Cut From a Different Cloth

“Fitting in is boring.  But it takes you nearly your whole life to work that out”- Clare Balding

Most of my life, I’ve been trying to find my place in the world.  I overdid my part in order to fit into certain lifestyles that seemed the most appealing at the time.  But, when you’re constantly molding yourself to be accepted, you never know when you genuinely are.  It’s like you lose a part of yourself with every critique and every parameter because you’re chasing something that’s unattainable.  What it took me a long time to realize is that the version of me that God created was just enough.  The fun times when I was just being myself; the friends that saw my potential when I didn't; the moments when I was alone and happy; that was enough.  It often seems like we don’t truly know who we are; and that’s not always from a lack of self-awareness.  Living in a time of change and growth can be scary at times; we feel like we have to find the answers to impossible questions because we’re expected to have the answers to questions we haven’t even asked ourselves yet.  Who are you? My answer: I’m just different.

Being cut from a different cloth has often been a phrase thrown out to differentiate between the “haves” and the “have nots”.  Instead, I see it as each of our identities.  No two people are cut from the same cloth.  Why would we be? If that was the case then we would all look and act the same.  If you just look around, you can see that no two people look and act the same; it’s actually impossible.  Being different is a blessing.  It means that you see things that others don’t see; you hear things that others don’t hear.  You have traits and gifts that are trademarked with your identity and your essence only.

Once I realized what I had to offer; I truly started to question why I was so eager to have a "place" in this world when I already had one.  God didn’t put me on this planet to take up space and make no impact.  I have gifts that make me unique, we all do.  Finding the things that you’re good at can be a lot easier than we make it out to be.  I can’t sing or dance but I can speak.  And, when I speak I can connect to the person I’m speaking to, and I’m really good at using non-verbal cues to navigate conversations.  It doesn’t always have to be something extraordinary.  Often times, extraordinary outcomes result from a series of ordinary circumstances.  We all have gifts, talents and traits that make us special.  Find those traits, create those traits if you can; and take this world by storm.  You were put here for a reason, it’s time to fulfill that purpose.

“They’re running just to get in first place. I’m walking, going at my own pace.  I’m great; they say, slow and steady wins the race”- Patience(Freestyle) by Ray Blk

Amaka