I Gotta Be Me!

I Gotta Be Me!

©Allen Merritt (2016)

It was a single frame FAR SIDE cartoon drawing. I recall it being a bunch of black and white penguins gathered together in one location. Each and every one of them looked exactly like the other. Except in the center was one penguin jumping up with flippers spread wide singing, “I gotta be me!” For some oddball reason I remember that penguin wearing a colorful scarf and woolen cap, but wasn’t able to find that version while writing this.

Anyway, for some reason that cartoon has stuck with me throughout the years. It was not only funny, but fun! It echoes a rather large message of being true to yourself and gaining a thorough and complete understanding of who you are. More importantly, it represents the idea of being comfortable in one’s own skin even in a world promoting complicity and conformity. It tells me not to get lost in the norm or whatever everyone else is doing, because if I do, I could get caught up, lost and unable to recognize myself. Be a leader, not a follower.

This idea works well for those who are innovative, type A personalities and real go getters. Those who are happy with structure and routine may not feel the need to step up to the plate or out of their box, but they can still learn to be themselves in a room filled with similar people.

I believe this cartoon spoke to me because I always thought of myself as the odd duck out. I was the small quiet one, shy, a bit different, uncertain and somewhat a loner. Despite these character traits, I was able to turn things around thanks to being right-brained and creative. I could see things in a different light. I understood that not all is as it appears to be.

I was typically labeled and was a target for bullying to a certain degree. Needless-to-say, I felt misunderstood. I learned that if I didn’t follow the crowd, live up to their expectations, do what they did (peer pressure) or what they told me to do (authority), then I was tossed aside. When you’re a kid you don’t always understand clearly why out of the ordinary things happen the way they do.

We cannot all be exactly the same. It makes sense, especially if you think of playing a game of pool. If every ball on the pool table was the same color, shape and size, how would anyone be able to effectively play the game? In this analogy, each ball has be a variation on a theme to be effective. We have to have the cue ball. We have to have an eight ball. We need solids and stripes. This makes the game meaningful and impactful. Otherwise, we have nothing to work with.

I bring up these stories to make sense out of feeling comfortable in one’s own skin. “I gotta be me!” applies to all people, but we forget that sometimes. If everyone was exactly the same there would be limited opportunities to grow and become. Life may be boring as a result. The FAR SIDE cartoon illustrates the essence of following your own perfect path. Embrace your true self at every given moment. Yes, we all change, grow and have experiences. Sometimes we need to go with the flow and conform here in there. That is just recognizing when to compromise to achieve the best results.

So if you’re feeling like the odd duck out, the lone wolf or a misfit, embrace that feeling. Accepting ourselves as we are is a positive step forward. And, isn’t that what we are looking for in others, as well? We want people to accept us completely, wholeheartedly and unabashedly without judgment.

Accept yourself.

I gotta be me and you gotta be you.

Take that thought with you this week and enjoy living life On a Positive Note!

Cheers!