I'm Not a Boy

I am the proud father of three girls (no boys). My youngest daughter, Sophia, is 11 months old and was wearing the I'm Not a Boy shirt from WryBaby today. This is an important disclaimer because my children stay mostly bald until their third birthday and this leads people to identify them as boys.

The shirt was a gift from her aunt Amanda. Other shirts in the WryBaby collection proclaim proudly:

• I can't read
• I eat dirt
• I don't floss

This got me thinking. We need similar shirts for adults. We should be able to proudly proclaim what we are not. We should have t-shirts that help us flaunt our weaknesses. Here are a few suggestions. Maybe you have some ideas of your own. I'd like to hear them.

• I'm messy
• I'm not an athlete
• I can't do math
• I forget stuff
• I'm not creative
• I don't see the big picture
• I hate meetings
• I'm probably not listening to you right now
• I didn't shower today (or yesterday)
• I pick my nose (admit it, so do you)
• I don't have a Blackberry
• I'm a nerd
• I talk with food in my mouth
• I eat dirt

Instead of being afraid of our apparent weaknesses, we should celebrate them. As George Eliot said "Every limitation is a beginning as well as an end." This is because accepting our limitations allows us to stop trying to be perfect and to start pursuing those activities that we enjoy and do well. Embracing our limitations liberates us. It frees us to focus our time and energy on maximizing our strengths and achieving our potential. 

What aren't you? Are you ready to put it on a t-shirt?

Comments

[David Rendall]

Vassilisa,

Thank you for your comment. I love your t-shirt suggestions. My favorite is "I snore."

David Rendall

[vasilissa]

I'm always in other's shoes, just right now.

I'm not good at making decisions.

I'm very very selfconfindent..., or not...

(I know you can see)I'm bold.

I'm not that good in bed.

I snore.

I'm lack of self discipline *see the spot on the back of this t-shirt.

I'm lonely. When I'm not, I feel like being lonely.

and so on! and so on!

[Stosh D. Walsh]

-I'm a perfectionist: I'm rarely satisfied.
-I'm too serious: I don't celebrate my accomplishments (or yours).
-I'm greedy: I think I can have my cake and eat it too.
-I'm selfish: My family is more important to me than my career.
-I'm an egghead: I want to know more, be more, and do more.
-I lack fashion sense: I wear nice suits, but I am not ashamed of my beard, even though it is not the same color as my hair.

Stosh D. Walsh-Proud Freak
http://stoshdwalsh.wordpress.com

[Susan M. Ford]

I Don't Eat
Eastern North Carolina Bar-b-que.

I have never been to a pig pickin.

I'm 57
Do I get a discount?