24 Comments
User's avatar
Ayesha A.'s avatar

I agree. We should just be ourselves and strive hard for our goals. Awkwardness and shame do not exist, not unless we allow them to.

Wonderful essay!

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

I couldn’t agree more.

Thank you so much, Ayesha!

Expand full comment
Ayesha A.'s avatar

Anytime! I really look forward to your posts!

Expand full comment
Tinashe D. Ndhlovu's avatar

Everyone is different in their own way. Don't worry about fitting in perfectly. It is better to be yourself. Most people don't notice or remember the small awkward things you do[ we tend to dwell over it longer than we should in our mind].

Be kind and true to who you are. That's what really counts. - an awesome essay Harun.

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

Spot on, Tinashe! Thank you for your constant support.

Expand full comment
Tinashe D. Ndhlovu's avatar

Your work is great mate 😀. Keep moving forward.

Expand full comment
Alexis Elcox's avatar

I can connect to this post quite well as I still feel a bit insecure about communicating with people in public. When I would walk into a store, one of the workers will usually say hello or a greeting of some sort, but I would just smile at them. Most of the time I don't say hello back when I feel like I should.

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

I can totally relate! For some reason, it’s incredibly difficult to nail down those little encounters. Maybe one day we’ll learn basic human interaction 😅.

Expand full comment
Mohika Mudgal's avatar

BROOOO I feel so connected to this post! I literally forget to use my mouth, teeth, tongue in new environments! And it's STRANGE because I like to think I can communicate well if need be - but some times the body just farts in the head and everyone else engaging with us can witness it 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ I love that you've written about this and been vulnerable! Awkward is cool. And nobody thinks as consciously about us as we do, so we can chill a bit 🧡😌

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

I know right! It’s crazy how we can become so tense when we’re around new people. People definitely don’t notice many things we think they notice so we should definitely not worry needlessly about them.

Thank you for your support, Mohika!

Expand full comment
Elizabeth Grace Martinez's avatar

I definitely feel like we think people are thinking about us way more than they are. I often will catch someone's eye when I'm thinking about something else and have a weird look on my face that has nothing to do with the person I glanced at at that moment.

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

I can fully relate to that. A colleague of mine thought I hissed at her when I was actually hissing about the fact that I was drenched by the rain and my shoes stained the floor 😅.

It’s easy to forget that everyone has got their own quirks.

Expand full comment
Elizabeth Grace Martinez's avatar

ha! i've had similar things

Expand full comment
Richa's avatar

Great piece!

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

Thank you, Richa!

Expand full comment
An K.'s avatar

Normal is a setting on a dryer!!

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

Hahahaha yes!

Expand full comment
Daniel Catena's avatar

We can't compare ourselves to what other people are projecting to be. Deep down, we're all figuring things out. Being genuine is the best choice. A great read!

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

Bang on, Daniel! Thank you for your support.

Expand full comment
i3utm's avatar

Reality is an Illusion.

That is why Normality is seen as Real.

Expand full comment
Raveen's avatar

'Don’t weigh yourself down with the burden of being normal.'

Also, we shouldn't be too preoccupied with society's expectations of us and how we're 'supposed' to behave/act.

Good message, Harun!

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

Thank you, Raveen!

Expand full comment
Odinakachi Nwonu's avatar

Truly, “normality is an illusion”.

This really resonated with me. I used to judge myself harshly. I still do occasionally but I’m better now at snapping out of that state. Just like you noted, trying to be normal is a burden.

Thanks for sharing, Harun.

Expand full comment
Harun Kewa's avatar

That’s totally normal! We’ll feel that way, to an extent, for the rest of our lives but we can limit it by reminding ourselves that we decide what is normal for us.

Thank you for your support, Odinakachi!

Expand full comment