Let Your Weird Light Shine!

Our culture has instilled, within all of us, this bone-deep, paralyzing fear of standing out and being different. I am sorry to be the one to break this to you, but you, me, all of us, as unique individuals, are completely, off the wall, bonkers, weird!  Not one single one of us is normal! Therefore, the sooner we get over ourselves and accept it, the freer we will all be to live authentically!   
 
After observing teens at the DRC dance Friday evening, I am now convinced that the main thing our society is missing is our ability to ignore our own inhibitions (throw caution to the wind) to be utterly real and celebrate our own innate human-ness.  Instead, we have buried our true selves alive in fear of judgment, bias, and criticism of self and others. 
 
The atmosphere was set – a generous DJ playing fantastic upbeat music, cool disco lights, and snacks … but the teens held back – no one, except me, was willing to step onto the dance floor and move their bodies.  After a little while, a few brave souls became entranced by the thumping beat, and ventured over.  But, it wasn’t until a couple of younger kids arrived and quite literally threw their bodies into action (dancing, spinning, jumping, jiving, and doing cart wheels) that most of the other kids, eventually, joined in.  A few continued to hold back, eat snacks, and converse in a small cluster.  They never allowed themselves the pleasure of pure abandon.

The struggle to fit in (keeping up with the Joneses) consumes our lives, to the point where our energies are focused on accumulation and the economy of deficit (both inside and materialistically), instead of recognizing and celebrating the abundance we already possess.  Our internal compasses are eternally set to “search” mode instead of “happy” mode. 
 
Being content with our real selves – the ability to acknowledge and accept both the positive and negative aspects of our personality is when change can occur and the intentions we set for ourselves begin to manifest.
 
My main job, as a mentor, is to convince young people that they are completely awesome right now.  And, that, I really want to get to know them as real people - their talents and gifts, the pieces of their personality they would like to change, the things that they find hard, their worries and concerns, as well as their hopes, dreams, and aspirations.  I especially want them to fully understand that they are welcomed and honored for who they are, in this moment, and, that I fully expect them to pay that respect forward. 
 
Get comfortable in your skin!  You are, absolutely, perfect, exactly, as you are!  Yet, don’t be afraid of transformation because the next version of you will be just as superb.  Celebrate you!  Dance!  Use your voice to advocate for change!  Share your amazing self with others, all while honoring their distinct human-ness.  And, please, let your weird light shine, so we can all see the real you!