Not Like The Others
Not Like the Others
Every Friday, if my schedule permits, I love to take this body sculpting class at my gym, and I have been a pretty regular attendee of the class for the past year. The class is mostly comprised of retired women and a handful of stay at home moms, after all, it starts at 9:30 am on a Friday which is tough for most people’s schedule. Last Friday, I was shocked to walk in and find a guy waiting to take the class.In the year that I have been going to this class, I have NEVER seen a guy, EVER, so I immediately found myself asking all sorts of questions about the brave yet scared looking newcomer. Did he lose a bet? Does he realize that he will be the only guy? Will he walk out before class starts? How will he handle the class?
Why was he not like the others?
I don’t know if he lost a bet; however, I do know that he stayed for the whole class, although, he definitely struggled (and he looked like he was in really good shape). As I walked out of the class, I wondered how he felt about being the only guy, and I wondered if he would return; and for the whole drive home, I kept singing the song “One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn’t belong.”I learned this song in elementary school when we were learning shapes and we had to decipher the differences. Now as an adult, it strikes me as odd that there was always a focus on the difference, as if the different one was the bad one. The different one was always in the wrong place and had to be kicked out; and I wonder if subconsciously that stupid innocent song made a number of us afraid of being the different one.
I used to hate being not like the others
For most of my 20s, I hated being the only woman in a room full of men. It made me feel self-conscious, and I always questioned what was going through the minds of the guys in the room. Finally, after I hit 30, I realized that I had power in being the only unique one in the room. It was not a curse for me to be different as I previously assumed, it was a blessing, and I started to embrace it and grow more confident in that knowledge.It took me many years of trying to keep up with the Joneses to decide that I wanted to live a different life. I didn’t need stuff or expensive vacations and cars to make me feel good. For years, I was afraid of being different, or the only frugal minded one in the group, so I spent money with everyone else. Now I realize the power in being the different one. I am not embarrassed to suggest a place that has a happy hour, or I am not concerned what others will think when they see my Toyota vs. a Lexus. I finally understand the value of being “not like the others,” and it is liberating.
Choose to be not like the others
I hope if you are scared about being different, you remember the guy in my gym class. I don’t know what went through his mind during that hour-long workout; however, I do know that he accomplished something remarkable, and he got a great workout. If he was afraid of being different, he would have missed out on the opportunity to get healthier and learn a new way to workout.Don’t be afraid of being not like the others with your money choices. Making smart and conscious decisions is a good thing and not something that you should fear. I wasted years worrying about differences. Now I know that the differences are a gift and we need to embrace them rather than fear them.