Happy Monday honeycombs!

I’m so loving this quote. Here’s why:

I have always been more of a leader than a follower. From a very young age, I’ve known what I like and dislike, what’s good for me and what isn’t. During the blissfully unaware days of elementary school, I let my Annie flag fly high; when given the assignment of doing a book report for my class, I opted to act out a scene from my selected reading material. I also acted with gusto and bravado in class plays, was the star jail-saver in capture the flag matches, and would happily hand out my original poetry for all who wished to read. Oh yeah, that flag was a’ flappin’ in the breeze.

While I would continue to be that way amongst close friends during high school and the beginning of college, those days were also the dawning of a newly hatched self-consciousness for me. I wanted to be myself, certainly, and yet, I didn’t really want to stand out. If you were ever a teenager/ freshman in college, I think you’ll understand.

In the interest of full disclosure, I must admit that this don’t-draw-un-due-attention-to-yourself ailment has trailed behind me until fairly recently. I’m not exactly sure when it happened, but I find myself having shed that inhibition. To be quite frank– I am a confident person! I always have been. Being scared to make my voice heard above the crowd? How dumb is that?!

I decided two posts into this blog that the whole venture was going to be a giant, big, fat, failure for all involved if I didn’t just let it all hang out. Really, what incentive is there to read anyone’s writing if it isn’t unique and fresh in some way? So I’m super OCD and anal retentive. So I’m massively strange and say weird shit all the time. So what? At least when you’re reading you won’t mistake me for some other organizing-obsessed blogger! It’s only going to get weirder around here, believe me. Get ready.

The point is that to be successful, to make your mark on your corner of the world, you’ve got to put your whole self out there. You’ve got to embrace those little quirks, those facets of your personality that set you apart. And you’ve got to do it so wholeheartedly that you have a passing moment of “Have I gone too far?” “Have I shown them all too much of who I really am?” “Have I just totally and completely embarrassed myself in front of a room full of captive listeners?” Those momentary fears are only a sign that you’re on the right track.

I encourage you to keep John Irving’s words in mind during this new week. Let go of self-consciousness and embrace, instead, self-awareness. Say it how you want to say it, not the way you think you should. Live it in your unique style, incorporating your own flavors. Invest with your whole being.

Listen kids. Just be you. That’s when it all gets good.

{UPDATE: CASE IN POINT—> Man Repeller- Bikini In the City}

Image credit: Design du Monde