Being unique can feel like a burden – you’re not alone if you’ve ever felt like it’s a blessing and curse.
There was probably an element of you having to value your mind, autonomy or independence in order to honor it!
There even is a profile of autism called Pervasive Drive For Autonomy – or PDA – where an individual has an anxiety-driven need for autonomy.
Where from the outside, you may appear to be avoidant toward authority figures or your own responsibilities – especially when you were younger.
While internally, you just needed to find your own approach to life.
Or maybe you’ve been called a “snowflake” a few times! The world has an endless supply of labels for people they want to understand without much effort.
Whatever it may be, here are 11 signs you have a unique personality that some people can’t “get.”
1) You enjoy solitude
There will be this need for solitude in order to understand yourself, because it doesn’t seem that other people are doing a very decent job at it.
Yes, everyone needs to take the time to understand who they are. And yes, it’s no one’s responsibility to understand you.
Though you’ll have to admit, if being understood isn’t something you have to fight for, you probably won’t feel as determined to do it for yourself.
So having a unique personality probably meant you had to take the time and space to see solitude as a powerful element in your life.
Because beyond feeling out of place no matter how welcoming or inviting people are, is the fact that some people just can’t relate to how society is run.
2) You question the norms
Societal expectations aren’t for everyone.
In fact, I’d go as far as to say that very few people are content in our fast-paced and consumerist lifestyles.
But not everyone will question it the way you might!
Because you have the courage to be honest with yourself, you may have a unique perspective that pushes you to seek a different way of living than whatever is presented to you.
Even if it means you’ll become more acquainted with loneliness as you figure things out and find your own way!
One with greater emotional fulfillment – if you’re into looking at the bigger picture.
3) You find beauty in the unconventional
To some, unconventionality is synonymous to weird.
But for you, perhaps it’s something that you have a few more words in your vocabulary for!
A lot of people tend to think in a way that makes “sense,” meaning what’s popular, or has worked effectively in the past.
For example, a lot of people unconsciously set beauty standards for themselves based on what’s been popularized for centuries – which are usually Eurocentric.
But when you are open-minded, you make yourself available to other possibilities and therefore your own definitions!
So aside from physical beauty, not only will you be able to face less-than perfect moments with positivity – but you’ll have a mind that’s trained to notice uniqueness in others.
4) You are highly observant
Nothing can get past you – not even yourself!
As I mentioned before, you are honest about how you feel, and are therefore unlikely to bury them in hopes that they go away.
Other than that, being observant means you are able to read people and situations pretty well!
More specifically, with how they might relate to certain values that you have.
For instance, you might notice how people act inauthentically, inconsistently and perhaps even from a place of fear.
Meaning your uniqueness is a factor in the way you are able to push through life by seeing solutions where others may not.
5) You are comfortable with silence
Social hierarchies have a tendency to make us “sell” ourselves to one another in order to be accepted.
Whether it’s quite literally if you’re in the entertainment business, or subtly in your work or personal environments!
Along with being comfortable within yourself enough to not feel pressured to convince others of your worth, this “silent act” is a sign you aren’t interested in surface level interactions.
And not even to put yourself above anyone – that would insinuate that you believe in social hierarchies.
Rather, it’s exhausting to fit ourselves to a million different people’s expectations.
Personally, my brain can’t handle it and I’m okay with that!
6) You prefer connections with depth
The idea of networking might have given you a few headaches at one point.
For me, getting a grip on what it means to have a career took me a hot second. Not because I didn’t have any aspirations, but because I didn’t want to pretend to like anyone I didn’t.
And I still don’t!
So there is a learning curve for those who feel misunderstood often when it comes to their relationships.
And that’s that you need to realize that people can only meet you as deeply as they’ve met themselves.
As well as how you need to go toward spaces that value your honesty and desire for meaning!
Also pro tip: make room for a work personality who doesn’t take anyone’s shit because you’re here to pursue your passions, not impress them.
7) You are driven by passion
As in you follow your own timeline!
As in you don’t really care to stay anywhere that doesn’t inspire you or without real reason.
Not to say that being responsible isn’t important. I for sure have become a lot more practical over the years because it can be exhausting to be ruled by your impulses.
But I do have a strong understanding of what my responsibilities and obligations are to a certain place, person or experience.
So I’m not going to stay beyond my own boundaries or limits.
The bottom line is that you thrive in ambiguity because it provides you with the space to discover new aspects of your personality.
8) You embrace change
Change can be a major trigger for a person’s fear of failure and the unknown.
But the benefit of being so deeply rooted in yourself that you don’t identify completely with your thoughts and emotions, is how you can overlook your fears!
You still feel them, but they don’t feel “real enough” to stop you.
So you likely also have a range of coping mechanisms that allow you to sit through your experiences without becoming a victim to them.
Which in a world where misery loves company, and people can monetize their own self-destruction, can be unrelatable to some.
All in all, you value integrity over comfort despite the short-term discomfort it might bring.
Because at least you won’t be at war with yourself.
9) You have a unique sense of humor
When your target audience is yourself, not everyone’s going to get your jokes.
Especially in today’s social climate where people seem to have forgotten the value of humor in times of hardships.
Comedy doesn’t solely exist to make us laugh, it helps us make sense of nuances in complicated situations.
By laughing at them!
So while I believe that some jokes are harmful and nothing else, I think there’s plenty of room for satire and irony that serve to make people uncomfortable.
Not to mention, if laughing at myself helps me deal with everything going on in my life – I’m going to do that.
10) You value experiences over possessions
Maybe you’re a bit corny and believe that money can’t buy happiness.
Or perhaps you believe that money can buy you experiences that help you cherish life a little more.
Wherever you may fall, the point is that you don’t identify with the things that you own. That you don’t place your worth on which phone you have or whatever’s new.
As a recovering shopaholic, I still like to buy things that help me express myself.
But as I’ve found more meaning in other things, material possessions stress me out!
Sure, I can still banter over a shared love of certain aesthetics, but it’s something that needs to be kept to 5 minutes at most.
There’s only so much I can say before I start repeating myself – I’d rather just sit in silence.
11) You aren’t fazed by your critics
Not to say that you are invincible or without human emotion.
But it’s almost like you see right through them.
Just like fear, other people’s projections aren’t enough to stop you from being yourself. If anything, they’re only giving you more reasons to accept yourself!
Especially as you get older, you might feel a lot more compassion for those who seek to dull other people’s shine because of their own issues.
Who knew empathy could be so empowering and help you master the art of detachment?
You, probably.
What a conundrum!
To be misunderstood yet be so understanding of others.
As someone who allowed being misunderstood to cloud my perception, all I can say is that those feelings will get smaller once you increase your faith in yourself.
Which can only happen with time and effort!
Also, there are plenty of people who will “get” you, and you shouldn’t allow negative experiences to stop you from seeking positive ones.
There’s literally billions of people in the world – don’t let people who break down at the sight of their own discomfort ruin your day.
To be quite frank, that’s probably the most interesting thing that’s happened to them in weeks – they should honestly thank you.
