Are you Weird?
                                   By Steven L. Anderson, Ph.D., MBA

         Are you weird?  I sure hope so.  I know I am.  Let me explain what I am talking about.  Many of us spend our lives trying to be normal, whatever that is.  In the process of trying to be normal, we suppress that very thing that makes us most special, and if we did it would make us most happy. I urge you to embrace what is different, or weird, about you instead of suppressing it.
         A great example of embracing weirdness is the story of Weird Al Yankovich featured on A&E recently.  Heck, even his name says he’s weird!  What is interesting is that as a child, Al realized he was different than other kids, but instead of trying to be like them, he embraced what was different about himself.  For example, a traveling salesman sold his parents an accordion when he was around seven years old so that he could learn to play it.  I don’t know about you, but I would have rather died at that age than to be the only kid in the neighborhood who played an accordion.  Not Al.  He loved playing it no matter what the other kids said.  Interestingly, this discovery by Weird Al was the beginning of his wildly successful career parodying songs by other artists.
          So the next time someone tells you that you are weird, look them straight in the eye and say, “Thanks!”  Expect others not to understand what is deeply special about you.  And don’t try to bury those extraordinary talents, develop them, because you deserve to be really happy doing what you love most, even if it seems weird to other people.
 

                      Friends: Terrific or Toxic?
                                                         By M.J. Clark, APR

     Aristotle is quoted as saying, “The antidote for 50 enemies is one friend.” That statement couldn’t be truer today, and yet we often get so busy in our lives that friends fall to the bottom of our list.  It takes a good deal of time and effort to maintain friendships, but the benefits to our self-esteem, stress level and overall happiness can far outweigh the effort.
          You might say, “I have plenty of friends.  I go to dinner parties and see friends at my church and attend social gathering of professional associations.”  But are these people truly friends?  Are they the people you turn to when you need sound, honest advice?  Do they challenge you when you wimp out?  Are they the people who accept you, warts and all?  Do they encourage you when you hit a bump in the road?  Do they make you laugh?  Can you sit with them comfortably in silence?  Are they the people you call when you have something exciting you can’t wait to share with someone?                                                              (continue story)