Express Yourself. On Purpose.

There are two types of people in the world: Those who are shy and those who are not. This guy is shy:

 

These little chickie wickies are not. Remember them? Little Irish dancers we came across on the streets of Dublin whom I strong-armed (gently) into dancing for us:

 

Shy:

 

Not Shy. And clearly related to Jacques Cousteau:


Here we have a combination of reserved (note the face peeping out from behind the legs), and off-the-charts whackadoo (this photograph may be grounds for a divorce. I didn't tell him I was putting it in here) (Also, this is from many moons ago. I assure you he's much more dignified now):

 

And then of course there's . . . um . . . I . . . .er . . . 

 

*cough*

The point is, shy or not shy, the world needs you. It needs whatever special bit of you you bring to it. No one sees things just exactly like you do. No one expresses them that way either. Why worry about what other people think? Most of the time all they're thinking about is whether or not you think they are weird. They don't have time to judge your funky orange boots or worry that you stumbled a little as you introduce the next speaker, or wonder if you're wearing just exactly the right skinny jeans, or smirk over the book you're trying to get published. Some people might. But it still goes back to them feeling worried about themselves. And wouldn't you like to be the one to put them at ease by not being bothered by it? Be you. And be happy.

Fear not to be weird, my children. Show your real face. Throw it all out there. But do it like you did it on purpose, and do it your way. That is the key. Whatever you do, whatever you wear, whatever you choose to show to the world around you–however big, however small–do it like you meant to do it. Wear it like you meant to wear it. Express it like you said it on purpose. And no one will so much as blink.

Provided that whatever you're expressing is legal. And you're nice to the people around you. 

Set yourselves free, my friends. Set yourselves free. (Please. I need you to so I look like less of a weirdo.)

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About Janiel 432 Articles
My greatest pleasure in life has been raising my four excellent children--some of whom liked me so much that they keep coming back. My second greatest pleasure has been doing whatever I can to make people laugh and create bright moments. I hope to do a bit more good in the world before I go the way of it. And if not, I'd better at least get to spend some serious time writing and singing in a castle somewhere in the UK.

2 Comments

  1. I just saw an article about fashion week. Some fashionista made a comment that ‘everyone looks the same’ and fashion is so boring. She wanted to liven things up. You should have seen the stuff she put on the runway. Not shy. A lot like the last pic in your post.

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