Think about some of your favorite TV or movie characters. What idiosyncrasies do they possess? How are they uniquely quirky? Like Moira Rose’s voice (Schitt’s Creek). Or Barney Stinson’s suits (How I Met Your Mother). Or Sheldon’s bathroom schedule (The Big Bang Theory). Or Phoebe’s off-key singing voice wailing: “Smelly cat, smelly cat, what are they feeding you?” (Friends).
What makes them weird is also what makes them funny, memorable, lovable. They are each their own character. They are eccentrically one of a kind.
And so are you.
Sometimes that inner critic’s grumpamonky voice whispers demonically at me about my quirks except instead of calling them “quirks,” which sounds fun and individual, it calls them “freakish” or “bizarre” or “cringe-worthy.” It asks why I’m so awkward, why I can’t fit in better, why I have to stand out…the thumb is sore because it got whacked with a hammer and do I really want to get hurt? Those stupid, incessant whispers make me want to shrink myself down or run and hide or steal Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak.
Fire the inner critic and embrace your awkward self. Wear your unconventional traits proudly like an outlandishly fun hat. Everyone smiles at the person wearing an outlandishly fun hat, but not everyone dares to wear one. Moira and Phoebe would wear the hat (Moira might call it a chapeau), and we would smile and love them for it.
Be your uniquely quirky and wonder-full self. You are filled with stardust and magic and miracles. Those things you sometimes wish weren’t part of you? Those are just more reasons for us to love you.
Cover image by Free-Photos from Pixabay
