“Why are you trying so hard to fit in when you were born to stand out?”
If you know exactly what movie that quote is from, we just became best friends. 😉 (Hint: It stars Amanda Bynes…)
Today’s Monday Mantra was inspired by seeing so many peeps (myself included) succumb to what-if’s, fear, and anxiety of the unknown. Too often (like, waaaaaay too often), we’re faced with so much self-doubt. We’ve got these dreams – these really friggin’ BIG dreams! – and we don’t know if we can bring them to fruition.
We don’t know if we can do it.
It’s a big fat WHAT IF I FAIL THO that looms over our heads, making it hard to move forward with certainty – sometimes, move forward at all.
We’re afraid of standing out.
We’re afraid of putting our deepest desires + dreams + wants out there in the open, cos then THEY stand out – and when we stand out, we’re up for criticism. We face the naysayers, doubters, and straight-up mean people who would rather see us fail than support us up.
So we cower down.
We stifle our own lights, because sometimes it feels easier to burn low + slow on the backburner rather than bright + hot + fast for all to see. It feels easier to chalk it up to wanting to be humble, or not becoming complacent in “the hustle,” or not wanting to burn out altogether.
But here’s the thing:
We were born to stand out. YOU were born to stand out.
Enter, today’s Monday Mantra:
Stop thinking that your life will be easier or better by intentionally avoiding the spotlight.
If anything, you’re doing the world a disservice. When you have something really good, meaningful, + worthwhile to offer (which you do! I know you do!), holding back doesn’t help anyone. It doesn’t help you, and it sure as heck doesn’t help the people who could be really benefiting from the goodness you bring to the table. By being unafraid to stand out, to make mistakes, to learn + grow + blossom with others taking notice, you’re giving yourself permission to live your best life.
And yannnno what?
By giving yourself permission to live your best life, you’re giving others permission to live their best lives, too.
It’s time you refuse to play small, and vow to settle for more. Subjecting yourself to standing out may sometimes feel like you’re subjecting yourself to scrutiny, judgment, and unwanted opinions. But honestly…those will always be there, everywhere, all the time.
Because there are asshats in the world.
But for asshat, I like to think that there are at least two NON-asshats – people who celebrate your goodness instead of squash it, and people who WANT you to stand out instead of cower behind them. People who don’t feel so insecure by you that they just hope for your failure – but people who want you to succeed with every ounce of their being, just as much as they want their OWN success. Because they understand that their own success is not dependent on your failure. It is, in fact, mutually exclusive.
So, stand out.
Stand out with confidence, knowing that you can stand out AND she can stand out, and you can stand out for different reasons or even the same reason. Because community trumps competition. And you’re both individuals on this planet of so many, and you both can and SHOULD stand out somehow, for your own individual goodness.
For some solid inspiration as to why it’s actually A-OK to stand out, let me introduce you to my spirit animal: this cockatoo.
If you aren’t smiling ear-to-ear after watching this 2:26 minute clip, then I’m genuinely concerned for you and you should seek a vacation day ASAP. I think it’s 100% *impossible* to not soak up a bit of the contagious joy that comes from watching this bird jam out and really FEEL that music. Not only is he unafraid to stand out himself, but he’s encouraging his cockatoo friend to join in the fun.
Standing out doesn’t mean being cocky, arrogant, narcissistic, or self-centered.
Standing out means unabashedly being yourself, celebrating the uniqueness of YOU, and sharing that uniqueness for the betterment and encouragement of everyone around you.
It’s really that simple.
You, just as you are, are amazing. So totally amazing, and so totally worthy of it, too. You were born to stand out. You were born to live life as the unique individual that you are – as the flamingo in a flock of pigeons, as the fruit loop in the bowl of cheerios, as every other cliche metaphor says so rightfully so. You were born to stand out, because there is only one of you on this entire planet – one of you in a sea of 7 billion+. IDK about you, but I think that’s pretty darn incredible.
And if ya can’t take it from me, take it from one of the biggest, smartest, wisest legends of all time:
“Why fit in when you were born to stand out?” – Dr. Seuss
If you’re needing some extra motivation this Monday morning, click here for more Monday Mantras.
How will you let yourself stand out this week?
Really tho. Comment below and let me know. I KNOW you were born to stand out in some special way, no matter how seemingly small. It means something! So jot it below. Why fit in when you were born to stand out?
And why fit in when you were born to #BrandOut?
#BrandOut is happening THIS week, and it’s got your name written allllll over it if you’re sitting here as a blogger wanting to stand out to brands. ICYMI, the full spiel is #BrandOut: 7 Keys to Stand Out to Brands as a Blogger. And – you guessed it! – I’ll be spilling 7 keys that you absolutely positively mustmustmust have in your blog pocket when it comes to getting noticed by brands, monetizing your blog + getting paid for awesome collaborations. They’re the 7 keys that have helped me transition from working my tail off day in + day out without seeing results, to being a full time blogger, making my full time income from partnering with my favorite brands. These keys are IT, and they’re clutch. So this masterclass is gonna be TEA – hot tea. You won’t wanna miss it, especially if 2017 is the year you want to start taking your blog seriously + to the next level!
You can sign up right here – fo’ free!
The last time I presented this webinar was 6 months ago, and it was met with AMAZING results that had me all teary-eyed and gushy; some even said it was “the best webinar I’ve ever attended, ever.” So…yeah. It’s gonna be fire.
You deserve to stand out, and you deserve to #BrandOut.
See you there?
