Yes, I'm The Black Sheep. And That Makes Me Powerful

We all have our own morals and beliefs, but do you know what it feels like when you come from a family whose beliefs are always the complete opposite of yours? I do, and it's clear as day I'm the black sheep.

Now don't get me wrong, I know there are some parts of my life for which my family is very proud of me. The biggest bump in our lives is when it comes to talking about politics. Most of my family are Republicans if you want to put a label on anything, and for the longest time I was set as an independent party, but this past year I changed to a Democrat so I could vote in the primaries. Some of my family found out and holy crap you would have thought I killed someone. Same thing four years ago; found out I wasn't voting for who they were and they spent the next few months trying to change my mind about what I thought was right. It got to the point where I don't talk any sorts of politics when I'm around or near my family because most the time I end up yelling or upset because the same people who raised me to be strong and stand up for what I believe in are the same people who are putting me down and yelling at me for doing just that.

Now, I love my family very much, but I will not change what I believe in just to make them happy, I've done lots of other things with my life to make them proud and I still am, and sometimes what I believe is what pushes me to do the things they tell me they are proud of. At the same time, the months they spend trying to change my mind about something makes me feel very worthless and alone because they are not standing by what they said when I was younger: "Never let anyone stop you from being you" and now because I don't agree with something that happened I'm a snowflake or a cry baby who didn't get my way. A simple picture I share on Facebook and I'm wrong and a baby and just need to get over it. Sorry, family, that's not how I was raised.

If I'm going to be looked at like a black sheep, I'm going to do all it takes to stand out and be that black sheep that does enough to change something they don't think is right and stand up for everything I believe in. Sometimes when it hits me that I'm the black sheep I feel upset and angry that I'm failing at the person my family really wanted to see me become. Then I take one look at myself and smile and stick my middle finger up and laugh because if I'm the same as everyone else then how could I change the world?

Yes, I'm the black sheep when it comes to some things in my family, but being that black sheep is what makes me so powerful.