It's okay to be weird

jerry old said:
What is normal, how do you really, really know a person is normal?
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It would be fair to say there are signals when someone is feeling stressed, (I'd suggest animals can pick up on these too, and believe a lot of work has been done on the subject, for example sheep will move towards a photo of a human face smiling, and avoid one grimacing).

However, the general point you're making, about "really, really knowing" someone, I'd agree with wholeheartedly! :)
 
iu
 

horseless carriage said:
View attachment 180416
Now that I have your blessing Shalimar, I shall continue to be weird.
Fedora hat, three piece suit, baggy trousers with turned up cuffs and,
of course, two tone shoes. Will you freak when I sit next to you on public transport?
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Not at all, I shall smile demurely at the envious ladies wondering why I am privileged enough to sit next to such a distinguished gentleman. Your loss, ladies. 😁
 
horseless carriage said:
View attachment 180416
Now that I have your blessing Shalimar, I shall continue to be weird.
Fedora hat, three piece suit, baggy trousers with turned up cuffs and,
of course, two tone shoes. Will you freak when I sit next to you on public transport?
Click to expand...
I'd have to admit I'd be a bit worried you might bring out your "Tommy gun", (1930s gangsters style), or forgive me for saying, I might think you're off the a fancy dress party.
All that said, I know I'd feel envious and shabbily dressed by comparison!!! :)
 
grahamg said:
forgive me for saying, I might think you're off the a fancy dress party.
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The year before lockdown we went to an Hawaiian themed wedding. My wife made her own outfit but I had a suit, 1930's style in linen, made to measure. It was specifically for wearing throughout the meal and speeches and the photo shoot. Later on the jacket, shirt & tie were replaced with one of my Aloha shirts. Here's that fancy dress suit.
aloha 088.jpg
 
Two events in the 1960's that seem to have a negative impact on me were the assassination of JFK in November 1963 and three years later, the Aberfan disaster in October 1966: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aberfan_disaster From then on I never really watched the TV news or read the newspaper headlines.

Not being a news junkie is something that I kept to myself. "You're weird," I was once told after admitting that I hadn't heard of whatever it was that was the sensation of the time. So it was something of a cathartic moment when, during the first few weeks of lockdown I came across a study by The British Psychological Society: https://bpspsychub.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bjop.12389 that opined, daily exposure to everyday news facts makes people feel bad, especially when they consider the news to be personally relevant. Basically, reading negative news clings to you and can bring your mood down.

In many ways, avoiding news programming made me think more, because you are making a conscious decision to program yourself as opposed to allowing something outside of you to program you with its own messages and ideologies. That was something that I learned about my catholic school teaching, with it's ideology and doctrine. Journalists, politicians and clergy are past masters at it.

You might think that with the advent of the internet, news headlines are unavoidable, maybe so, but I still don't read them. It may be weird, it probably is, I have learned over the years how to change a subject when I am ignorant of the topic of the conversation, but as one of my friends once remarked: "You never seem to have your chin down." I wonder why? Because I'm weird, that's why.
 
Mr. Ed said:

It’s okay to be weird. Here’s why.​


There is no such thing as normal.​


Everyone is weird and therefore nobody is weird. Personality exists on a spectrum. Some people are loud, others are quiet. Some people are creative, others are analytical. There is no right or wrong way to be. There is no normal; there is only natural. What is natural to me may not be natural to you. Don’t worry about being normal. Find your natural.


What you think is weird is really your super power. ​


We all have traits that make us different. The truth is that what makes you different is secretly your superpower. If it seems weird, you just haven’t learned how to harness the power yet. Instead of hiding what makes you weird, learn how to use it. When you master your quirks you will find power within them.


What makes you weird makes you memorable.​


Being normal leads to mediocre results. Nobody pays money to see what is expected. People pay money to see things that are unexpected and captivating. What makes you weird makes you interesting because you have something others do not. People won’t remember the thing you did that everybody does. But they will remember the thing you did that only you can do.


The world needs more authenticity.​


People are hungry for authenticity and realness. Your weirdness is in high demand because it is true. When you start living as your true self – weirdness and all – you are giving those around you permission to do the same. We all want to be real. But we’re afraid to be the first one. Your honesty and truth have great value to others. We may not say it out loud, but we want you to be honest. We want you to be weird.




All great art was made by weird people.​


Every great creative achievement – whether in music, art, science or business – was, by definition, different, and required a new way of thinking. This is the creative benefit of being weird. Embracing your weirdness gives you a new perspective. Innovation does not happen within the status quo. Innovation happens when outsiders challenge the status quo with weird ideas.


Resisting your weirdness makes you dark.​


When we freely express ourselves – even our quirks – we feel better. There will always be people who do not understand or appreciate our differences, but that’s okay. But when we hide our unique characteristics and resist our natural weirdness, we don’t feel good. Our personality becomes dark. Just as a black hole results from the absence of a star, so does the rejection of our inner light result in a dark and inverted projection of self. Your weirdness is part of you. It’s okay to let it shine.


Standing out is how you find your tribe.​


Many people follow crowds because they don’t want to be lonely. But standing out will not make you lonely. When you break away from the crowd you will find others like you. This is your tribe. Most people never find their tribe because they are afraid of letting go of what is known. But when you embrace your weirdness and stand up for what you believe in, you will find those who have stood up before you, and you will serve as inspiration for those who will stand up next.


Every new idea is weird at first.​


Even the best ideas, when they are first introduced, seem weird. A new idea is like a biological mutation. At first it doesn’t make sense. But eventually the biological mutation finds a purpose. Ideas are the evolution that pushes society forward. When Henry Ford introduced the world’s first automobile, it seemed weird and unnecessary. “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses,” he said. Instead, Ford took a risk on an unpopular idea. It seemed weird at the time, but who could question him now?


If you hide your truth you might regret it.​


Nobody looks back on life and thinks, “I wish I had tried harder to be like everyone else.” But if you spend your life trying to be like others, instead of being the best version of yourself, chances are you will look back with regret and think, “I wish I had lived without fear of being judged or misunderstood.” In the end, living your truth is all that matters.


When you own who you are the world will conform. ​




There is power in self-perception. If you see yourself as capable, others will see you as capable. If you see yourself as incapable, others will see you as incapable. When you own your weirdness and claim it as a strength, nobody can judge you. The choice is yours. Would you rather bend your focus to fit the world around you, or bend the world around you with the power of your focus?
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Somebody called me strange the other day. I said, "I am not strange, I'm creative."
 
Ladybj said:
I am not weird...well depending on what your perception of weird is but I crack myself up sometimes..Love me some me :love: :love:
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I've been accused of saying something weird recently, (though at worst it was a failed attempt at humour in my view!).

I am probably weird however! :)
 

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