Embracing Non-Conformity: My Journey of Self-Discovery from the 1980s
I was born in 1980. A bend entered the world between 1979 and 1981. I was born smack dab in the middle of whatever bend was happening. Everything stretched and turned...but I don't think anyone figured that bit out. And no one hecking told me what to do and how to be!
So...
Nothing that has ever worked for anyone else has EVER worked for me.
Evaar.
The Challenges of Fitting In
Back in Nineteen-Ought-Eleven, the consensus was that if you apply to a job you see advertised in the newspaper, or on that poorly designed HTML "Help Wanted" section of the local newspaper, you would find a job.
Nope.
Every job I've ever had–except for the one I got as a real adult–came at the behest of people I was either related to or friends with.
“Draw like this, you’ll win every time”.
Not.
“If you just talked to your professor about why your paper was late, you can get another chance to turn one in, or even get a better grade.”
After twenty years of hearing the same excuse from students, professors were DUN when I got to them.
“Work, save up money, you can buy a house.”
NEEEOOOOOPE.
Breaking Societal Norms
Only when I followed my instincts…those dim, frightening, fringy, non-conforming instincts, did I light up myself and others.
I made more friends in my late 20s when I was being my true self. That true self of mine was dark, broody, sarcastic, too-well-read, self-aware, uncompromising, lonerific, sardonic, artistic, and willing to die alone as long as there were tea and books to read.
I had a huge circle of friends for over a decade only after I got past trying to be a “world rule” individual.
So, what is going on here sir is the result of a “coming to terms” sitch. I’m going to do whatever the hell I want with myself. I will not follow world rules about my life experiences. World rules are trash. They are made up parameters for the whole of humanity to follow so that we would only ever do things that contributed to something we never knew we were contributing to, and to minimize the sparkling impact we’ll have when we all do what I’m doing right now.
Finding My True Self
I’m doing what I want and feel for my life experience.
If the rule is “Don’t create a web page without a niche or you’ll confuse people,” but I feel like that is something for ME TO DO, then I’m creating a web page without a niche. Bet.
If the rule is, don’t put so much of yourself out there. No one wants to know all that. Or you’re opening yourself up to stuff you may not want. But I feel like that is something for ME TO DO, I’m doing what I want. The correct people who match my energy will be the only ones I need to interact with.
Bet.
So, hello world, and I wish you good fortune on doing whatever the hell you want with your life experience from this day forward.
Good morrow,
Nathina