We all want to fit in, whether it’s with your desired friend group, your family, or just within society’s unwritten rules about what is acceptable and what is not. Nobody wants to feel rejected or isolated. As a result, we often hide or downplay the parts of ourselves that we consider to be different, outside the norm, or undesirable so that the people around us would feel less uncomfortable.

I know from personal experience how this works. I hated the fact that I lived my life in a wheelchair. I didn’t want to be different … I just wanted to fit in and be like everyone else. I thought hoped that if I pretended the wheelchair wasn’t there, then it would be invisible to everyone else too. My thinking was obviously delusional, but when you want something so desperately, you can trick your mind to believe some pretty unbelievable things.

 

I wish that my younger self was aware enough to realize what I was doing to my soul and my spirit. I wish I could have had someone tell me that my difference was not a mistake … that I was not a mistake. But how would anyone know what I was doing to myself – I didn’t know I was doing it, and I came across as a confident kid that wouldn’t let anything get in my way (including the inconvenience of being in a wheelchair). 😉

I also wish that I realized that everyone was going through something similar. I may have been the only one (in my small world) in a wheelchair, but all of my friends and classmates were struggling to fit in in their own ways. Slowly but surely, they were carving away at their authentic self in an effort to make their square pegs fit into the round holes that are so desired in schools and in society.

You may be wondering if I talked to all my classmates to figure this out … the answer is no. I didn’t have to talk to each of them individually because I’ve seen it in every person I’ve ever worked with. No matter the age, we are all constantly struggling to not stand out. It’s a human thing. But when we can accept who we are – including and especially our differences – I wholeheartedly believe that it will lead to discovering our life’s purpose.

You see, our differences are not mistakes. We were purposely and perfectly made with differences so we could use these unique talents, skills, and perspectives to shed light on old, typical ways of thinking. It provides an opportunity to approach the world from a new, out-of-the-box perspective. It allows for creative thinking and problem solving. When we shift our perspective and let go of judgment about our differences, we can truly embrace them for the gifts that they are.

Those differences are not mistakes … they are the gold, the magic in finding and living our purpose.

Slowly but surely, they were carving away at their authentic self in an effort to make their square pegs fit into the round holes that are so desired in schools and in society.

Nope … those differences are not mistakes … they are the gold, the magic in finding and living our purpose.

But what if we learned to accept and embrace who we are … differences and all … from a young age? What if we could change society’s unwritten rules that to be different is bad? What if there was a better way?  

I think this is a message that needs to be delivered to every human being from as early an age as possible. That’s why I wrote my new children’s book, “Differences Are Dynamite!” It’s about six animal friends who all have differences, but instead of being embarrassed or ashamed of these differences, the friends encourage one another to accept their differences and even celebrate them. I hope you will share this life-affirming message with kids of all ages because regardless of our age, we all need to know that we are wanted, accepted, and loved for the person we are on the inside … not the person that we wished we were.