What if I told you that weirdness is not a bad thing at all but may, in fact, be one of your greatest strengths? If you have ever been called weird, kooky, a misfit, or just plain odd, you might have felt hurt. In fact, you should take it as a compliment.
Some of the best advances in science, the arts, justice, and women’s rights would never have been made without the unconventional behavior of people who might have been seen as odd in their lifetime but are now considered to be quite remarkable indeed.
Eccentrics often have the following attributes, which may lead them to be mocked by their peers but could be the reason why so many unconventional people have such extraordinary lives.
Perhaps you have a unique sense of style that others sometimes don’t appreciate. If you have sometimes been laughed at for your outfit, don’t be upset – so was Coco Chanel and she became a fashion icon. Coco Chanel had revolutionary ideas that were often ridiculed.
In particular, her idea for redesigning men’s clothes for women. People may have laughed at her ideas back then, but anyone who owns a vintage Chanel jacket is the one laughing now.
Cleopatra has been much maligned and her story doesn’t have the happiest of endings, but she wasn’t prepared to hide away and let the men have all the limelight.
By overcoming a traitorous brother and a society that disapproved of female power, she became ruler of Egypt and one of the most famous women in history. Cleopatra broke the conventions of her society and proved that women were the equals of men.
When the Crimean War broke out, Mary Seacole applied to the War Office for permission to travel to assist the injured but was refused. She didn’t let this refusal stop her and travelled independently to assist those wounded in battle.
Mary Seacole did what few other women did in Victorian times. She was a nurse, a traveller, ran a business, and even went to war. She refused to be told what she could and couldn’t do and even when people stood in her way, she still did what she believed was right. She followed her idealist beliefs even when they put her life at risk.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a playwright-essayist and novelist. He was highly criticized in Victorian England for his flamboyance and eccentricity. At a time when men were expected to be serious and sober, Wilde shocked people by daring to be different. While studying at Oxford University, Wilde would walk through the streets with a lobster on a leash.
Buckminster Fuller was sometimes ridiculed for his weirdness and odd behaviors, including sleeping only two hours a night, wearing three watches, and keeping a diary, which he updated every fifteen minutes!
However, his eccentricities didn’t stop him from being curious in all manner of fields. Fuller became an accomplished architect, systems theorist, author, designer, and inventor. Fuller was certainly a non-conformist but his achievements included publishing more than 30 books and the invention of the geodesic dome.
So the lesson from history is that even though others may ridicule you for your weirdness, you should be proud of your differences. Our world doesn’t need more conformists; we need unique individuals who make this world a more creative, more just, and more beautiful place.
So, never be ashamed of your quirky characteristics: embrace your weirdness and be wonderfully and unashamedly your best, weird, kooky self.
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Wow this article is very informative. So being weird is not bad :D Thanks for sharing this
I am weird, but I don't really care if other people try to bully me or something. My goal is to stay on the ground and as long as I know that what I am doing is right, I'll stay put. I know I am creative in a way as there are people who somehow appreciate my work or maybe they're just curious.