Last week, I was hanging out with some kids and we were talking about how everyone is different and being comfortable with who you are. I ended up explaining it as being in your own skin and they liked it. It grooved with them, and it grooved with me too.

I have always felt pretty different than the mainstream. There was a short period in my life in my late teenage years where I tried to express that in the way I dressed, but for the most part it has always been an internal feeling. The funny thing is, I think the majority of people have the same feeling. Some express it with their appearance, and others just are less obvious. We are all different.

The Pressures Throughout Life

Living in your own skin can be difficult because there is sort of an assumed pressure to be like everyone else. That pressure goes through early childhood to retirement. Maybe you can remember that pressure in school that made you feel you needed the same stuff as your classmates. Maybe you’re at the point in your life where you feel you need the same minivan or same retirement plan as others. It is a strange pressure that pushes us without us really being aware of it. Maybe it is because in the natural world, if you’re too different and stand out, you may become the focus of predators. For whatever reason the pressure is there, but often the people I enjoy most are the ones who are truly comfortable in their skin.

Animal Leadership and You

So this is a big part of what Animal Leadership is all about. It is what I speak to groups about. Knowing who you are and playing to your strengths. Now I am realizing it is even deeper that just personality, it is a wonderful mixture of what you like to do, wear, how you want to live, how you express yourself. All this is important to who you are, your identity, and it is okay to do things differently than other people, to live in your skin.

Our Differences Make Us the Same

The funny thing is, we all desire to be a little different and then we gravitate to all the other different people who are like us. Ironic, but it allows us to be accepted. This acceptance leads back to the pressure to be like others. So for this week I am giving you a challenge, and permission if you need it, to live in your skin.

Do what you want to do. If you are the ultimate Bohemian and hang in this community but you want to start saving for retirement, go for it. If you are a suit and tie guy but have a desire to go barefoot through the park, go for it. If you are hiding who you are, come on out and show the world the beautiful person you are! Living in your skin is freeing and will bring out your best. You will be happier, perform better, and be proud of who you are. So live in your skin, it’s beautiful.

Until next time, keep leading!

-Rad

Next week:  Connecting with others in the way they like to be connected with.