Be Different: Alicia Keys' Powerful Message on Embracing Who You Are | #Entspresso

Good morning, Believe Nation. Today's message is be different. Over to you, Alicia Keys.

Even when I was, you know, just, just starting, I was different. And, you know, I looked way different, and I played the piano, and I had the breeze, and I was like straight off of the streets of New York. —people always told me, like, don't you— you know, you should be wearing dresses and be— and it just wasn't really— was never my thing. Like, my thing, I wanted to be the everyday girl that I was and be able to relate to other women and girls and be able to just, like, be who I was. Because I didn't see myself in the music or in the entertainment world or whatever. And so now I feel like I have actually really come back to that place and really recognizing, you know, I've always been that person. And, you know, as you grow, you try different things and you go different places, but that's where I'm the most comfortable and that's where I really am able to be truly myself.

So I think people care way, way, way, way, way too much what other people think of them. I think people hold themselves back so much every single day based off of what other people think of them. How many decisions have you made in the past week based off of worrying what somebody else might think of you? Whether that's your friends, your family, you know, the people around you, somebody. You're worried about how you might be seen, and so you don't take that action that you want to take. You don't go out and do that thing that you want to do only because your fear of being judged. So you intentionally hold yourself back from potentially doing an amazing thing from expressing yourself, from discovering something about yourself, from potentially creating a big impact in this new area because you're worried about what somebody's going to think about you. And that sucks. You need to change that. The only way you're going to go out and really unlock your talent and really be that best version of yourself is to care only really what you think about yourself and not what other people think about you. Now that doesn't mean you go out and screw other people over, right? It doesn't mean you're doing things to intentionally upset somebody. I'm not saying that. But what does it matter what your clothes are? Why do you have to wear a certain thing? Why do you have to go into a certain profession? Why do you have to take a certain action daily if it doesn't support who you are, what you want to do? You will never reach your potential if you are just living other people's version of your life. It's never gonna happen. And since Alicia Keys was talking about clothes, I think about my example. When I was starting up as an entrepreneur, I used to always wear a suit and tie. So whether I did interviews or meetings, connecting with somebody, trade shows, speaking gigs, I would always have a suit and tie on. I felt, honestly, that I was young and that people wouldn't respect me unless I had a suit on. And so I was worried about what other people cared about me, what they thought about me. And so it changed how I acted. And I didn't wear a suit day to day. I wasn't a suit guy. I never enjoyed wearing a suit, and I would put on a suit to try to make these other people like me more. And as I grew more confident— that's all it was, just self-confidence— as I grew more confident in myself, I started losing the suit, and it became a shirt and a blazer, and then it became a polo shirt. And then it went down to having a hoodie and a t-shirt. Like, I'm wearing a t-shirt on my channel now. This is what I wear. I wear t-shirts, I wear hoodies. I feel most like myself doing it. And I don't care what other people think about me. If you don't want to watch my channel because I'm wearing a t-shirt instead of a suit and tie, doesn't matter to me. Because me dressing up in a suit and tie and not being myself will always yield a worse result than me being myself and potentially losing a few people. Always. I remember this one event that I had to go to where I was a keynote speaker and they asked me to give out an award at a black-tie dinner. And I don't even own a tuxedo. I don't want to wear a tuxedo. And so I showed up at the black-tie dinner to give out the award in my Believe hoodie in my 5-toe shoes, and I had business pants on, and I didn't care. And because I didn't care, nobody else really cared. And I think you need to feel comfortable in your own skin. And the people who judge you, they're just living small. They're just so insecure about themselves that they have to put it onto you. Those people— think about the people that are judging you. Think about the people who you're so worried about. Are any of them off doing amazing things? Are any of them reaching their potential? Are any of them people that you really admire and look up to and say, "I want to be like that person"? No! So why do you care so much about them? To the point where you limit yourself of what you can do? It's crazy! You are different. You have to be different. You have to discover yourself. You have to unlock that potential. So stop caring what other people think about you. Just do you. Let that star shine. Let it come out and make something amazing. So the question of the day today is, I'm curious, what's the most different thing about you? Let's celebrate your differences. Leave in the comments below. I'm gonna join in the discussion. Thank you guys so much for watching. Have an amazing day. I believe in you. I hope you continue to believe in yourself. And whatever your one word is, and I'll see you again tomorrow morning for another shot of espresso.