5 Ways to Embrace Your Inner Awkward

“A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.”

– Anonymous

For fear of sounding like a hipster, I’ve been a fan of the legendary Louis C.K. since before he became popular. I’ve seen the comic genius live twice, the first time was back in the early 2000s at the DC Improv.

And he killed it. Of course.

What’s awesome about C.K. is his style. It’s not just “joke, punchline, joke, punchline.” It’s more like his philosophical brain droppings about life, delivered with a humorous twist. And it’s stuff we can all relate to.

I came across a recent interview C.K. did with GQ, when he graced their cover in May of this year. In it, Louis C.K. talks about how his material is inspired by putting himself in uncomfortable situations in order to learn more about what it means to be human.

“You’ve got to embrace discomfort. It’s the only way you can put yourself in situations where you can learn, and the only way you can keep your senses fresh once you’re there,” C.K. said.

Here are 5 ways to embrace your inner awkward.

1: Do what’s uncomfortable

All growth occurs outside your comfort zone meaning that we have a tendency, as human beings to want to ensure our comfort, figuratively speaking. However, there’s no growth, no change by remaining in your ‘box.’ Try new things.

2: Laugh at yourself

There’s a reason for the long-standing comic tradition known as a Roast, during which comedians, colleagues and peers honor one another by subjecting them to a good old-fashioned ribbing.  It’s fun to laugh at your idiosyncrasies – the weird “isms” you do that are uniquely you. And, it’s a great way to stay humble and not take yourself so seriously.

3:  Accept yourself

The sooner you accept all your weird-isms, the better off you’ll be. Just as the saying goes, “whatever you resist persists,” the harder to try to not be awkward, the more awkward you become. Amirite? Besides, when you try too hard, you end up filtering out the awesome parts of your personality that make you…you.

4: Do what’s feels right for you

As in, if you like dressing up in Cosplay on a daily basis, who cares? Do what you enjoy without being preoccupied with what others might be thinking.

5: “Dance as though no one is watching you”

So what if you dance like Elaine from Seinfeld, life is about living. And the quality of your life is up to you and you alone. So, if you’re out at a wedding or at the club and you hear a song that gets your booty shakin’ get up and dance. When you think about it, the people who stand uncomfortably on the sidelines are really the awkward ones. You can tell that they wish they had the cajones to get on the dance floor but they’re all too worried about what they’d look like and what people would think. You might even inspire a few of them to break out of their comfort zone and shake a tail feather or two.

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