Harnessing Quirks: Exploring the Untapped Possibilities

Fall Creek Falls State Park
Photo by Katie Rea

“Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself.”
Roy T. Bennett

Do you consider your quirks a curse or are they untapped potential?

I can’t seem to simply walk through a beautiful area. My camera usually comes out and I shoot images from different perspectives. I play with angles and lighting, and I may take several different shots of the same object. I pick my favorites. Some don’t work at all, or sometimes I accidentally move the camera and the picture is blurry. Sometimes people walk into the frame in the middle of eating or laughing. There are times when I think I’m capturing one image, but when I see the picture later, I realize I captured something more.

That’s the thing about perspective. We have our own perspectives based on our experiences in life.

I once visited a person who struggled with the anxiety disorder known as agoraphobia. She had a great fear of public spaces and strangers. Just going to her mailbox was a struggle for her. Safety could only be assured at her home.

I’ve also been to the home of a severe hoarder. He was afraid of never having what he needed. He was afraid if he threw anything away, it would haunt him later. I had to follow a narrow path which led to a sofa and chair. Newspapers were stacked from floor to ceiling. The air felt stale to me inside the house, and I took a deep breath when I walked back outside.

*These are extreme examples of mental health conditions. They were under the care of professionals.

I have a mild case of OCD. Not like Melvin Udall in the film As Good as it Gets. (My husband and I watch this movie so many times in a year.) I’m nowhere that severe, but I do have particular quirks. I didn’t even know I was diagnosed as such till my doctor prescribed medicine and stated, “Oh, this medicine will help you with your OCD too.” I was like, what? I mean, it’s obvious now, but that was simply the world in which I knew.

For example, when I was a child, none of the food on my plate could touch. I also placed food like a clock. At 12, I’d start with my least favorite food item (to get it over with) and work clockwise till my favorite food was last. I no longer do that; except I still eat my favorite food last. I love the taste of something yummy as I am finishing my meal.

If it’s not a barrier from enjoying your everyday life, embrace your uniqueness.

Strangely, it has helped me to see my thoughts as simply thoughts. I analyze my feelings more and get curious. Why did this make me sad or angry? I have learned to appreciate who I am and practice self-care.

I noticed my son color coding his cars when he was little. He started with red and worked the colors along the square table. I noticed he had darker shades first which yielded to lighter shades with each color combination. Dark red car to light red car. Dark orange car to lighter orange car. I remembered taking a picture of it but have no idea where that picture is now. I figured he may have gotten that one from me.

I color code the clothes in my closet. Marie Kondo would appreciate this.

But mental health concern or not, the world is what we make it. Scientists and philosophers alike caution us about limiting our own potential. We can work with our quirks, not against them.

The author Deepak Chopra states: “Everyone is caught in a peculiar trap that is invisible and almost impossible to notice: their worldview. Your worldview is the total picture you accept of reality. At the core of everyone’s worldview are two things, first, the feeling of being ‘I,’ a separate individual, and second, a faith in the common-sense world of physical objects we see outside the window.”

Chopra warns against falling for “common sense reality” as what may appear to be “common sense” is pure assumption. “Infinite possibilities are squeezed down to the choices that your ego says yes to.”

Your perspective of life can create canyons and roadblocks which are assumed but aren’t really there.

I’m not agreeing with the “we can do anything we set our mind to” theology. I know of some aspiring singers in Nashville who cannot find a note on a well-worn pathway. (I guess there is autotune now.) However, the unfortunate reality exists where we cannot be what we cannot imagine.

Too often, the glass ceiling we crash into is of our own making. We don’t allow ourselves to get out of our comfort zones. We stay safe. Fear may keep us from wanting to know our potential.

God sees us and “knows the number of hairs on our heads.” (Matthew 10:26-31.)

He saw a stuttering Moses and envisioned a great speaker and advocate for his people. Moses, on the other hand, only saw the stutterer he was and asked for help from his brother, Aaron. God relented. Luckily, Moses trusted God and became one of the best moderators between God and people.

God saw a lying, cheating opportunist in Jacob. God envisioned Jacob as Israel, a leader of integrity and wisdom. Israel became the father of a great nation.

Jesus saw the brash, bold Simon Peter (Simeon). Jesus envisioned Cephas (Aramaic for rock or in Greek as Petra) and chose Peter to be the rock of the church.

God doesn’t see only our limitations as we often do. He sees our potential. And while we may not be the father of nations or the rock of the church, the tiny acts of love and kindness we may spread have ripple effects to which we may never know. God knows our full story.

We have potential.

I follow Tony Fahkry on Instagram as I enjoy his positivity and can-do attitude. One article stated: “What are the reasons you can’t do something right now? Is it lack of talent? Is it fear? Is it something else? Whatever it is, acknowledge it because it is revealing something of importance to you. Acknowledge the resistance and as Susan Jeffers’ title of her book reads: Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway.”

We can walk from fear to joy. It’s all a matter of perspective and courage.