Dear Friend,

The world around you makes you feel like something is wrong with you. I’m writing to you today because I want to make sure you know that the mere fact that bullies point out your “flaws” is the entire reason why I believe that everything is right with you.

The only wrong thing is that you’re hearing the words the bullies throw at you, and letting yourself internalize them as negative entities.

You are the beautiful black sheep, feeling lost in a world where herd mentality thrives.

They say you’ll never fit in. They’re right. You can’t and you won’t. Why? Because you’re different from them. You’re weirder than they are. You stick out in their crowd, and your presence disrupts their group functionality.

The herd maintains order by stamping out defiance from its norms. They want to ensure that you never discover how powerful your weirdness is. There’s no greater threat to a herd than a sheep who is not afraid to stray away. When you refuse to be put down by their attempts to make you feel small, others who also secretly feel repressed by the herd will observe your strength and follow your example. The ways you are different are the tools you have to become the leader that you’re meant to be.

You must be unapologetic and hold your idiosyncrasies up high like the trophies that they are.

You must stand firm in the presence of bullies who act like they know more about your worth than you do.

When they tell you that you’re weird, you inform them that you’re even weirder than they could ever imagine.

When they tell you that you’re nothing, you tell them they’re correct. You are in fact nothing like them, which in turn makes you everything.

When they tell you again and again that you’ll never fit in, you smile and say thank you, because fitting into their mold is the last thing you’ll ever want or need.

You aren’t just what they say you are. You’re infinitely and unapologetically more.