Standing Out

In case you’re curious, the event my wife and I are attending is Anne Lister Birthday Week in Halifax (UK). Anne Lister stood out in many ways. She’s perhaps the best known lesbian in British history, but she was also a woman ahead of her time. She delved into anything and everything that caught her interest. Engineering, medicine, coal mining… Things that piqued her curiosity tended to be Things Women Didn’t Do.

You may also be aware that I’m originally from Port Arthur, Texas. Who’s the best known person from there? Janis Joplin. She stood out too. She brought sounds and techniques into rock and roll that were ahead of her time.

Halifax wanted so badly not to be associated with Anne Lister that the minster lost her grave. It’s in the minster somewhere, but the marker stone was cut into to install underfloor heating and then removed. Records of where Anne is buried went missing.

Port Arthur was mortified when the weekly television magazine 60 Minutes came to cover Janis Joplin’s attendance of her high school reunion. I remember classmates getting indignant about how unflattering our town looked. I remember how anxious the town was about what Janis might do.

Decades after Janis’ life and over two centuries after Anne’s birth, each town has come around to recognizing how special they were and how much they accomplished.

When I talk with groups of girls and young women about working in the space program, I discuss this. If you want to get much done in your life, you’ll be different. You won’t conform to the average or the norm. You’ll stand out. So don’t give a damn about fitting in. Some people will sneer or gossip or laugh. So what? Do your thing and find satisfaction there.

You’ll make a mark on the world. It may not be big and famous, but you can make a mark and leave a legacy in some way.

People who fit in don’t stretch or advance anything. Making the world a better place is the province of people who stand out.