Today is Day 6 of a 10-day series aimed to promote mental wellbeing in the lead up to World Mental Health Day (October 10th).
The world has a population of roughly 7.5billion and not one of us is a duplicate of another. With seemingly infinite combinations of characteristics, appearances and experiences, I find myself drawn to what makes us unique.
It is certainly a lot easier, in this life, to fly under the radar: don’t stand out, don’t take risks, don’t stick your neck out because you might just lose your head. But, what if you take a risk/ stand out/ stick your neck out and experience something wonderful and unknown? What if you set your eyes upon other brave people doing the very same; like-minded or maybe gloriously different. All the great historical figures were people who took the greatest risk of all: to reveal themselves in all their authentic glory – to show the world what special something they had to offer.
I’m not suggesting that if we embrace our uniqueness, our quirks and special gifts that we will go down in history with the Einstein’s, Da Vinci’s, Shakespeare’s and Job’s… but a magnolia world would be guaranteed to be a whole lot more colourful.
While vanilla ice-cream certainly is widely appealing, with a significant fan base, if I see pretzel, beetroot or chilli ice-cream on offer I am absolutely going to be curious about them. They may not float my boat, but they WILL grab my attention and if I don’t try them I will likely wonder about them afterwards. After all, vanilla ice-cream is easy to come by but not everyone is brave enough to put beetroot, chilli or pretzel ice-cream on their menu. Some may not be able to take the risk to sample these flavours… and that’s ok. Those people are not destined for you. Of those who do try, there will probably be a majority who grimace and wonder “WHY?!?” But for the 10 people who dislike these adventurous flavours, there will be one whose tastebuds light up and who will love beetroot ice-cream in all its vivid glory… THOSE are the people meant for you. THOSE are the people who will love you for who you truly are, rather than for the vanilla we so often safely present to the world.
For if we hide our beetroot under a bushel and wear a vanilla mask, what we present to the world is not a true reflection of who we are inside. It can be a scary prospect to present yourself for ‘inspection’. But if we stick our necks out, we will see the other brave individuals who are doing the same. A community of adventurous, unusual, brave people all dancing to the beat of their own drum… all appreciating beetroot, even if it doesn’t entirely float their boat. All applauding the bravery it takes to be YOU as you truly are.
And in doing that, you may even come to love your inner beetroot, rather than plastering over it with generic vanilla, never truly feeling seen by the world
You are unique, wonderful and beautiful… Be brave. Be seen 🧡
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