Safety is found in numbers until you realise the risk you face from hiding.
Protecting yourself within groups only means you are less likely to be seen for who you are and who you could be.
Independence and growth come when you step out of the safety net and stand alone.
In a world where you can be judged very quickly and harshly by many people it’s natural not to want to expose yourself to criticism but those who do that progress the quickest and furthest.
The school experience is a classic example. To survive many students choose to fit in rather than stand out from the crowd. It can be very easy to ostracise peers for being different when we are young.
Bullying is unfortunately a common thing and happens to those who are not perceived as ‘cool’ or ‘normal’ by the more dominant leaders of a year group.
Unfortunately because of this, it engrains a mindset that being ‘weird’ and having unique traits aren’t beneficial and needed in life.
I believe the opposite.
Mavericks:
If you look towards the most successful people in our society a number of them stand out for how unique they are.
Those who push boundaries and break new ground see the world from a different perspective.
They follow their visions and ideas of what could be and push on to build great companies or become amazing performers or the best in their field.
Look no further than Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Ed Sheeran to name a few.
It’s their unique approach to life, their ability to not be deterred by what others think, that makes them successful.
They follow instincts and passions and chase progress in what they are doing. They stand alone in their mission to build something meaningful. They don't look to fit into society. They want to influence society and because of it and their determination for success eventually they manage to do so.
Being ‘weird’ is seeing life from a different perspective.
Fear:
The biggest problem to overcome is fear. Fear of being judged. I imagine it’s an amazing freedom to live without fear of judgment. It’s hard to learn to do and probably impossible to completely accomplish.
We live in a world that is so quick to judge that sometimes we expect it.
Our minds are conditioned to a point where we doubt ourselves and so we think people might judge us when they aren’t even aware of what we are doing.
Fear can hold us back from true expression, fear can limit our progress and so we must learn how to let fear go.
For a few years, I wanted to start podcasting but I was held back by the fear of what people thought and why I think I can do this. My mind shaped my reality and therefore stunted my development as I lived by what I thought society thought I should do and be.
It’s not until you see how easy it is to take the risk and progress that we start to realise how little people care and how little it matters anyway.
It’s almost the biggest hurdle you will face while you are growing up. Once you learn that judgement is just subjective and that what others think holds no value to your life you can be free and exist exactly how you want to.
Nurturing your weirdness means learning to live without fear of being who you want to be.
I am Will Flindall, host of the Valley of Outlaws Podcast where I speak to those who have decided to take control of their life and follow a passion or instinct.
If you feel like you could be getting more from your life, then maybe one of the conversations I’ve had with the Outlaws might help you kickstart a change.
Peace x
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