The Benefits of Being Different

BY Nathalie Thompson        March 15, 2016

If you have a dream in your heart, the only way to turn it into a reality is to be a little different. If you want something in your life to change, then you have to change the way you approach it – you have to think a little differently, act a little differently, and just BE a little differently.

If you keep doing and thinking what everyone else does, then you’re going to continue getting what everyone else has. What’s worse, by trying to be like someone else you’re denying the reality of, and the gift that is, who you really are.

“Always be a first-rate version of yourself instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” - Judy Garland

In order to build that dream that is uniquely yours, you need to give yourself permission to be yourself and not be afraid to let your true colors shine through… even if they’re completely different than those of everyone around you.

When you do that, you open yourself to all the magic and wonder that the Universe has available, just waiting for you to reach and draw forth into your reality.

Pushing your boundaries:

When you make it a point to start acting, thinking, and being different, you’re giving yourself permission to explore. You’re pushing the boundaries of that safe little comfort zone you’ve created for yourself and expanding your horizons.

You’re giving yourself the gift of the unknown, the unusual, and the unexpected. There is a world of endless possibility before you, and anything can happen as you start building your dream and transforming potential into reality.

Beyond the fear:

So how do we do that? How do we just “be different” and kick-start this transformation?

We can start by allowing ourselves to be who we are rather than trying to make ourselves fit into that box labelled “What everyone else thinks we should be.” We do it by taking deliberate, conscious steps to try new things and embrace new ways of doing things, even when they scare us or when we’re not sure that we can do them.

“If you want something you've never had, you must be willing to do something you've never done.” - Thomas Jefferson

Obviously, if everything in you is screaming “NO!” then trust your instincts and don’t… but if there’s anything in you that thinks that a particular “something new” that you’ve been contemplating sounds exciting, inspiring, fun, or otherwise positive, then work past your fear and give it a go; it might just be the best thing you ever do for yourself!

Trusting the whispers and taking the risk:

There’s always an element of risk in making life changes, in crafting a vision and building a dream. It requires looking past everything you’ve been taught, ignoring what everyone else does and or tells you to do, and trusting that little whisper within that tells you it’s time to expand and grow. And it requires a certain amount of bravery and daring to do that.

You have to move out of your comfort zone, stretching yourself in ways that may seem uncomfortable or even frightening at first. You have to be willing to trust in yourself and in that tiny voice inside of you that whispers your truth to you, no matter how far you’ve strayed off course. And you have to risk being seen, attracting attention, and facing the inevitable critics.

“To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” - Shakespeare

Most people will not take this risk, because complacency is easier and far more comfortable that pushing past our self-imposed limits. And there is safety in being just another one of the flock, after all.

But you are a uniquely talented individual with a wealth of experience, insight, and strengths. The dream that you have in your heart right now is the precious, completely unique gift that you came here to give to this world. It’s time to bring that gift out of hiding and share it with the world.

It’s time to let yourself shine and embrace the idea of being different.

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