I’m Not Normal. I’m Special!

About 10-12 years ago, when I was in the thick of learning all about ADHD and why I’d always been a little (okay, a lot!) different from the other kids, I came up with this quote which I then stuck on a bunch of t-shirts. The shirts sold like crazy at summer camps and youth events which made me realize that I was definitely not alone in feeling “different” and also that telling kids, and adults, that it was perfectly okay to be different was something all these people really needed to hear.

So, if you’re that person that doesn’t quite fit in, take heart! First, keep telling yourself that it’s good to be your own person and second, find your passion. Don’t worry about what anyone else is doing and what’s “in” right now. You have talents. I know this, because, EVERYONE has at least one thing they’re good at. Figure out what that is, and pursue it! Doesn’t matter if your “thing” doesn’t fit into the “doctor, lawyer, 9-5” cliche. Believe me!

I love it when I’m sitting next to someone on a plane en route to my next speaking engagement and they ask me, “So what do you do?” I give them a crazy look, coupled with a long pause, and just as they start getting nervous that they’ve started a conversation with a mentally unstable person, I say, “I draw with chalk.” At which point, they become fully convinced that I’m a lunatic, but I go on to explain and about five minutes later, they start looking less frightened and a lot more curious and dare I say, wistful? How did I get into being a speaker? What’s the biggest group I’ve been in front of? What’s the coolest place I’ve spoken at? Have I ever been booed off the stage? 😉 My point is that I could have chosen a traditional career, but instead I pursued after the things that I was good at, art and being a ham, and here’s where it brought me. Hasn’t been a cake walk by any means, by would I have done anything differently given the chance? No way!