My five-year-old son drops a thousand-piece puzzle on the floor one day and as we were picking up the pieces I found one that didn’t belong amongst all the tiny pieces. I found it odd that it was in the box in the first place. Obviously, it was misplaced. It was much bigger than the others and had specks of vibrant colours. I didn’t think much of it since that day until I spoke to a young girl recently about making better life choices. We unpacked some of the issues she was struggling with, with regard to changing the course of her life. The biggest one was her circle of friends. She felt that if she left her group of friends, she would be alone or they might start hating her. In some ways I understood this, because we all feel the need to be a part of something or to have someone. No person ever truly wants to be alone with no one to call or talk to. Sure enough, we need our down time and just zone out with no interruptions, but to know you are all alone is not what anyone desires. This girl didn’t really fit with the group of friends she had. They barely shared the same interests or values. But, she tagged along and started making decisions based on what they needed her to do. She was misplaced like that puzzle piece, but what was truly devastating was that she felt misplaced. She needed to find the right box, but instead of finding it she cut herself into a new shape in order to fit in, and she wasn’t happy. She dulled her own unique existence to be somebody else for the sake of someone else.
Don’t we all sometimes find ourselves chipping away at who we are to fit in or just be accepted? We compromise our own specks of vibrant colours to be another person’s puzzle piece and very often they don’t even want us to be. All anybody wants is someone that can confidently shine so they may inspire them to do the same.
Little by little we cut pieces away of ourselves for someone else or based on someone else’s version. Ask yourself, is it that wrong if I stand out amongst the crowd? So what if I’m a little different! Being different is what makes you unique. The more you find yourself being true to who you are, you will find the pieces of life that will fit perfectly with you…
