I learned a very long time ago that I just don't "fit in." I never fit the stereotype of the "perfect teenager."  I was shy, bright, and insecure.  I was naive and - truth be told - a bit scared of the world.  Even though I was young, I had lived through enough to make me feel alone and unloved.  I grew up in a house without walls or indoor plumbing - to say we scraped by would be an understatement.  I felt unworthy, ugly, and unwanted by anyone outside of my mother and a small group of friends.

I used to hate what made me different. I used to hate not being part of the "in" crowd.  I had an amazing group of friends, don't get me wrong, but I wanted nothing more than to be invited to parties or to be able to afford nice clothes.  I wanted to not be the one who always set the curve in school.  I wanted to not be known as the Bible-thumping braniac.  I wanted to not be poor.  In short, I wanted to not be *me.*

But you know what I have realized, in large part to being a part of the Beachbody community?  The "in" crowd very rarely makes waves.  They very rarely stand out.  They very rarely make an impact. It's the outsiders, the fighters, the independents that bring about revolution.  So now?  I am happy to be one of those people.  Because, as Lord Alfred Tennyson wrote:

All of those things I experienced made me who I am, and I am proud of it now.  Thanks to my history, I am not demure and submissive.   I am independent, strong-willed, and yes - sometimes opinionated.  I do not blindly accept what I'm told.  I need evidence to support claims.  (Though when the evidence is there, I always consider every stance, every claim with an open mind.)  I have an uncanny affection for those outcast members of society.  I am a fighter; I am compassionate; and yes, I am bright.  But what I am most proud of is the fact that - despite marrying a man with $30,000 of credit card debt - the only debt we now have is a mortgage (which will be GONE in less than 9 years just with regular payments - less with extra) and one car payment.  And I would never have been in that position without my past.

All that to say, don't worry about what society says you should be. Be you. Because you can make a difference.  And only you can be you.