What would Maya Angelou do?

My heart aches today as we mourn the loss of an amazing woman, Maya Angelou. There are people in the world who have a way with words, a way with inspiring those around them through their natural beauty and wisdom. Maya Angelou was one such person. It is amazing to see how her words have touched the lives of so many. If you google her name, thousands of brilliant quotes pop up, all of which are applicable to all people. Her words reach our hearts and ignite a flame within us to have strength, to love, to take a risk, to avoid being normal, to be creative, and it goes on an on. As we remember Maya Angelou today, let's acknowledge the impact she has had on our lives.

Here are a few of my favorite bits of wisdom from Maya Angelou:

You can't use up creativity the more you use, the more you have.

The question is not how to survive, but how to thrive with passion, compassion, humor & style. 

If you are always trying to be normal, you will never know how amazing you can be. 

A little bit on the last quote. This notion of normalcy is quite interesting. I wonder at times if being normal is an excuse for our unwillingness to be unique. If we were all "normal" our lives would be rather boring. For as long as I can remember, I have never been normal. In fact, I don't even attract normal. My friends, my family, everyone I gravitate to is unique and amazing because they are not normal. I love that Maya Angelou too feels that being normal hinders us from showing our true personalities, the ones that amaze people and encourage people to be their true beings opposed to "normal".

In honor of Maya Angelou and all of her work, I challenge you to avoid being normal from here on out. Let your true self out and let your amazing self show.