Not Fitting In? Perhaps It’s Just Because You’re Meant to Change the World

Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can’t do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.– Apple Computers’ “Think Different” Advertisement

I saw this quote in my inbox today and it put an inspiring slant on the feelings we often have as lesbians in the world at large — not fitting in. And let’s face it, regardless of who you are, even if you find a great community where you do fit in, there is always somewhere you won’t. And, that’s OK! If everyone agreed and was alike, how boring would that be?! It’d just be some other sad Stepford Wife tale.

Where in your life do you feel like you don’t fit in? And, what do you do about it? Do you shy away from people, places, and opportunities that you yearn to be a part of because you fear being different or not being accepted? Do you dance around who you really are because you’re afraid if you are honest they will reject you? Do you shrink into your own cocoon because it is safer to hide than to stand tall, speak your truth, and be proud of who you really are?

Imagine if some of the most powerful women we know did that. How much poorer our community would be if:

• Judy Dlugacz shied away from chartering her first ship because she was afraid to rock the boat (ok, I just couldn’t resist, and no pun intended).
• Melissa Etheridge or kd Lang stayed in the closet because they were afraid of what the record execs might think.
• Ellen Degeneres didn’t take the risk of a lifetime and come out on national tv.
• Ilene Chaiken gave up because she figured nobody would finance or watch a prime time lesbian drama.
• Powerful straight actresses like Jennifer Beals or Laurel Holloman were afraid to be typecast if they were to embrace playing passionate lesbian roles.
• Barbara Jordan believed political life and being a lesbian didn’t mix and decided not to run for the Texas Senate.

The examples are many…

What if you decided today to embrace your own craziness, speak your truth, and embark on changing the world? What would tomorrow look like then?

All great change starts from the inside out. We must first believe in ourselves by embracing the totality of who we are and march forward in life from a place of personal power.