If You Aren't Weird, You're Not Being Your Authentic, Genius Self

In today’s world, few people embrace being known as “weird”. Originally, however, being weird simply meant you were uniquely yourself.

The modern word “weird” has its roots in Norse mythology and evolved into the Old English word, wyrd, referring to what you would grow into or become. The Norse believed in the Norns, who were akin to the 3 Fates from Ancient Greece because they determined each human’s fate and destiny at birth. In other words, you would have your own wyrd or fate, which included the qualities, characteristics, and conditions of life that made each person unique.

A related idea is that of one's “genius”. Originally, the Latin word “genius”, referred to a guardian spirit assigned to each individual. The Greeks and Romans believed each person had such a spirit or energy inside. In fact, the in Ancient Rome a birthday celebration was a celebration of the person’s inner spirit/genius, not the person themselves. The genius was seen as your unique gifts and talents that no one else does quite the same way. So, you can think of yourself as having a special inner ability makes you, you -- with fated life experience or a wyrd like no other.

This ancient way of viewing life meant that you are to be uniquely yourself and only you really know who that is. However, in practice, it is tough to listen to and give credence to your inner wyrd and genius. Well-meaning friends and family along with modern advertising continually telegraph all the ways you should be or ought to be. It can be a challenging and sometimes lonely struggle to connect with and listen to your inner wyrd and genius.

To feel the sense of fulfillment that most people seek, you must make it your main job to connect with what’s inside you -- that inner wyrd-ness -- that makes you more of who you really are. After all, if you don’t express your own uniqueness in life, you will never become yourself, and the world will be deprived forever of your weird genius.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a good thing to become educated and skilled. But it's even more important to become your best, most authentic self. You can only become the unique person you’re meant to be, when you embrace your unique genius and the wyrd-ness of the twists and turns of your life experience.

To do that, you have to have the courage to be weird.