That's me, I was always looked at as being the odd one out the “Black Sheep” in my family.

When I was younger this really bothered me. I desperately wanted to fit in, be like the rest of my family and because I was always told that I was the different one, the "Black Sheep" I always felt like I did not belong. As you can imagine as a child and teenager and even into my young adult years whenever this was said to me I did feel a little like I did not belong. Like an outsider.

This would really make me upset at times - sort of like I was being criticized frowned upon. A bit like the ogre in Shrek (love Shrek), I did withdraw a little to protect my not yet adult feelings. Did I nearly give up and become one of the group? You bet I did but this never lasted for very long. There was always something in me something that pushed me forward to look outside the box in a sense.

Does being the "Black Sheep" sound at all familiar to you? Well if it does my hand goes out to you? I do remember how painful it felt but now, boy, have I changed my thinking I am more than happy to say that I am proud to be the "Black Sheep" of the family. See how I said am because that's right I still am.

Why? Well I will tell you why.

I am the only one who has traveled extensively, the only one who owns multiple investment properties and the only one who is a successful investor. I have left my home town and now live in another state to the rest of my family. I live a life that I enjoy and that affords me many choices. I still allow myself to be challenged. Still have a desire to peek behind the curtain to see if I am missing something.

So was it a bad thing to be different? Well at the time I certainly felt it was but NOW not a chance. I am grateful every day for my difference for the people and events I am now drawn to and for what I now recognize as my entrepreneurial spirit.

Has it always been easy not on your life! Would I change what it took to get to this point in my life not a chance. You see it was my differences the differences that made me question and want to have answers and not want to accept mediocrity that has led me to this place I now find myself in. I am grateful.

Do I think I feel I have arrived, no way? Do I aspire to more? In a word "yes". Every day I challenge myself to see what else I can learn. I love the internet and blogging and social networking and meeting new and like minded people.

Well my long winded message in all this is to learn to value your difference your individuality and if you are the “Black Sheep” of the family look for the lessons and have faith that the Universe has a bigger plan for you.

The world has a lot of “Black Sheep” to thank for the many wonderful comforts we now take for granted like the motor car, Henry Ford must have been the “Black Sheep” of his family.

The electric light globe, Thomas Edison did not quit he kept at it for over ten thousand failures. Once even nearly getting blown up.

The inventor of the modern radio Marconi whose friends had him examined in a psychiatric hospital when he told them he had discovered how to send messages through the air.

Were any of these people deterred by being one of a kind? No and thankfully so. Imagine where we could still be, if those who had thought differently from everyone around them had been deterred by the criticism, I may not be able to write down my thoughts and save them into the memory of a computer and when I wanted to post them up onto the internet for world wide viewing. WOW what an amazing world we live in.