I’m not sure when the idea of being too much of any characteristic became a bad thing. We automatically became “too spoiled” whenever we were younger and our parents gave us an extra popsicle. We would laugh “too loudly” at the movies. We were “too invested” when we fell in love and got our hearts broken. When we spend our weekends at work instead of the mall, we are told that we “work too much.” We are labeled as “too opinionated” when we speak our minds about subjects that are important to us.
Should we apologize for having too much of a good thing? We are “too spoiled” because we have parents who would go to the end of the earth for us. They provide us with so much love and consistency so that we are raised with so much to be grateful for. We are “too loud” because we were raised to have fun and be creative. Working too much may cut into our social lives, but we are learning how to gain valuable skills and earn responsibility. We are “too opinionated” because we have learned that our voices matter. We are just as much a part of society, and we like to be heard.
The thing about being much is that you will always be too much. It’s beautiful. There isn't an on/off switch to accommodate for specific situations. You will always have too much beauty, too much weight, too much time and too much soul for someone who isn’t ready to experience life with you. This transposes to relationships, friendships, family dynamics and leadership roles. Individually, we aren’t able to make everyone happy. However, we are able to make ourselves happy, and it starts with accepting that we have too much to bring to the world.
Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of being too much is that there are people who will absolutely adore these characteristic. There are employers who will respect and encourage the behaviors that were once labeled “too bossy” or “too obedient.” There are friends who will rely on the personalities that were once labeled “too trusting” or “too honest.” There are partners who will appreciate the characteristics that were once labeled “too lovable” and “too forgiving.” The sooner we accept and appreciate who we are, the sooner others will too.
The characteristics that have been labeled as our weaknesses have, in fact, always been our strengths. Its society’s job to tell us that we should sit down, be quiet, and follow the rules. It is our job to realize that who we are and what we contain is the secret recipe to conquer the world. It is because we are “too confident” that we are able to hold our heads high; it is because we are “too friendly” that we are able to build each other up. On the days when we don’t think we will make it out of bed, we persevere because we’ve always been “too stubborn to quit.”
So let’s go ahead and have “too much fun” while we’re “too young” to know better. Let’s make “too much noise” and “laugh too much.” In the end, we’d rather have way too much than not nearly enough.
