Being just like everyone else has never been my goal in life.

Standing out is what makes people unique. Because of this, I never truly fit in; I’ve always been the one kid with the unique ideas, or as some say, “weird ideas.” It’d be a lie to say I simply love being known as the weird kid, but after a while I realized that I’d rather be known for having weird ideas than someone who thinks like everyone else.

I blame Steve Jobs for this. A quote of his that has always stuck with me speaks about being the crazy one to take the risks:

“The ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

As I got older I realized that it isn’t always easy to think the way I do, sometimes my thoughts or ideas wouldn’t align with others and would make it difficult to work together or simply learn like everyone else.

Throughout those years, I’ve learned to express my creative mind rather than hide it. I’d rather think of an idea that everyone else looks at as weird or impossible and try it. I’d prefer to try and fail gloriously than not try at all.

There have been moments in which my creative mind has gotten me in trouble or has been an absurd thought that couldn’t happen unless I had a substantial amount of money, but that’s the best part. Thinking of ideas that aren’t possible or can be done by an 18-year-old with no money to his name.

My one goal in the future is to bring one of my creative ideas to life — to bring one idea that seems impossible to happen and prove to everyone that no idea is too small or impossible to create. I want to create something that can be remembered by me.

It’d be a lie to say my teachers were not one of my biggest supporters in keeping a creative mind when everyone else saw it as weird. They pushed me to continue thinking that way I do as they believed it was better to be unique rather than be like everyone else.

High school would be the one place that I really began to accept my creativity as I realized no one is the same or thinks the same. I was quiet and had been like everyone else my freshman year, but as each year went on I began to get more comfortable with having ideas that stuck out compared to everyone else.

I believe my senior year is when I truly loved sticking out like a sore thumb to everyone.

Throughout my life, I quietly kept my ideas to myself in fear that everyone would see me as the weirdo or the crazy one that shouldn’t be heard, but through teachers, friends and family I had realized it’s better to be known as the crazy one with the crazy ideas. Without my creative mind, I feel I wouldn’t be the person I am today.