The "Okay To Be Different" Entry

I used to hate pancakes.

Walk with me.

When I was younger, my grandma used to make these delicious pancakes. Everyone loved them, except me

I couldn’t place my finger on why. I just didn’t.?

Every time someone offered me pancakes, my response was always that I did not like them.?

Years later, someone asked why and I said I didn’t like how oily pancakes are. The person went on to say that they had never had oily pancakes and I was startled.?

All the pancakes I had tasted before were fried.?

The person asked if I liked waffles which I do, and went on to say then I should try fluffy pancakes.?

I was intrigued and made it my life’s mission to find out how to make fluffy pancakes??

I watched countless YouTube videos and after a lot of tries, I arrived at the perfect fluffy pancakes. I have been obsessed ever since.?

My grandma made the best pancakes in the world (everything she makes is the best??), but they just weren’t my cup of tea. They weren’t bad, they just were not for me.?

Funny enough, my mum does not like my version of pancakes, she prefers my grandmas version.?

But that’s alright because I love it??

As someone that loves a wide range of music, movies, art and books, I know how it feels to like something that others do not. I also know how it feels to not understand why everyone likes a particular thing.

If you have ever loved a movie and showed it to someone else who didn’t like it, you’ll understand the feeling too. It does not mean the movie is bad or anything, it just means that the other person has a different preference.?

Preference; that’s the key word.

This newsletter is not just about pancakes by the way, or movies or music. It’s about you.?

I am writing this because you need to learn that

EVERYONE MUST NOT HAVE THE SAME PREFERENCES WITH YOU

Whew, sorry for shouting, I just needed to get across to you.?

Learning that everyone’s preference does not have to match up to my own has been a major milestone in my growth.?

It could be something as tiny as pancakes, to something as huge as the career path you choose.?Having a different preference is okay.

I’ve seen one too many arguments on twitter that could be solved by just understanding that everyone differs.?

I believe that a lot of people have a problem understanding this because they think that their enthusiasm for something can only be justified by the large number of people that share same interests.

But that’s not true! Just because someone doesn’t share your excitement for something does not reduce its value. It just shows the beauty in diversity.?

We were all created differently, there’s a reason God did that. We were all raised differently with different ways of doing things. It does not make you better or worse, it just makes you different.?

I believe that God tailored our likes and dislikes specifically for our lives and destiny. Your preferences matter to your story.

You don’t have to force people to like what you like. Understanding this is essential to building empathy.?

The more you remain open minded to different preferences and perspectives, the calmer your life is. You realize that not everything has to be an argument because sometimes, you are not wrong or right, you are just different.

RANDOM FACT OF THE DAY: this is one fact that you might already know; Identical twins are still different in some ways; they have different fingerprints and develop completely different personalities.?

Even twins are different, why do you expect someone living halfway around the world to have the same perspective with you???

Be open to understanding others. You can be open to the perspective of others without changing yours????♀?

Next time when you’re tempted to argue with someone about what they like, don’t.?

People’s opinions can be different from yours, it does not mean your opinion doesn’t matter.

I wish you an awesome week!?

See you next Sunday!

Your trusty growth partner,

Dee?