I’ve felt different all of my life. Most of my choices have led me off the beaten path, walking the road less traveled. The more faithful I am to my passion and talent, the more individualized my choices become. The more specialized my personal search, the more alone I become. I love my personal path and I have no desire to “fit in”
Stay true to yourself
I feel different, apart, unique.
It makes me stand stronger,
By myself in my own wondrous space
When you stay true to yourself, you may feel eccentric, eclectic, perhaps even disliked or misunderstood. Others may perceive you as weird or intriguing or perhaps mystical. It matters not what others think. What is vitally important is what you think about yourself and how true you are to your gifts and what you value. Choose and live the qualities that you respect. Develop your talents. Follow your passion. When you stay focused on being the best “you” possible, you will accomplish what the world needs of you.
I really don’t want to fit in
No mainstream for me
I am an adventurer
and I have discovered wonders.
I love being in the minority. I love exploring the edges, following the untrodden paths. Why would I ever want to be part of the norm? Why would I want to subjugate who I am and what I have to offer in order to fit in? I am who I am, I love what I love and I am interested in doing things that make me a better, more effective, compassionate person. As explorers, seekers and discoverers of our own best self-expression, we work to become self-aware, we seek positive ways to express our passion, we reject beliefs that no longer serve us and continually explore the possibility of new viewpoints. Even as I experience periodic moments of feeling different or left out, I remain clear that I really, truly don’t want to fit in if it means I have to subdue who I am in order to be a part of the communality, the masses, the majority. You cannot find your own truth by listening to others. You must uncover your own values, your own gifts and decide how you are going to participate in the world.
Make self-aware adjustments
I have lived in my mind a long time.
It is time to live in my soul.
In my retirement, I have more time to contemplate. In my relatively new, more communal environment, I have much to learn. I am working to understand change and how to do it more gracefully and perhaps less painfully. I continue to adjust to the diversity of my senior community. I have time to deepen my spiritual life, which at this point involves studying Taoism, practicing Qi Gong and reading the I Ching from cover to cover. There are no “have-to’s” in my current life. However, there are certain qualities and choices that have always been part of my journey – writing, organizing ideas, being a philosopher. Now I have time to explore them more deeply. As I continue to change and adjust, my objectives change. I’m working on being mindful and learning to allow life to simply unfold. Come to know yourself and then make self-aware choices that move you in the direction you desire.
Know what you seek.
I seek the stillness point.
The moment of creation,
The moment of completion
There is a gradual unfolding process inherent in change. A new awareness appears whenever it does. You make a change whenever you do. As I embrace unfolding as a virtue, I stop making plans. No lists. No goals. No business objectives. I choose qualities instead: patience, mindfulness,compassion. What do you seek? What will change your life? How will you know you have succeeded? Recently I was asked a philosophical question and my answer showed me how deeply I have embraced the path I am on. I hadn’t know how far I had journeyed until the question tested me. The more subtle the work you do, the less tangible the results you can see.
Do what you need to do
I am alone in my search.
There is no one to share my excitement, my discoveries,
because the work is mine alone to do.
The change is mine to make.
Tao knows I am excited.
Tao shares my enthusiasm.
Tao gives me my discoveries.
Tao knows my need and meets it.
Don’t concern yourself with what other people think. Your job is to be the best “you” possible. You attract a flow of events, circumstances and responses simply by what you focus on, what you look for and what you expect. You may attract a situation in order to receive a lesson, to offer support, to reflect your own behavior or to prompt you to make a change. Your response dictates the outcome and the extent of your new awareness. Stay true to your journey. Do what you need to do.
Enjoy the adventure
I walk a solitary path that nurtures me.
I embrace stillness and contemplate the answers
I am alone but not alone
I am deep within Tao
Tao is deep within me.
Because you are unique, because you are following your own path, creating your own adventure, discovering what you need to know, you are embarked upon a journey that is yours alone. Where you go, what you discover, how you respond is for you to decide. Rejoice that you don’t fit in. Relish your unique journey. Be true to your gifts and talents. Take what you need and release the rest. You are the only one on this particular journey. The choices are totally yours. Enjoy the adventure.
Be patient.
Be aware.
Allow the tides of time to
bring treasure to your shore.
