Here’s the magic of this. I am not confined in thinking that I need to be like everyone else, think like everyone else, or act like everyone else. I can’t be. We’re all unique. And being unique means that none of us are alike. You couldn’t follow the crowd if you wanted to.
So how is this helpful? Why would you want to tell this to students? For me, it removed my inhibitions, it removed my fear of failure. No matter how awful things might feel in the moment, you can know deep down that you bring something to any situation you get into because you are unique. You might whiff on today’s project, but tomorrow’s project might be that big home run. You can achieve some truly amazing things if you aren’t afraid to make a few mistakes (or even a lot of mistakes).
The library world sometimes feels very safe. Very tried and true. This has been frustrating for me coming into this field. Sometimes you can butt your head up against so many obstacles just trying to get the simplest things done. And other times the things you sweated the most sail through without problems.
Just always remember, “There is only one you.”