Born To Be Weird: Why It’s Awesome To Be Different

born to be weird mahevash muses

Weirdo: this word has so many negative connotations, doesn’t it? And all it means is someone who is unusual, strange, and different.

But being an oddball is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather than hiding it, we ought to embrace and celebrate it with flair. Here’s why.

1. It Is Time Spent Right

It is easy to understand why people want to fit in — they are afraid of being judged for who they are. But the thing is, concealing your odd traits is hard, draining, and pointless.

Trying to be perceived as normal is a waste of both, your time and energy. Aren’t you better off living life in alignment with who you truly are?

When you stop caring about labels, you are free to explore your interests. You showcase your uniqueness to the world by letting your freak flag fly.

Over time, being unabashedly ‘abnormal’ definitely sets one up for success. And this isn’t my personal opinion. From Mahatma Gandhi to Steve Jobs, game-changers have and always will stand out from the crowd.

2. It Attracts the Right Kind of People in Your Life

Being guarded all the time and pretending to be someone you are not will result in shallow and unfulfilling relationships. For real, authentic connections, you have to be honest.

You can only find your tribe when you are open about your quirks, eccentricities, and flaws.

Pune-based law student and self-proclaimed weirdo Aitijya Sarkar (22) thinks blending in also invites loneliness.

“Loneliness comes from one’s inability to communicate the things that matter to us, move us, and make us happy. The moment you try to adapt to belong, you choose to give up on your weirdness, things that make you YOU— and you start an endless struggle to outrun the overwhelming feeling of loneliness.

“It’s better to be alone than be in the company of people who don’t get you. If you have to fake it to belong, you’re never really going to fit in. Wear your weirdness like an armor. Those who get you will take the whole of you.”

While it can be hard to take a stand against what the crowd is doing, it is far better than conforming just to please people. Irrespective of what you do, someone somewhere is not going to like you. Makes sense to just be true to yourself, right?

3. It Is in Your Best Interest

We’re all weird — the level only varies from individual to individual. In fact, you can’t even really define it because what’s weird for someone might be normal for another.

While the world is quick to judge people who are different, they are quicker to applaud them when they make it. The label then quickly changes from “weird” to “wonderful”. And it will change again and again and again. Why should we hang on so dearly to the opinion of such a fickle and flippant society?

Hyderabad-based software engineer Lubna Shaikh (25) shares an insightful thought: “You cannot pretend your whole life to be who you are not. Being different, and more importantly being you, can be strangely calming. It clears your mind to make better decisions — better for you, not for anyone else.

“And what’s ‘normal’ anyway? Is being right-handed normal? Is being tall, slim, and fair normal? Or is having a 9 to 5 office job normal?

I concur. What’s more, I also believe that even if you are able to fool the world with a whole new personality, you cannot fool yourself. By putting on an act, you are telling yourself that the real you is not good enough.

Your pseudo-acceptance is only going to chip away at your self-worth. To paraphrase Kurt Cobain, wouldn’t you rather be hated for who you are, than loved for who you are not?

We should accept and be proud of our peculiarities. No matter what people think or say about me, I am weird and I own it. Do you?

Life's better when you are aware of your surroundings.

Life's better when you are aware of your surroundings.

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