Be glad when someone calls you "weird"!

in #life7 years ago

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Most of us have been called "weird" at some point in life, especially when we were little, and if you're like me, whenever that
happened, you felt like crap. It's normal to feel bad when you realize, as a kid, that you don't really fit in.

In time I came to realize that when someone calls me "weird", I should not be upset, and I should instead thank that person for the compliment.

When I was little I did my best to fit in. I was the "weird" guy in my class, and that may be one of the main reasons I was bullied, but I never stopped trying to be like other people. I started doing what others did, like going outside and spend my time with really boring people, looking at girls, especially their butt, drinking ,etc.

I did not feel good about myself, but at least I was "one of them".

Years after that I had the pleasure to meet a "weird" person, and even talk to her for a while. She was in Greece, so we couldn't meet, and she was way older than me, but we spent a lot of time talking online.

From her I learned a lot of things, and one of them was that "weird" people are usually way more interesting than others. That's because mediocre people don't have interesting subjects to talk about. They talk about trivial things that can become really boring after a while.

I was a little upset, because I was a mediocre person myself, so i felt bad about what she said, but I also felt like she was more than right. I did not enjoy the things others enjoyed, and I was willing to spend more time in front of my computer consuming interesting content rather than spend 3 hours in all kind of places looking at girls.

After a while and after a lot of conversations with that woman, I started trying to become better myself. I started reading books, staying inside instead of going out with my old friends, and trying to become a better guy. Obviously, when that happened, I was again, called a "weirdo" and bullied for my not "normal" behavior.

However, things were different. I started realizing how stupid people around me were, and how "weird" is just another word for "different", which pretty much means that you're not like every other person out there.

Suddenly, "weird" became a compliment, and whenever I met an interesting person, being called a "weirdo" was a huge deal for me. It meant that person liked my presence. I also loved spending time with weird people, since they had the intelligence to debate interesting subjects and think about new ideas, instead of drinking beer and talk about football.

I understood that one of the main reasons people love to hate "weird" people, is because they feel inferior. It's hard not to feel bad around a person who knows more things than you, who has a better attitude than you, who is not afraid to have different ideas and who is, in almost every aspect, more attractive than you.

Being a "weird" person is nothing to be ashamed of. It means you have something other people don't. It means you're different, and it means you're interesting.

I started thinking about being a "weird" person as a goal, and I always tried to be better than most people. I don't know if I succeeded, but what I do know is that trying to become different gave me the chance to meet really interesting people, and learn interesting things. Trying to be "weird" is one of the main reasons I'm here right now, on Steemit, writing this article.

So, whenever someone calls you "weird", don't feel bad and don't think about what you're doing wrong, but be glad, thank them for the compliment, and do you best to be as different as possible. You'll see, in time, how "normal" people suddenly become boring, and how "weird" people talking about all kind of subjects become, suddenly, very interesting.

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Damn right we need to celebrate the weird in all of us! How else can we make the world a better place by staying with the status quo?

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and feelings on this personal matter. It is never easy, but folks don't realize that so many of us are going through the same things AT THE SAME TIME :)

Steem On.

One thing that really motivated me to try and be "different" and "weird" was the fact that most people who did something in this world are, most of the time, pretty weird themselves... I always thought it was a requirement, but these days I just think it's a huge advantage over most "normal" people.

Thank you very much for you comment and for your nice words :)

Absolutely my pleasure!

Loved the article. Followed and look forward to seeing more of your content. :)

Thanks for the comment and for the follow, I hope you'll also like my future content :)

Weirdos unite! I think its a power move to be confident in ones weirdness

Exactly, most of the time if you're just a little weird, you have some advantage over most people out there, which is great! We should be proud of being weird :)

I have always been labeled as weird... all my life since young... hahaha... I actually didn't mind it at all :) I agree with you on your post that people should not be bothered about being weird, the last thing is just to be normal.

I would've loved not to mind at all when I was called weird as a kid, however I was often sad about that and about not fitting in. Later on I realized being weird it's a quality not a flaw. I think all we should do is be ourselves and never try to fit in. We should just enjoy ourselves.

Thank for your comment :)

Normal is boring. Let us all embrace our weirdness!

Exactly, weird people are really interesting, because they are not afraid of trying new things and coming up with personal original opinions about all kind of things.

We should all try to be just a little "weird", learning new things and trying to be more and more interesting, by having our own opinions about all kind of subjects.

Thank you for your comment :)

Totally! Glad to have connected and followed ya. I think when we stop worrying so much about what others may think of us, we give ourselves permission to embrace our weird side. Trying new things can be scary and vulnerable but it can also be life-changing! :)

Your post really struck home with me. I never fit into the mold that others make for everyone around them. I, too, was bullied as a child. In a way, it just made me more extreme in my weirdness. But I also had time to spend focusing on things like music, and now that's my career. So my weirdness paid off!

I'm glad you like the post, and thank you a lot of your comment!

I was lucky not to be bullied through violence and pain, but through harsh words and a lot of humiliation, but I think that is one of the main reasons I'm the person I am today, and I'm kind of grateful for that.

I don't wish that anyone goes through something similar, but it really changes the way you look at people and how you choose friends.

I'm also happy that I kept being weird and I did not continue trying to fit in, this way I decided to follow my dream, quit college, and now I'm doing the thing I love - freelancing.

Thanks again for your comment and I wish you the best of luck! :)