“To do something original and to do something well, whether it is appreciated by others or not, that is what being human is really all about and it is alone what justifies the self love that is genuine pride.”

The next time you consider procrastinating, consider the cost. Passivity and lack of creative effort, lack of pursuit to be good at something extraordinary that sets you apart, is a sure formula for mediocrity and mental illness.

Perhaps this is relative. You should consider whether you have more to lose by being passive and by not being different.

You have already been set apart. You have been set apart by your profession, your set of talents and skills, and your experience. God wants to color the world with all these different talents in different people. Some will be more brilliant than others, but it was never God’s intent that a color should be less beautiful than what it was meant to be when He placed them in that part of the canvas. Even the greys, whose purpose is to give naturalness and volume to even the most brilliant of reds and yellows.

One sets himself apart already by being oneself. For no one has been born or ever will be born who has your exact way of thinking, feeling, and doing. Your means of expression, the way you put words together, the way you articulate your interpretation of events around you, these are all unique. There is always someone, even within your vicinity, who appreciates these things that you bring, and there is always something to appreciate in another. In many ways, people will come to like at least the fact that you bring something different. Colors complement.

Even the people we truly dislike at some point we also appreciate even just because of their difference.

Hence, it is good to accentuate what makes one different, and also what makes one similar. One who is plagued with doubts about whether people like him or disagree with him should keep this in mind. The next time someone asks you a pointed question, consider this an opportunity to express yourself in your unique way. In many ways, the message itself might be less important than your view.

This is particularly useful to you because you tend to be in performance mode, always concerned that you say something intelligent or witty. That is NOT THE POINT! Wit is not what you do but how your words resonate. Hence, you can’t really deliberately censor yourself to be witty. YOU JUST GO AHEAD AND SAY THINGS, focusing on the message. Let’s leave it up to others to consider whether what you said was intelligent or witty.