Most often in our everyday life, people are faced with the pressure of conforming to set standards of how they are supposed to live and/or behave. We often find ourselves trying to fit into pre-set conditions and ways of life. We spend more time trying to identify what groups us together as human beings instead of nurturing our own true identities.

However, life is like being given a notepad to write your story. It is not a competition in which you try to outdo one another, you cannot tell your story from another person’s viewpoint and you cannot copy what the next person is writing. You are your own man (or woman), running your own race, in your own lane. You need to tell your story the way you know and understand it because nobody understands it better than you.

Everyone has their own story, different from each other but interesting in their own way, do not be afraid to be you, do not be afraid to live your own life. We are all human beings trying to figure out life in our own different ways. Do not try to out-compete anyone, rather use your energy to outdo the person you were yesterday.

There is a reason why you were created differently,  why you think and behave differently. Thinking differently should never scare you it’s a sign that you are brave enough to think for yourself. Most of the time we are so cautious in life not wanting to go against those we love, our parents, our partners, our colleagues e.t.c. But the most important thing you can ever do is to be cautious enough not to go against yourself.

To make a difference you need to be different

Those who reached great heights in life were never versions of someone else, they were the best version of themselves. They did not try to imitate anyone, rather they walked their own path. The same thing with you, appreciate the greatness in others but never be tempted to imitate anyone. Let the greatness in others and the heights that they have reached be an inspiration and eye-opener to you. Anything is possible if you are determined enough. Be yourself and be unique.

Believe that you are the one and there is no one else that has the capabilities or talent that you possess. You are the one that can see that idea that you have to fruition, you are the one who can make it happen. That vision you have, no one else can understand and visualize it the exact way you do.

Brand and label yourself so that other people’s labels cannot stick to you.  Accept who you are and develop a habit of appreciating yourself more. Keep your flaws in perspective but do not let them hold you back. You are an amazing being if you allow yourself a chance to be. The world is waiting for you, the universe is watching to see you come out and express yourself.

A lot of people are afraid to be different because it comes with challenges.

Challenges of being different

If you are different the world will judge you because people have the inclination to question those who are indiscreet as to let their differences show. Our society is more often enough antagonistic to uniqueness and tries to reduce it or oppose it.

A lot of times, being different is mistakenly perceived as being selfish. These misconceptions actually act in dissuading people from living their uniqueness. However, there is a great latitude of freedom that can be exercised in being unique without encroaching upon the rights of others and within the limits of the obligations of cooperation with others.

Remember that the battle of self-realization is not easy, it’s for the bold. In the end, you should do what you want people to remember you. What will you be remembered for? It is not easy, it is hard but you have to fight that battle of self-realization.

I have written below a few steps that you can follow in pursuing a life of uniqueness.

Steps to help you in living a unique life

1. Accept who you are

You can’t do anything extraordinary in life until and unless you accept who you are. Therefore the first thing that you need to do is come to terms with the reality of who you are. You don’t choose to be born in a certain location,  a certain race. These are things that you cannot change but rather embrace and cherish them.  Accept your birth circumstances, accept the things beyond your control and find a way to live with them. Stop wasting time complaining and wishing to change circumstances that you can’t.

2. Decide on the milestones you want to attain and write down your plan to get there

Planning is very important in your life, nobody did anything great without proper planning. Therefore for every great purpose you have, you need to plan it carefully. Write down your plan clearly; if you can’t visualize it then you can’t attain it. You need to be clear and specific. Life has got a lot of destructions that can throw you off course, Invest time in planning for a man who fails to plan has already planned to fail.

Clearly written down plans will always be there to guide you when you are out of focus and out of enthusiasm. It’s good to think but it’s not enough if you do not put down boldly those thoughts and engrave them somewhere where they will be a constant reminder to you.

3. Execute your plan

Planning alone is not enough, graves are full of plans that never saw the dawn of light. Therefore if you have plans, execute them or else they will just remain ideas scribed on paper.

Procrastination will find you in the same place you are today and next year. Wake up and do something, no matter how small but a single step walked is better than 10 planned. Even though you cannot do everything in a single day, doing something every day assures you that you are a step in the direction of your goals.

It seems simple until you want to put the words into action. Not everyone is gonna do it but those who will are going to reap the benefits.

Personal benefits of being different

Unless you exercise your individuality, you will never enjoy the benefits of who you are. Being different should be cherished not opposed. Even nature cherishes uniqueness, no two individuals can perceive the same thing in the same light. Each person is a center of their own universe and being unique assures you a special place in the world and a special worth that is only attached to you.

Communal benefits of being different

It is your most priceless possession. If we were, all the same, we would not be able to make any contribution to one another because we would all be equipped with the same abilities. Being different is, therefore, a uniting factor among human beings and should never be used as a dividing tool.

No human being is individually sufficient to go through life alone but if we are all, individually operating in our uniqueness then we can achieve more. No man is an island and no man stands alone. Every individual is unique and uniquely purposive and that is how the irreplaceable value of each individual’s uniqueness is realized.

Differences make specialization possible and lead to the attainment of a common greater purpose. If we fail to perform our purpose as individuals then the whole fails. Embracing our differences leads to specialization and through cooperation, this specialization leads to progress.

In Conclusion, I will say, 

Hold on to the true you, hold on to your uniqueness, and hold on to that thing that makes you different from the rest. That’s the most precious thing that you have, that’s your greatest asset and your treasure. You don’t have to be like everyone else, you don’t have to do things like anyone else, you are your own self, create your own rules and break them as you see fit. Walk your own path and define your own route. Because one day, this life will be over but before that happens, you have to live! The day you will start living your life according to everybody else’s opinion that’s the beginning of the end.

I challenge you today, to be yourself, to be unique, to believe in yourself to have faith in your unique capabilities, and to live unapologetically, stop apologizing for being you! Every time you walk into a room, know that you are unique and the only one of your kind in that room, you are special.

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