I was looking out the window the other day and noticed this beautiful bush right in front of the house. It was covered in gorgeous white flowers. But then I spotted one little flower at the back that was pink. On the exact same bush, there was one flower that had decided to be different, unapologetically different.

What does that have to do with neuroscience and confidence?

Watch the video or continue reading to find out more.

A lot of people are afraid to step up. They are afraid to be themselves, afraid to speak up, and afraid to say what they truly think. But it is okay to be different. It is okay if everyone else has the same opinion and suddenly you are the “pink flower” with a completely different idea.

Maybe your idea is actually better. Maybe your idea is the one that could revolutionize the way things are done. Maybe your perspective is the one that challenges the status quo in a way that needs to be challenged.

And yes, maybe your idea will not work. Maybe nobody will agree with you. But that is not the point.

Speaking up requires confidence. It requires bravery. It requires being comfortable enough to be yourself, even when you stand out from the crowd.

The more we conform, the more we simply repeat what everyone else is saying and doing, the less authentic we become. We all have different meta-programs, different mental formulas that shape our personalities and influence how we see the world.

Some people are detail-oriented while others are big-picture thinkers. Some people prefer working alone, while others thrive in teams. Some are internally motivated, while others need external feedback and encouragement.

Everybody is different, and those meta-programs are part of what makes you who you are. The combination of traits, experiences, perspectives, and ways of thinking that you possess is unique to you. Nobody else has that exact same combination.

That means your ideas matter because nobody else can contribute them in the same way you can.

So if you sometimes feel like the pink flower on the bush, be unapologetically the pink flower. Be different. Even Mother Nature decided that being different was perfectly okay, and that means you can do the same.

Check out some of my previous blog posts...