X for Xtraordinary. The A to Z of Conscious Living

Xtraordinary

Why fit in when you were born to stand out.

No one is ordinary. We are all beyond what is normal. So where did this desire to fit in, be accepted by others by being like them come from?

In N for Needs we see that Love & Connection is a big need that we all need to have met. Yet it also balances with our need for significance, and difference too. I remember in my teenage years I wanted to be different, so I became a punk to fit in with the others. The irony was lost on me at the time, yet I can see how these two key human needs were being met in one go.

Now as a mother of a special needs child I am campaigning for awareness and acceptance of children and adults with autism. Like any minority group there is an education that needs to take place with society as a whole so that their differences can be understood and they can be accepted as a valued part of our communities. This is not the first time, and won’t be the last, that a minority group have been treated unjustly, and for the most part it is a lack of awareness of autism and also the ability for everyone else to be ok with who they are, just as they are. Just like you and me they are perfect in all their imperfections. Xtraordinary.

Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you want to see in the world” which to me says that acceptance of difference starts with me, and if that’s the change you want to see too, then it starts with you also.

In history there have been some amazing people who have done great things to bring equality to blacks, gays, women and so many other groups of people who are Xtraordinary in their own way. In fact, in some way we are all part of a minority group, whether it be our gender, faith, colour, sexual orientation, health issue, disability, body size and shape, hair colour, language we speak, music we like and so on. At the present time some of these groups are considered more accepting in society than others, and one day all our Xtraordinary differences will be celebrated without the need for fitting in.

Being ordinary and fitting in is hardly something to aspire to, yet we all have that need for love, connection and acceptance which is why ‘being normal’ is such a big pull in our society today.

Let’s just be Xtraordinary and redefine normality.

To make sure you don’t miss out on future blog posts, subscribe and get the A to Z in your inbox safely.

Until next time,

Alfie X