Why Your Weirdness Is Wonderful

What if who you are right now is exactly who God meant you to be? What if the weirdest, most annoying things about you are actually—for a purpose? Often we lament about how we relate to God and to the world. We over-think things, worry too much, put things off, argue too much, talk too much, or any number of other griefs. We fight who we are and beg God to make us different. But what if our greatest strength, biggest gift, and most potential is hidden in the very thing we seek to hide from the rest of the world: our weirdness? In Why Your Weirdness Is Wonderful, author and certified life coach Laurie Wallin reveals strategies for anyone struggling to find a calling or to find and live their dream. It teaches us to stop fighting ourselves and start following God, not just in spite of, but by embracing our “weirdness.

A Lesson in Self-Acceptance from Affirming Animals From the author of the bestselling book, You Can Do All Things Step into a state of mindfulness: Depression and anxiety are topics that can be uncomfortable to talk about, but that doesn’t mean they should be avoided. If anything, it means we need to be more aware and have more conversations about them. With the help of her adorable illustrations, art blogger Kate Allan (known through her remarkably popular Tumblr blog as “The Latest Kate”) urges us to be mindful of our mentality. Work through anxiety and depression with the help of enlightening words: Allan, who suffers from anxiety and depression herself, understands what it’s like to deal with feelings that are difficult to fight through. In this book, she provides the personal kind of encouragement that she herself needs to hear. These encouraging words, along with writing prompts, can help readers sort through and express their feelings. Practice self-love through self-care: Kate Allan’s creative journal meets us where we are―in the midst of the feelings that say we’re not enough, we can’t handle this life, we won’t make it. Her whimsical art and simple words lift trampled spirits and combat thoughts that lead us to believe our weirdness makes us weak. Young and old, we are encouraged to love ourselves exactly as we are. In this collection of affirming illustrations, It’s Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful, you will find: • A source of colorful and creative validation and affirmations for the struggles you face and the feelings of depression that may accompany them • Anxiety-reducing visual art and journaling prompts to better understand and process your mental health • Support animals in book-form that come along with you wherever you need them! Readers of Made Out of Stars, My Friend Fear, Start Where You Are, and You’re Weird will find further comfort and healing in Kate Allan’s It’s Your Weirdness That Makes You Wonderful.

An instant New York Times bestseller In Embrace Your Weird, New York Times bestselling author, producer, actress, TV writer, and award-winning web series creator, Felicia Day takes you on a journey to find, rekindle, or expand your creative passions. Including Felicia’s personal stories and hard-won wisdom, Embrace Your Weird offers: —Entertaining and revelatory exercises that empower you to be fearless, so you can rediscover the things that bring you joy, and crack your imagination wide open —Unique techniques to vanquish enemies of creativity like: anxiety, fear, procrastination, perfectionism, criticism, and jealousy —Tips to cultivate a creative community —Space to explore and get your neurons firing Whether you enjoy writing, baking, painting, podcasting, playing music, or have yet to uncover your favorite creative outlet, Embrace Your Weird will help you unlock the power of self-expression. Get motivated. Get creative. Get weird.

A gift that celebrates being yourself, in your own unique way. Do you ever feel different? A little weird, a little wacky? It’s time to own it, because, as Meryl Streep proclaimed, “what makes you different or weird, that’s your strength.” In this inspiring collection, singers, poets, actors, activists, comedians, designers, athletes, and philosophers share wise and pithy reflections on what it’s like to march to the beat of a different drummer. Every statement is a powerful, positive reminder that to live successfully is to be completely unapologetically you. “We are not what other people say we are. We are who we know ourselves to be, and we are what we love. That’s OK.” —Laverne Cox “All the colors I am inside have not been invented yet.” —Shel Silverstein “I am different, not less” —Temple Grandin “The more I feel imperfect, the more I feel alive.” —Jhumpa Lahiri “Self-censorship is insulting to the self. Timidity is a hopeless way forward.” —Ai Weiwei

It's in our weirdness that God's perfection exists.

Conversations made up entirely of inside jokes. Netflix passwords, bizarre dreams, even French fries, all shared without a second thought. From husband-wife team Brooke Barker and Boaz Frankel, here’s that rare relationship book that captures the rituals and mini universe (Population: 2) that a couple can create together, in a sweet, small package with all the humor, charming illustrations, and endearing quirkiness that makes their It's Different Every Day Page-A-Day Calendar and Barker’s New York Times-bestselling Sad Animal Facts each cult favorites. Celebrating the uniqueness that makes each person, and each relationship, special, Let’s Be Weird Together includes a humorous timeline of how a loved one’s oddball habits go from annoying to swoon-worthy over time. Illustrations celebrate the Tiny Acts of Heroism you do for your #1 person—like saying you’re full when there’s only one bite of cake left, so they can enjoy it. Plus, fun facts on the habits of lovesick animals (they’re just like us!): Bowerbirds collect blue items to impress mates. Perfect for Valentine’s and anniversary gifts, it’s a hip, not-at-all saccharine way to say, "I-love-you-slash-I-love-being-weird-with-you!"

As seen on Buzzfeed: A quirky and engaging journal that celebrates what makes each of us a little weird Part journal, part activity book, and all fun, You're Weird is a valentine for the inner weirdo in everyone--that part of us that doesn't quite fit in, and secretly isn't even trying. Filled with hand-drawn creatures that are a bit...different...along with lists, writing prompts, activities, and more, it's a delightful and affirming book for creative oddballs everywhere. In our mass-produced world that wants everyone to fit in and fall in line, this quirky book give us permission to celebrate what makes us each unique--and amazing. It's the perfect gift for the creative teen, journal-loving best friend, or indie artist in your life...or for your own weird self.

"When people describe my lifestyle or family as weird, I find comfort," writes author Craig Groeschel. He then shares a Christ-centered philosophy, on everything from money to scheduling to purity, to help you break out of the normal rut and live according to the rhythms of God’s grace and truth of his word. Normal people are stressed, overwhelmed, and exhausted. Many of their relationships are, at best, strained and, in most cases, just surviving. Even though we live in one of the most prosperous places on earth, normal is still living paycheck to paycheck and never getting ahead. In our oversexed world, lust, premarital sex, guilt, and shame are far more common than purity, virginity, and a healthy married sex life. And when it comes to God, the majority believe in him, but the teachings of scripture rarely make it into their everyday lives. Simply put, normal isn't working. Groeschel’s WEIRD will help you break free from the norm to lead a radically abnormal (and endlessly more fulfilling) life.