I'm smart, but sometimes, I still listen to Justin Bieber

Life is full of contradictions. After traveling this week with some work colleagues, I learned a whole bunch about them that I wouldn't have known from our regular 9 to 5. People are always more than what meets the eye. And I think sometimes, it's those seeming contradictions in a human being that excite us, and make us gravitate towards certain people.

This weekend, I went to a DI tournament. For those of you who don't know, DI is a non-profit creative problem solving organization for kids. It's basically a science olympiad with a dramatic component, and it seriously rocks. The thing is, it celebrates creativity in kids, quirkiness in kids, and it's an opportunity for them to think outside the box.

I had a blast, reliving my DI days, and seeing all the creative things the kids came up with. I hope that kids keep all their quirky traits into adulthood. Because being quirky and weird can help you meet people, get a job, and be successful. No one wants to be with someone who's an exact copy of someone else, and I think we all need to recognize that. We spend so much time trying to fit in with other people that we wind up trying to be someone we're not. And that's seriously not cool.

So here are some contradictory things about me, that are quirky, and weird, and awesome:
*i like to wear high heels and be girly, but i love playing in the mud
*I have a nerd laugh when something is absolutely funny
*I'm a home-body, but I love to travel and see new places
*I'm fiercely independent, but I can't make decisions for the life of me
*I still like to color

With that being said, this week I'm going to work hard on making the quirky, most authentic side of myself shine this week. Let's celebrate being quirky!