Do not desire to fit in. Desire to oblige yourself to lead.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Fitting in has unquestionable and undeniable benefits.
You don’t have to be alone or ever wrong for that matter, because its so easy to hide in a crowd. You don’t have to stand out or speak out either, because the crowd never seeks a new leader, if it has one to begin with.
You just have to follow. Fit in. Play it safe. Take it easy.
Live a life of minimal risk.
Follow the well worn path. Don’t stray from it.
Don’t ask questions. Don’t say anything. Don’t do anything.
Just stoke your desire to fit in.
But what fun is that?
Why are we so afraid to be alone?
Why are so many of us resigned to just follow suit? To keep up with our neighbour? To do nothing more and nothing less than everyone else.
Whats wrong with being wrong?
Who says there is no redemption or resurrection?
In this life as well as the next.
Maybe you were born to take us somewhere new. Somewhere where we have never been. Somewhere the herd dare not tread.
Why not stand out of a crowd?
Be a smile in a frowning room. Offer hope where there is darkness. Help the broken hearted when they’ve been cast out as untouchable leapers.
Why not lead?
Why not?
Oblige yourself to lead.
Has playing it safe ever served you well?
Is the terror of the moment ever worth the minutia of the many wasted years that are sure to follow?
Is choosing yourself really that terrible?
The world needs leaders.
Flawed. Uncertain. Broken leaders.
The world needs you.
It needs you to stop watching and start living.
We need you to stop learning and start teaching.
We need you to stop saying I can’t and insist that you can.
Forget fitting in.
Take the wheel.
Grab the harness.
Take a hold of the map.
Don’t ask permission.
Just lead.
