“You’re too much”
“You need to relax.”
“Can’t you just chill?”
I’ve always been a little different.
A little ‘much’.
Though this can sometimes be considered a ‘good thing’, I saw it as a character flaw. As something that made me 'different' and not in the good way.
Why?
Because when you’re a kid, all you want to do is fit in.
That wasn’t quite the case.
I’d have so many people in my life tell me to:
“Tone it down.”
“Lower your voice.”
“Sit still.”
“Relax.”
I genuinely thought there was something wrong with me.
Until I realized that by turning those things down, I was turning MYSELF down.
I wouldn’t realize it until years later, but the thing that I was told ‘held me back’, was the very thing that has created a dream life.
To deliver powerful keynotes, I needed to:
Dial it up
Raise my voice
Be dynamic
Be fully engaged
The opposite of the advice I had gotten as a kid.
Moral of the story?
Don’t turn yourself down to fit into a box of what people think you should be.
Maybe you’re a little different.
Maybe you’re a little strange.
Maybe you’re not like ‘them’.
Good.
That is your unique gift.
A gift that is meant to be shared.
There will be countless people that try and tear you down, tell you that you're not capable of great things or try and discourage you from moving forward.
Remember this: our lives are a by-product of what WE do, not what others think of us.
Re-engage with your goals and move towards creating an amazing life.
Your friend,
Juan Bendana
P.S. Are we friends yet?
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