What Makes Average Jane Different

Beautifully Different. Think about what makes you different and what you do that lights people up. Reflect on all the things that make you different – you’ll find they’re what make you beautiful.

This Reverb 10 prompt is from Karen Walrond, who has a gorgeous new book out called The Beauty of Different.

Like most people (I hope), I don’t exactly spend a lot of time sitting around pondering my own awesomeness. However, when prompted, I can come up with some positive attributes that I presume other people appreciate.

First of all, I’m loyal. When I’ve committed to a person or a project or a situation, I’ll stick it out to the bitter end. There’s a good helping of persistence and stubbornness mixed in there as well.

I’m also very willing to give people the benefit of the doubt. I start out liking everyone and I’ll proceed down that road unless I’m given a reason to change my mind.

I want to help. I’ll volunteer for your organization, mentor you on topics I know more about than you do, pass along job leads, introduce you to people I think you should meet, donate money when I can, bring you a casserole when you need it, track down an organization that can take the kitten you found, and fix your running toilet.

That said, I still have my boundaries. I might say “no” when you ask me to do something because I know that I have to have time to myself so I don’t burn out too much to have time for other people.

Then there’s my dry sense of humor. It’s not for everyone – I get that. However, I’ve excised a lot of the sarcasm and cynicism that used to fuel it, and I think I’m a better person for that.

I’m comfortable with who I am, confident in my abilities, and happy to accept any challenge that comes along.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. You’ll notice I didn’t say anything about physical attributes because I presume that’s not what the question was getting at and I also don’t think they matter anywhere near as much as people think they do.

Why don’t you answer this prompt in the comments? What makes you different and beautiful?