Last week in a shoe store I heard a young boy telling his mother he did not want that particular sports shoe because it wasn’t like the ones everyone else was wearing. Looking back I could relate to that. I didn’t want to wear anything that would draw attention to me; I just wanted to blend in.
Standing out would mean you would be rejected, humiliated and laughed at. So to make our lives easier and live up to other people’s expectations, we say ‘no’ to the shoes we really want because they are not what others expect us to wear.
I believe that there are many people in the world that work at keeping everyone the same. The person who sniggers at someone because they dress or look different, or who laughs at people and belittles them in front of others because they do not conform to the expected stereotype. There is no doubt that fighting to maintain our individuality as teenagers and as adults can be challenging.
But to blend in we often under sell our selves and so the true potential that comes with our individuality is never given an opportunity to shine. You owe it to yourself to stand up (and stand out) and be counted.
As human beings we are all meant to be different, when we can accept this simple truth we will no longer hurt ourselves and each other for the simple things that make us human.
BE BEAUTIFUL BE FREE
Gregory Landsman
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My Definition of REAL BEAUTY is…
B alance in life unfolds from the inside out
E nthusiasm lies within the way you think and feel about yourself and life
A cceptance is the path to making peace with yourself and others
U nderstanding who we are gives us clarity and wisdom
T rust attunes your heart and mind to know what you want
Y ou possess BEAUTY and all that it takes to create the life and love you deserve
‘Beauty is about feeling more, healing more, living more and loving more’
