There’s a saying that “the black sheep of the family eventually becomes the GOAT.”
Now, obviously this makes no sense from an animal-based perspective because a sheep can never actually become a goat… but what the quote is reeeeeeeaaaally saying is:
The people who feel like they don’t fit in in their family systems, communities, religions, or whatever it may be… who have to endure the suffering of being different than those around them… of thinking differently, and orienting to the world in a different way, are building a kind of fortitude that is preparing them to be GAME CHANGERS.
So, if you’ve felt like an outlier, chances are you’re meant to lead the way.
It’s a strange moment to arrive at as an adult where you become grateful to have the ability to challenge the status quo… to speak up in the face of what is seemingly wrong. And we don’t often know what makes the difference between those who stand in their integrity and voice and those who don’t. We have a deep sense of respect and reverence for those who operate with *just* the right amount of f*cks, but not too many, and not zero. We respect those who make their way through the world with a compassionate swagger.
It takes so much courage to be willing to be expressive, often at the perceived cost of our belonging… and it is when we speak up that it lowers the social risk for those around us to do the same. Essentially, our courage to be exiled is contagious.
This is how all acts of revolution begin. This is what a whistleblower is.
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