The Authentic Stand Apart

The authentic stand apart.

They refuse to conform.
Because what is inside of them cannot be contained
by the neat little boxes and labels of the ordinary.

They see through the superficial.
Listen close to their inner voice.

And follow it.

Status means little to them.
Public opinion, even less.
They answer only to the truth they hold within.

It does not matter if you revere them or rebuke them.
You cannot change their path.

Because they live from an inner compass.
Are guided by the light of self-knowledge.
And move to the cadence of their own heartbeat.

Alive in a half-lived world.

And those daring enough to be fully who they are
Make it safer for us to do the same.
They show us the way.

They think for themselves.
They feel without shame.

No apologetic half-light.
They burn brightly.
Illuminate shadowed corners.
Reveal life's hiding splendor.

This life is allowed but once. Each moment singular.
There are no reruns, no second chances.
Walk fully here. Heart open. Holding nothing back.

Shred the scripts that bind you.
Tune out the sound of empty obligations.

The world has enough echoes.

It is starved for originality.
For personalities, not personas.

Stop mimicking the masses.
Stop masquerading as someone you are not.
Explode into the vibrant, dazzling, strange and messy marvel you are.

Be real. Be free. Be you.

This fleeting world needs
The irreplaceable gift
of one life fully lived.

This world needs you to make your signal loud and clear.
This world awaits what only you can see.
And through your vision,
We see our own.
Through your song,
We find our voice.

The authentic stand apart.

At the edge of reason
Where possibilities are born.

Not craving approval or validation.
They release attachment to the expectations of others.
Set boundaries to safeguard what matters most.

So speak with compassion and truth in equal measure.
Share your story as readily as you listen to another's.

Find your people. Surround your fire with those
Who see you as you see yourself. Who stand
beside you as you stand in the fullness of your power.

Grace for all you are.
The light and the shadow, the certainty and the question.

Do not limit your horizon. Chase joy.

Journey within each day. Discover anew
The territory of you.
Who lives there now? What calls you further in? What pushes you further out?

Be bold. Be brave. Be you.

Your gift, peculiar to some, is life-giving light to others wandering in the dark.
Your song, jarring to some ears, is a jubilant anthem to those who've never heard such music before.

You were destined to provoke and unsettle, to live without apology or apprehension.

To rise where none have risen.

This is how meaning is made.

So however you must.
Wherever it leads.
Find the courage to be different.

Find the courage to be you.

The world has enough noise.
Let your signal flow.