Don’t be Afraid to be Different

Hello! My name is Caz Campbell. I’ve lived in Newbury most of my life, I’m a mum of two daughters who are 5 & 7 and I have three other job “hats”:  I teach baby massage, I’m an emotional coach and I’ve published a book focusing on happiness, kindness and calmness. It’s called “Donkey on a Waffle” and includes topics which I’m going to talk about in this blog. Feel free to join my free Facebook group which also discusses these topics, with fun facts, posts and chats: https://www.facebook.com/groups/818543508893746

“Don’t be afraid to be different, be afraid of being the same as everyone else” is one of my favourite quotes. Wouldn’t the world be a boring place if we all looked the same, spoke the same, liked the same things etc?

Everyone is unique and our traits change with age, others’ influence and life events. Personality tests and categories can be subjective but they can enlighten us in learning about ourselves and about others. Seeing the world through someone else’s eyes can help in work, conflict – and love. It’s so easy to assume people think like us but in reality, no one thinks exactly the same as us. Exploring traits and seeing them as scales rather than black and white (and never right or wrong) can be interesting.

Do you like detail or the bigger picture? Detail people tend to be conscientious and exacting, but can lack perspective or fail to prioritise. Big picture people tend to be creative and visionary, but they can be disorganized and forgetful. This doesn’t sound like a huge issue, but it can really help with work colleagues if you know what their preference is. It can save you time writing out huge detail in an email to someone who just wants a summary. Or it can keep you from thinking someone’s acting abruptly or being dismissive – a short email doesn’t mean they don’t like or respect you, it’s just their way.

Are you an extrovert or introvert? These always seem polar opposites so you’re one or the other, but there is still a scale, plus you can be an antisocial extrovert or a sociable introvert like me. Extroverts thrive and get their energy from interacting with others as they focus outwards, into the world. Introverts need to recharge on our own as we focus inward, into our own thoughts.

Do you think you’re more visual or audio? So when someone gives you directions, a visual preference likes to see or draw a map whereas an audio preference can remember the instructions they hear.

I’m much more visual – I’m passionate about music and can remember lyrics well, but this Hawaiian word totally describes me with directions!

Akihi = Listening to directions then walking off and promptly forgetting them!

If you’d like to find out more about me and what I do, my website is: www.happykindcalm.co.uk