might mean that THEY need to change. When I work to change myself, I threaten those around me who want me to stay the same.

If you’re the first kind of person, it’s 100% okay.

If you’re the kind of person who uses their ‘differentness’ to propel them, then I identify with you. For me, no matter how hard I wanted to stay the same, my sanity depended upon me learning to let my experience teach me to be the person I’m destined to be.

What Can We Learn?

The human journey is a search for belonging. When our families are dysfunctional, we look for a new family. The reason that religion, clothes, social status and “placehood” (where we come from) define us, is that it gives us a sense of being a part of something and humans need that.

What If I Belonged to Myself?

I believe the human journey is to teach me belong to myself. That I don’t look outside myself for affirmation or love but that I learn to give it to myself.

This doesn’t mean we don’t need other people. Of course we do. But imagine if,  you were taught, from when you were very small, that you are complete, just the way you are. How would that message change your life?

Image Credit: The Current