You are weird. If you had a dime for every time someone told you that, you would be the wealthiest weirdo. But you never needed the obvious observations of others to know that. This trait of yours, this being different among the rest, is the difference between apples and oranges. No one is denying that their fruit, but it takes a special kind of person to be a fruitcake. We all have different tastes, but there are five things you can do to show what and how necessary a palate cleanser you are.
1. Be more than a label.
In conversation, when someone asks you what you do or who you are professionally, the first word that comes to mind is an occupational noun. This simplifies technicalities and those who care to know more will ask more. But if attention and curiosity are the driving force for conversation, do not make these qualifiers sound ordinary. Rather than place a label on yourself, think of a a phrase that emphasizes what you do or who you are. For example, I could say I am a writer, I am a lover of the written word, or that I put words in people's mouths. It sounds more interesting and gives your listener a slant truth that keeps and gains both your and their interest. People are complex, more than they realize, so be multiplicative.
2. Act, don't react.
Decisions are fettered with emotional and logical conditions. As the power broker of your life, you get to choose who you work for, what you work for, why you work for it, and so many other considerations that inform who you are and who you could be. The lone wolf does not take his next direction lightly; the path you carve is fitted with your footprints. This means people will be attracted to your steps, some for the right reasons, others for the wrong reasons. During these moments, do not rely on expectations or people's better nature. Remain neutral and if things go sour, it is up to you whether you stay and bicker, ready for revenge, or walk away towards something better, for you and everyone else. The great thing about life is that one choice does not mean the end of choices. Choose wisely, of course.
3. Never be above help.
A lone wolf is selective with who he allows to help him. That is not as selfish as it is smart. The only issue is that when you cannot admit your struggles, the problems return and double over, sometimes more than you can handle. It is not strategic to run away from challenges, but to face them with trusted friends and knowledgeable hands. A lone wolf would not be independent today without the dependency that brought him there yesterday. Help is not a weakness, it is a strength.
4. Most will not walk beside you.
Accept that not everyone is going to see your way or understand you. As a lone wolf, you take the time to see things for what they are and where potential has yet to be met. That is your power to adapt and the power you see people lacking in. You also know, it does not take popularity to make a difference in the world. If Jesus Christ had social media in his lifetime, he would only have twelve followers, but it does not take numbers all the time to change the world. Changing the world starts with you, it always has.
5. Roam with purpose.
Many people do not know where there next step is, but you do. You not only know what you want, but you prepare yourself for what it will take to make your next step towards what you want. As a free spirit, the real world will not faze you because there is something more noble and evergreen to achieve. The lone wolf stays determined, wary, and strong-willed to reach his high ground. When he does, he is ready again to climb his next peak.
Being weird or a lone wolf just means knowing what works for you.
