Color outside of the lines

In kindergarten we were told to color within the lines. It was like some invisible judges were standing over our shoulders watching every stroke of our crayons and if we happen to veer too far right or too far left this unforgivable act would follow us until high school.  And that’s where it all began. Our fascination with order, timing, perfection, being the best, and doing the best.  The world set the rules and we followed unknowingly into the land of the “majority.”  The only thing that remained of our uniqueness was the birthmarks that tagged our faces, feet, butts, backs, and hands and even those were starting to look like the kid next to us.

Somewhere along the way we developed a competitive appetite to score higher, run faster, and excel far beyond those around us. Making an A was more important than making friends. Being trendy was more important than being a trendsetter. Fitting in was more important than standing out.  We were afraid to embrace our natural style (whatever that was) for fear that our quirkiness would ruin our chance at “cool points” and so we did what we had to do to make waves but just enough to stay within the qualifications of our cookie cutter pedigree. 

What am I saying here? 

Work hard but work hard doing the things that you are passionate about. Don’t do it for your parents, your wife, your husband, your boyfriend, your girlfriend, your friends, your teachers or for likes on social media. Do what you love because it is electrifying. Follow your passion because it keeps you up at night and wakes you up early in the morning. Do what you love and don’t worry about judgement or going without because great reward comes with great sacrifice.

Color outside of the lines. Take the road less traveled. Follow your dreams and your heart and don’t worry about the invisible judges.  God is our ultimate judge and His idea of you is all that really matters.  Don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone, leap into new territory, and shake things up a bit.  No great innovator reached their full potential by making safe moves.  Why not make ridiculously crazy but insanely smart “money moves” and while you’re making those moves be sure to mentor and motivate the young kings and queens that  are coming behind you.