“If you find yourself around someone brilliant, hold onto them.” Richard Osman

In episode 294 of the High Performance Podcast Richard Osman talked about the various ways that people mask who they really are, thinking that they are very different to others and generally, not normal. Richard talked about his discomfort with his height and said that everybody thinks that they are strange, but really we are all struggling, thinking we are different to others.

At school we have various children that do worry about being different, but when we realise that our unique ways are something to be celebrated, we will be much happier in life. As long as we are kind and safe, we are in fact brilliant in our various ways – something that should be celebrated. As long as we do not distract others, nor hurt or upset them, we should do what we enjoy doing.

There are many people that ’cause chaos’, to use a phrase from the episode with Richard Osman. Richard talks about the chaos being a distraction, a smoke screen and a way of trying to deflect the attention from the insecurities that people have. This is very true in many ways and has been seen on many occasions. We all have challenges in our lives so we really do need to be kind and be supportive. Let’s not confuse sympathy with empathy. We do not need excuses – we need positive people who offer solutions. The way we act and respond to situations says a lot about who we are. Be calm and avoid the chaos. You will be happier for it.