Most of my life I was called a misfit. Most of the groups I so desperately wanted to join rejected me, excluded me, or ridiculed me. They said that I was weird, but I wasn’t weird. I was just different, too different, to fit into groups that demanded blind conformity.

Thankfully,  I realized that my definition of “misfit” was not the same as theirs. To me, a “misfit” was a courageous person who refused to fit into places and with people who could not accept how God made them. So, I accepted I was a “mis-fit” because I realized that I was a circle who people wanted to fit in a square hole. I was a “mis-fit” because I was a person who demanded to live my own life without the permission or approval of others. I was a “mis-fit” because I refused to follow traditions that trapped me, norms that nullified me, doctrines that devalued me, or stereotypes that subjugated me. I was “mis-fit” because I refused to abandon my destiny, my vision, and my divine assignment. I was divinely different.

As a leader, creative, and visionary, I bet you have been called a “mis-fit” too. And how wonderful is that!

How brave of you to live on your own terms and not succumb to the status quo.

How audacious of YOU to not shrink your vision, silence your voice, and squash your dreams to fit into someone else’s version of reality.

How daring of you to lift your voice for others, love who you want to love, and live in a way that illuminates the darkest parts of the world?

How amazingly brave!

My friend, you are wondrous, Spirit-created, and God-inspired design. You were never made nor expected to be a clone, an imposter, or an actor who faded into the crowd. You were created to be different to make a difference —  to be the salt of the earth, to add value, and to accessorize the ordinary.

So, please do NOT fit in; stand out and stand up! The world needs you to walk in all of your uniqueness so that you can demonstrate the diversity, the creativity, and the divinity of a loving God.

(excerpt from Deciding To Soar 2: Unwrapping Your Purpose. Click here to order.

Blessings!