“Be who you are and say what you feel.... " - Dr. Seuss

What better source for Monday Mojo than Dr. Seuss whose wisdom never ceases to amaze and inspire...

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” – Dr. Seuss

Simple words with an important message to keep what (and more specifically who) is important in perspective and to be true to yourself.

Too often we can find ourselves censoring what we say and how we act in deference to others... who often don't deserve it. This is driven by our basic need for acceptance.

There's no denying that we generally want to fit in and belong to a group, our community, our family and with our colleagues - who wants to be the weird outcast or a social pariah?

Because of this desire, we sometimes present slightly different versions of who we are, depending on where we are, who we are with and how we want to be perceived. But is this being true to ourselves? Is it ok to be accepted for the persona we present as opposed to who we truly are?

There will always be times and situations when it is necessary to censor our behaviour and what we say (job interviews, board meetings, funerals, weddings, etc). And that's ok, but in general, life is more satisfying when you are being you, and not a persona others want you to be.

In a perfect world we would all embrace our differences and little idiosyncrasies; not hide them from others for fear of ridicule, anger or ostracism.

Diversity is powerful.

Uniqueness is valuable.

We should all give ourselves permission to be the person we really, are and not feel the need to hide behind a socially (or corporately) acceptable facade.

You may lose some "friends", you may piss off the odd colleague, and you may miss out on the odd promotion. On the flip side, every friend you keep, every colleague you build a strong rapport with and every success in your career will be yours for who you are; not who you pretend to be.

If those around you can't accept you for who you are.... then are they really the people you want to be around?

So, in the words of Dr. Seuss "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind."

Have a great week and embrace your uniqueness!

Image attribution:

The Cat in the Hat - Clip-Art Library Free Dr. Seuss Clipart #1323722