Truth #27 of 100
THE FIREFLY
“Your uniqueness is not something to hide. The qualities that make you different are often the very things that allow you to make an impact. You were created to shine, not disappear into the crowd.”
I used to spend a lot of time trying to fit in. Not because I wanted to. Because it’s easier.
It’s easier to think what everyone else thinks. Do what everyone else does. Stay quiet when you should speak. Shrink yourself so nobody feels uncomfortable. Blend into the crowd and avoid standing out.
Most of us have done it.
We’ve hidden parts of who we are because we were afraid people wouldn’t understand them. We’ve traded authenticity for acceptance. We’ve dimmed our light just enough to avoid being noticed.
The firefly teaches a different lesson.
A firefly doesn’t ask permission to glow.
It doesn’t wait for the darkness to approve of it.
It doesn’t compare its light to the moon, the stars, or the firefly next to it.
It simply shines.
And because it does, people notice.
The older I get, the more I realize that some of the best things about me are the things that make me different. The quirks. The ideas. The dreams. The things I was once told were too much, too weird, too unrealistic, or too unconventional.
Those things turned out to be strengths.
The world doesn’t need another copy of somebody else.
It already has them.
What it needs is you.
Your story.
Your voice.
Your perspective.
Your light.
The funny thing about fireflies is they shine brightest when the world around them is dark.
Maybe that’s not an accident.
Maybe some people were never meant to blend in.
Maybe they were meant to glow.
And maybe that’s you.
— Mickey Trivett