The hesitation to be oneself is driven by the fear of ostracization.

Many combat that fear with the mindset that ‘Only you can appreciate the genius that is you.’ and ‘At the end of the day you’re not gonna die with the feelings of other people – you’re going to die yourself.’

And although there’s truth to those perspectives, the opinions of others are not what’s going to ultimately matter so appreciate yourself for who you are, I think an even more compelling reason to embrace your uniqueness is that those differences are crucial to establishing genuine connections.

A sense of community and true belonging we desire are found when your uniqueness are in the open and celebrated.

Otherwise, the core of who you are is missed.

Find identity to find community.

Photo by Daniil Silantev on Unsplash.