Quirky?

I haven’t always been as comfortable being me.  I used to apologize for being organized.  I was embarrassed by my calendar and my lists.  I remember being ribbed endlessly by the detailed plans I created for my wedding.   Today, I know that while I was embarrassed by these traits, while I apologized for my lists and was teased for my organization, they are a part of my unique ability.  I know it is part of my zone of genius.

As a large national insurance company controller, I also thought it was essential to be professional.  Always.  What did professional mean to me?  At the time, it meant that I had to hide all the things that make me … me.  All the parts of me that I would consider quirky. 

I got thinking about this yesterday as I moved our office around.  Behind me now sits a bookcase.  Inside and on top of that bookcase are things that represent how diverse I am.  I have a superwomen bookend, a vase that I love from an artist, and the same vase if filled with paper flowers that I made.  The books range from the pretty notebooks that I love to fill with information from self-study and personal development to material for coaching and books on productivity, business, and the unconscious mind.  As I updated this bookcase yesterday, I remember chuckling over how my selections perfectly reflected the different sides of me. 

I got thinking of my quirky sides this morning as I prepared a social media post that encouraged being yourself.  Your flawed, quirky, weird, beautiful, and magical self.   I thought of my quirky.  I thought about the May the 4^th Lego downstairs decorating our entranceway.  I thought of the T-turtle t-shirts with fun sayings and silly pictures that I love.  I thought about the items on my desk that make me smile:  a pretty water bottle from a trip to Main, a colourful wiggly owl, and a bright purple candle holder (representing my business colours).  I thought about the art on our walls and the variety of books, movies, and TV shows that I enjoy.  (Think Witcher, Marvel, save the world crime, and hallmark romance). 

All of this came to mind as I realized how much more comfortable I am with being me.  I have a variety of interests, and where once I would hide some of those interests because they didn’t represent the image I thought I had to portray or they seemed to in conflict with each other, now I let it all shine.  I do love pretty things.  I like clean lines.  I like a basic pallet in my home.  My home is fantastic, and I’m proud of it.  But as you look around, you will see more than the contemporary, grey colour scheme.  You will see books and magazines on display representing our interests (style at home, plane and pilot, LCBO, a cool cookbook, and likely a book I’m reading).  You will find pictures from our travels, blown up and framed (like a picture from a day of the dead display in Peru), and soon, above our bed, will be a large colourful drawing of the transformers from the son of a friend.  Where once I thought I thought I couldn’t have the pretty, elegant, contemporary house alongside transformers, star wars, and superhero’s, now I proudly show you the lovely books, vases, homemade paper flowers with the superhero bookend.  I thought I had to hide the part of me that loved and thrived off processes, systems, and productivity, but now I am building a business based on these loves.  I am all of these things.  They all work together to make me uniquely me. 

Yep, I am quirky, and I have a wide variety of interests.  I’ve always been like this; I just didn’t let everyone see it.  On a coffee date last week (tea actually), I was told I was a really interesting person.  The nicest compliment I could get.  I think I am too.  I also believe this is because I’ve learned to embrace and share all the sides of me. 

Come on, let’s have coffee, you might be surprised by what we have in common! 

“By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before.”

Edwin Elliot