A crimson-colored rubber duck in a crowd of yellow rubber ducks | Photo by Igor Omilaev
Being the square peg in a crowd of circles might be daunting as you would think you never belonged. You should remember that your flaws make you unique. It’s all a matter of perspective.
Elaine Vanderberg’s Sammie: The Sad Salamander is a children’s book that follows Sammie, a salamander who lives alone in a cave. Sammie was ostracized by the other salamanders, including his own siblings, because his skin was spotty, his tail was just a short stub, and he had crooked toes. The solitaire makes him sad while the other animals in the jungle enjoy each other’s company in their respective locations. As the story continues, Sammie discovers friends who also have their own flaws, which make them unique from the others.
Your flaws make you unique even if others see you as someone outside of the norms. Being different from the others is a double-edged sword that you need to master using. There are a lot of challenges that may affect you emotionally, but everything is only a matter of perspective.
What makes you strong being different?
You Have a Stronger Sense of Empathy
Believe it or not, empathy is a real superpower. Empathy is the ability to listen, feel, and understand other individuals through their emotions and gestures that words cannot describe. This ability is never a mere reading of people’s minds and emotional balance; it is deeply recognizing and relating to the other person’s state as if you were in their shoes.
When you are the type of person who always feels left out of the circle, you might also feel that you have flaws the others cannot accept. These flaws can be your physical appearance, your different views about the world, or your emotional flow. You have to remember that your flaws make you unique. Find time to harness these flaws and make them your weapon against negativity.
You Can Unleash the Tamed Lion in You
If you have been experiencing being the “different one” in a group, you must be familiar with lonesome and silent moments. While you were in these moments, you also experienced moments of contemplation and self-discovery.
Of course, it is hard being different as other people may only have the negative attributes that you have. However, your flaws make you unique. Those moments you spent alone with only your thoughts might have given you enough time to tame the cowardly lion in you. Everyone has this fear of being left alone in silence, but as you tame your lion, you also harness courage you can rely on in the future, especially when you are in a crowd of ordinary people.
Your contemplations may have also given you the right ideas of things to pursue in the future. As you realize your potential along the way, you can actually feel that your passion will be your compass to success. With your courage and passion, you can find people with the same vibe, mindset, and interests that will accept you in a tighter and stronger circle.
A top view of different sauces on a table | Photo by Jonathan Borba
You Grow, Stabilize, and Become Better
Everyone has a moment of feeling alone, lost, and different. Like an oak tree, you will eventually grow into a taller, sturdier, stronger, and more stable individual as you bloom. Your experiences will let you acquire the skills and strength to become the individual that you aim to be. Your flaws make you unique. It allows you to find the people who will be there with you whenever you feel down and out.
You Are Who You Are
In a crowd of ordinary people, your flaws become your unique attributes that let you stand out from those who look and behave identically. Your flaws are your spotlight to becoming a brighter star in the ocean of celestial bodies. Look at yourself in the mirror. Your uniqueness allows you to explore and navigate what else you can do with your life. It is a charm that keeps you afloat in the strong current of being ordinary or basic. Let your wings lift you up, or your horns cut through the streams of negativity.
A brown egg among white eggs | Photo by Daniel Reche
Only you can understand who you really are deep inside. As you discover doors of opportunities, help yourself stand on the pedestal that towers through all the negativity. Only you have the power to unleash the power of the unique person that you are.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Even if you are struggling to find your place in the world, you must think that everybody also feels that way. Change your perspective into a more positive one. Tame your flaws to stand out of the crowd and find the people you can call true friends as you go through thick and thin together.
Just like in Elaine Venderberg’s Sammie: The Sad Salamander, you will find your people who will understand you as they have their flaws too. This book is perfect to teach about self-acceptance to young readers. Get your copy of the book today!
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