I have always thought of myself as being a bit weird. I am a Coloured woman from a small town in the rural side of the Eastern Cape. I still have all my teeth, I have never owned a pocket knife and even though many of my friends and family are smokers, I have never touched a cigarette. I swear like a man, dress like a lady, talk like a chatter-box and work a computer like a complete nerd. At any given moment you may hear a loud "Hayibo!" radiating from my short, stout body. I am clearly not what most people would consider "typical". It is for these exact reasons that I have never really been able to fit in.
In high school I never had a set group of friends. I'd spend a day with the "fun" group, lunch time with the guys and after school with the party animals yet I never really felt as though I belonged. I was a teacher's pet in some regards but I was absolutely hopeless at Maths and Science. Despite all of these perceived flaws I never compromised when it came to speaking my mind and it is for this exact reason that many people just did not like me. I went through life feeling as though I should just keep my mouth shout until one day I discovered that my biggest flaw was actually my greatest gift.
What was once my biggest problem allowed me to express myself in a way that few others can. At the tender age of 20 I have written close to a 200 poems, had my work published in 3 anthologies and compiled and published an anthology of my own poetry. What was once a trait that pushed me to the point of exclusion has now become a trait that is a treasure by those who know and accept me.
The whole point of this article is not to brag about my success but to show everyone out there that everyone has something that they don't like about themselves or that they think they would be better off without. My message to those people is to take whatever it is that makes you feel inadequate and use it to your advantage. Happiness is found in authenticity and authenticity is found in acceptance. Accept yourself for who you are because no-one can do you quite like you can. Always remember that you are a magnificent design and your beauty lies within you so bring the within, with-out!
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