How many people can say that they are unique? We are all trying to fit in and blend ourselves in the crowd. As we do that, we often lose our dignity, self-esteem and confidence in the process.

I was at the top. Yes, I had the grades; no doubt I was successful. But a time came when I wanted to fit in. I bunked classes, I didn’t care about my school work and as a result, I almost failed Grade 7. The “fit-in” thing does not work. Just choose to be unique, to stand out.

I myself am a rapper, a drawer and a poet. I don’t like sports even though people say that I have a body fit to be a rugby player. Ultimately it’s my choice. People are going to force you into doing things you don’t like. For example, “Let’s smoke weed and bunk class. We don’t care about Maths,” that kinda thing. When you don’t do it, you will get criticised and isolated from society.

It hurts. But being an individual takes self-respect, confidence and boldness.

We all love different things, like studying for hours on end just because you love studying, or at the age of 17 you still watch Japanese Anime. People are going to criticise you, make you feel small and unimportant. But the important thing here is to believe in yourself and break free from that mindset.

Now start to exhibit your uniqueness, like if you listen to different music genres like, punk, rock, funk, just go for it. Maybe you can talk about games and technology until the end of the day, go for it. I mean really, just do it. People will talk forever, whether you do the right thing or the wrong thing; they are still going to talk. Stop trying to fit in, it’s a waste of time.

Don’t aim to be perfect by society’s standards because peer-pressure exists. People told me that I’m never going to be a rapper, yet earlier this year I stood on the stage and performed in front of my whole school. Stop trying to please people. Instead focus on pleasing yourself. People are quirky; they have something that other people don’t have. If you have great memorisation skills or you are a fan of country music, just go for it. If you ever wanted to write a novel targeted at teenagers, go for it. I mean who is going to stop you if you have the passion for something. Don’t be afraid to be “weird” or different. Don’t be afraid to fail.

You don’t have to follow trends unless you really want to. The fact that there are trends to begin with, is that unique people did unique things. So don’t be a trend-follower, be a trendsetter.

Sometimes it’s going to be hard to follow through but you can do it. There are always going to be bullies, critics or judgmental people who are going to talk and laugh until the end of days. So just be unique, be awesome, be different and the world is going to follow through, trust me.

In this world there are different unique people who do what they want and reap the rewards. If you study a lot and people criticise you, leave them be. Everybody is going to clap for you when you get those awards. Being unique is not a label; it’s a way of expressing yourself.

Be yourself, be individual and be unique.

***

Tell us what you think: Would you say you are unique? What makes you unique?