I'm Not A Sheep. Right?

When I was 15, I wanted nothing more than to fit in. I would have been happy feeling as though I was just like everyone else. I pretended to 'get' things I didn't understand, just so I could laugh at the same jokes my peers were laughing at. I tried to go to all the dances and events, because 'everyone was doing it'. High school's biggest challenge for most kids seems to be how to blend in.

It's funny though. When you get older, and realize just how similar we all are, the goal suddenly shifts. Now, I find myself trying to stand out. I want to distinguish myself from the crowd. I want to feel that I'm unique and that my thoughts and feelings are totally different than everyone else's.

I spend a lot of time on the internet. I love reading blogs and social media. It's so interesting how many of us have similar thoughts, emotions and ideas. We struggle with so many of the same things and similar problems. Our common thread is that we want to be heard. Above the crowd. Is it possible though?

I'll be honest. Sometimes, I think I'm really smart. I get a great idea in my head and think to myself, "I can't believe no one has thought of this before!" Then, I get on Google. Moment ruined. Someone, or ten other someones, apparently had the same thought. It really makes me wonder how unique I can possibly be. Does anyone stand out, or are we all just the same basic beings?

In writing this post and a few other things, my conclusion is this:  It's all in the presentation. Yes, there are so many people out there similar to me--same situations, same upbringings, same ideals. But, we are not the same person. And, call this communication major bias, but it's in the way we communicate our lives that make us unique. Creativity lies within all of us. Sure, it's more apparent in the writers, photographers, painters, dancers, etc. But the engineers, entrepreneurs, mothers, teachers...they are all creative too. It's just that we all display our creativity in a different way. Creativity is so connected to our innermost emotions and feelings. It is how we display ourselves. To me, displays of creativity are also displays of self. It is how we communicate and present ourselves to others.

I think that each of us has a desire, somewhere deep down to be unique and special. We want to be recognized for our talents and thoughts. We just want to be recognized.