“Improvement makes straight roads, but the crooked roads without improvement are roads of genius.” William Blake
When I was in the doctor’s waiting room for an hour (yeah, I know they gotta make a buck by overscheduling), I made sure I had something to read to pass the time, and this quote lit up like a neon sign in the beige and taupe surroundings. It gave my spine a tingle. The passage it was quoted in was from a book I’d never heard of called Redefining the Corporate Soul, and the authors write, “Don’t straighten out your curves; they’re what make you stand out from the crowd. Find a way to exploit them, not eliminate them!”. Use what makes you different is one of my rules…live into your quirks and quandaries. For me, that means stop trying to deny my past, but instead, try to use what makes me unique, no matter how unpalatable it might seem at first glance or how embarrassing or how gauche or how white-trashy parts of my background might be. Be me. How easy and simple it sounds, but it’s one of the hardest things I ask myself to do in life.
‘Use what makes you different’.
I LOVE that! It’s the answer to a question I’ve been asking myself. I’m pinning it on the wall…
Thanks, Nikki!
I love this – thanks for sharing. And thanks for the recommendation re Claire Basler. Loving her work (especially her gorgeous drawings)
PS I have a friend named India although she is 6 years old
Tell her she has a very hip name!
. . . like my age, in a job search?