Embracing Your Weirdness | Chris Williamson | TEDxNewcastleUniversity 

"You have something to offer the world in your experience and your creativity that no one else has to offer in exactly that way.⁣ Which means that if you don’t, if you allow status games or social norms or internal fears to curb your weirdness, the universe will be fundamentally less complex and beautiful.⁣" A pleasure to join you, thanks TEDx!

Yayyy!! Amazing.

'You can escape competition through authenticity because no one can beat you in being you'. This quote is everything!

A lot of Ted talks these days sound like people trying to sell something. This is one one of the best I've heard in a long time. Open, honest and just trying to help people

Embracing my weirdness at work has improved my life tenfold. I no longer get anxious trying to contain myself & instead lean into it. So awesome. Congrats Chris!

I find this particularly interesting and truthful. I just want to share a story about my growing up. In the 70s I as a teenager and I was truly obsessed with Disneyland and Walt Disney World and I would bring a small tape recorder into Disneyland just to record the rides. Now remember this was before EVERYBODY had a phone in their pockets along with a video camera connected to the phone, so bringing in a small cassette recorder was very peculiar to people. I would record all the rides and just listen to the tapes in my room and yes, people found me a bit odd to say the least. When people were listening to Pink Floyd and Zeppelin I was in my bedroom listening to Pirates of the Caribbean and Haunted Mansion tapes. Years later I became a voice actor and it was due to my obsession with listening to the voices on my Disney tapes. When I turned 29 after many auditions I was hired by Walt Disney Imagineering to narrate a brand new ride for Walt Disney World called The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The ride is now almost 30 years old and is now one of the icons of the entire Walt Disney World Resort and one of the most popular Disney rides of all time. When I hear my voice on the ride it is the most satisfying feeling I can possibly imagine. I stayed with my weirdness and I could not have been more happy I did.

10:49 "The persona is incapable of receiving love. It can only receive praise."

I really loved this. This is why vulnerability leads to connection: because we're all weird and other people being weird gives us permission to express our own weirdness :P

I've saved this video as everyone needs to see it. I'm a huge fan of Chris's content but this is absolute gold.

You got me when you said that it's okay to not have the local accent of the place where you grew up. This talk touched by heart. Thank you, Chris😭🖤

I always knew I was a quirky unique person but didn’t realise quite how much. Thank you for your reflections which have encouraged me to not care about normal.

This is literally exactly what I needed to hear in my life right now

Class Chris! You have no idea how often I talk about these subjects. Every work site or office on this planet is a movie set where each person is playing an unfulfilling role as someone else. The best actors get paid the most, but to be paid to be truly YOU is the pinnacle of human existence 🙏🏼❤️ Thank you brother, you emit so much genuine authenticity of being weirdly you! That’s inspiring!

So much strong advice here. We are a rare treasure. So too is our life. When I was a young misfit, people use to tell me: "Just be yourself." It was kinda silly to me, because I cannot be anything other than me. It just so happens that being myself didn't work well for me when I was young. When I got a little older, (27, specifically) I finally found my path. It came in a strange shape (the only girl who dated me in high school, found me again after 9 years) but the reality of the situation was undeniable. I was here to make this beautiful woman whole. It was no easy task (nor is it today) but totally worth it. She gives me focus and direction and the family I always wanted. She is the light in my world. Now that I am older and wiser, I have updated my goals. I now look for a way to help anyone that I can. It keeps things interesting. Anyway, very nice advice. Put very accurately. I wish I could have heard this sooner. Probably would have helped me as a teenager. Always something new and useful from Chris. Keep up the good work.

I've been working on my self-esteem and trying to accept myself. I'm an honest, genuine person but I'm pretty introverted, which means it's hard for me to put myself in situations where I can meet new people so that I have more chance of meeting my kind of people. So, being among anyone means I'm more likely to not quite BE myself or embrace my weirdness, rather than to put on a persona.

How does this not have a million views? So well explained. I always have an internal celebration inside when I meet someone who is authentically and confidently being their true self - "Yay, it's really YOU!"

At age 41 I've got more confidence than ever. I don't care about being liked as much and I have more friends than ever. I have found genuine brilliant friends as a result. I find it surprising and inspiring that people like me so much.

Brilliant, I love this talk. They should show this at schools and to older people

I've always been a stutterer. Naturally I always tried to hide it, so I can be seen as perfectly "normal". It was just recently that I started to embrace how i was, that i felt more and more confident. Found a girl who is now my wife, found a job in an advertising firm where most of job revolves around speaking to high profile clients. I wish I had seen this at the age of 18. Life changing advice!

Wow!! This was incredible!!😅 I truly felt understood by him! Especially his story of hiding from socializing on the play ground, I did that too!! I wish every teacher would play this for their students, even in High Schools this would be a really good time to see this perspective of truly liking yourself for your differences! I’m SO happy he gave this TED talk! 🙏🏻🙏🏻✨✨

My favorite TED talk evah!! Be who you are and own it! So refreshing!! ❤

Really well writen and performed. "Embrace your uniqueness" is such a hard concept to express. Good job.

Embracing the eccentric is crucial to creativity and innovation--to a point. We also have to embrace the conventional when we have to collaborate. Also, where precision is crucial, such as in engineering, "weird" just isn't considered. So it has to be a compromise, or "whole-brain living" as Julie Bolte-Taylor wrties in the book of the same title. A quote I always return to is from Eno: "Go t an extreme and retreat to a more useful position". For him it wenr from the manic "Baby's On Fire" to "Thursday Afternoon". "Weird" definitely has a holistic function.

"You have something to offer the world in your experience and your creativity that no one else has to offer in exactly that way." *I* now that. Thing is, nobody else wants to know.

I really love how Chris has this discussion, he is gifted in the way he speaks, as if he was a very trusted old friend. Thank you Chris.

Just stumbled on you tonight, Chris. You are amazing and I will be following you devoutly.

This popped up in my feed on Valentine’s Day. Luckily, I’ve been happily married for 2 decades to a my-kind-of-weird person. But I imagine this would be excellent to listen to if you’re alone and haven’t found someone to embrace your quirks yet. 👍💕

Thanks for this eye opening reminder. I finally understood my uniqueness thanks to my (weird) special side and embracing it is the best thing ever so I totally relate on your message.

This was really good, Chris! Well done! It made me think of all those times I've forced myself to do things with my free time that I don't genuinely enjoy because it's popular.

OMG, I hear you brother. Existential crisis' are best shared with as many people as possible. I do it all the time on RU-vid. Carry on.

Awesome. Normal is average. Weird can be spectacular. Abandoned normal years ago and have never regretted it. Aim high not average it is far more satisfying. This speaker sums it all up perfectly and powerfully

Possibly my new favourite TEDx talk. Been a subscriber of Chris’s podcast for a while now but haven’t heard anything quite like this until now. This is possibly the most concise, scientific and yet also deeply spiritual explanation of our human condition I have come across. I believe this talk a should be played in schools around the world.

So good! Profound insights that need to be understood by young adults. Keep the content train rolling! Love the process! Thank you Chris

He spoke volumes with an economy of words, what a gift for everyone. Thank you!

BEYOND INSPIRATION! To be True to Ourselves is our Human Right and Divine Nature. With Gratitude and Appreciation for your Enlightened Expression.

great speech, I loved it. And it is so true. during almost all my childhood in school I was so badly bullied, and now I have a quite "uncommon" job and I could not fir in there better. (Entomolgist/Arachnologist) very encouraging.

This hit me right in the heart. Didn't just resonate it prised open a long time sealed crack! Thank you so much Chris. I highly recommend subscribing to Chris's YT channel

This was a great one! Amazing job Chris! May we all live in a world where we embrace our weirdness and forget the social confines we were brought up to follow.

Truly inspires me to embrace all that I am- not just the parts I think the world wants to see. Much gratitude for sharing !

From one alleged weirdo to another, these ideas are worth embracing. Thanks for putting so much time and effort in to this project Chris- beautiful stuff.

I usually always feel like I don't fit in! And against the odds here I am. "Embracing your weirdness is your duty." Such a great point. Thank you!

Great job Chris! You are really coming into your own. First JBP, now this. You are killing it dude. 100% truth too. The one thing people receiving this msg need to be careful of in pursuing it is to first determine what unique quirks are REALLY you. Really core. Versus things that may just be performative for attention. There is a huge difference between the two that is not always immediately apparent. Its all about the underlying motivations.

Love it! I have grown up having always embraced my weirdness and quirks. I'm glad you are encouraging others to celebrate and champion our weirdness! Well done Chris!

Hi Chris, really good talk. I have long wondered if the kind of depression and substance abuse that occur in people my age (mid-50s) can be tied to the lack of developing their unique characters when they were younger. Time after time, I encounter these middle-aged people 'on the edge' who just seem empty and don't have a clue how to live fulfilling lives. This is especially true given the pandemic we've all been dealing with. The people who have weathered it well had loads of interests, quirky personalities, and myriad ways of filling the hours, days, weeks, and months. I decided from a young age I wanted to live a 'weird' life - learning languages, living in various parts of the world, encountering lots of different people from all walks of life. I count among my friends: business professionals, authors, artists, an opera singer, technicians of various stripes - and in both English and French. The weird path I've carved for myself has attracted other weirdos, and I wouldn't have it any other way! Kudos on your TEDx Talk!

This was awesome. "Your life is your story - where you are the narrator, illustrator, author" great words. Such a beautiful TEDXSession.

Beautifully said, very poised and eloquent, poetic even. Always a pleasure hearing acrid speak.

I relate to this. Hard! Lockdown this last year has allowed me to realise how much I created a persona. This video has come at such a cool time. Thank you 😃

Love this ❤️ it’s time we all embraced our weirdness

Absolutely awesome Chris mate!

Yeay!!!! Go for weirdness! So much more interesting and exciting!

Doesn’t matter what age you are in life...this message needs constant repeating. Far too easy to care what other people think and conform to social norms. Thanks for the reminder Chris

Really powerful Chris. Great stories delivered with humility and sincerity. Thanks for sharing.

YES BIG C 🚀 loved this and so glad to see this come to fruition

Beautiful message, one we all could hear more. Thank you for sharing, Chris.

You're speaking my language! I fully embrace my inner weirdo. I loved this!

This was so powerful! Thank you Chris for showing up for yourself and the collective! This is Truth. This is Human. This is Spirit! So much gratitude for you. I see you. We all see you!

I really needed this. I am working on not caring what others think of me as this has been an issue I've had for a long time.

This really spoke to my heart and soul, thank you 🙏 this should get a million+ views!!!

Refreshing to see someone leaving love island lifestyle and embracing his weirdness and Intellect ,good job Chris

The goal is to be the best version of you, NOT your version of someone else. WOW. Great sentence

Excellent! Very helpful and clarifying. one of the best TEDx talks I've heard. Many thanks!

So powerful, amazing work Chris

I can't handle people like this guy. They promote being "weird" or "different" only as long as it allows you to market something.

Goosebumps! Brief period of awakeness between two eternities of sleep ... that got to me ... Brilliant talk Chris x

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! this is what the world needs. excellent talk. thank you all.

Amen brother! 🙏

Thank you very nice. I put on a mask for so long to appease those around me, mostly out of fear of losing them. Now I find myself alone with the fear of being me.

I needed to hear this today. Thank you, Chris! I highly recommend his podcast by the way!

I love the way he talks

ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT! Thank you for this.

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes ... the ones who see things differently -- they're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. ... You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. ... They push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the people who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do." - Steve Jobs

This gave me genuine hope Thank you:)

Best ted ex i have ever watched, and i watched a lot of them!!!! Though it is a thin line between trying to impress and just being your weird self, but yes, great way to live this life!

I hid in the hallways for lunch no one wanted to be there . By the time I dropped out to give birth to my first child someone said they thought I left the year before and that I was a ghost . I love that I did such a good job .

First, I instantly related to what you very straightforwardly expressed. Secondly, I realized I better continue with keeping to myself, in order to survive mediocrity. But thank you for something valuable and actually having the perkiness to come up with this video.

This is amazing, Chris! It made me smile and reflect on myself. When you show your authentic self, you become invincible. Shared this to my colleagues, friends and family ❤️ looking forward to more TEDx Talks sessions by Chris Williamson!

Very well said 👏🏼 Embracing one’s peculiarities is what paints the world with all kinds of colors, textures & styles... otherwise, it would all just be bleak, monochrome & boring. Looking forward to more weird stuff from you 😝

Thank you so much for this video! I really need these amazing Words Chris Williamson! :D

Hey Chris I’m a big fan and I know you’ll appreciate clear feedback. It looks as though you didn’t embrace your weirdness in the presentation. You are much better being yourself on your video podcasts. In this instance it looks as though you were trying to be someone else. Your idea of what a standard average TED speaker (Jungian) persona does. Both in the formulation of the script and in the blocking, timing, cadence and body movements. It felt inauthentic in comparison to your much higher quality on the spot cadence of the pieces to camera in your bedroom. I know it’s hard when we’re out of our comfort zone and a weird empty COVID TED stage/auditorium is a tough crowd. So well done. This is the first iteration of your public speaking (weirdly without public). You will get much better when you go back to your bedroom mode. Follow Jordan Peterson. He always works unscripted. And that makes it perfect. An overconsidered precisely scripted performance with hand move at this point and another affection scheduled for here or there is not your best authentic you. People like mistakes, people like Jordan looking up into the sky as he thinks on the spot. They like him correcting himself in real time. That real-time thinking (let’s call it method acting as a good metaphor) creates a cadence that is never considered ...erm ...too considered. 🤪 I think you’re great and I’m so happy for you on your adventure to even better and better iterations. Very well done. 🙂 [This was feedback about presentation and not content. The content is good. Perhaps a few qualifiers like Jordan uses would make it a bit more real and less like an American self-esteem cheerleading thing. The content is good. 🙂] P.S. It may just have been that you practiced too many times on the day of performance. With film acting usually the best comes from well rehearsed actors who are well rehearsed days before the recording. On the performance day they don’t rehearse as the authenticity can get lost with repetition and even the best actors deliver a more wooden execution. 🎭

Thanks for this talk 🙏 touched my heart.

I am always trying to encourage my nieces aged 13, 9 and 6 to be themselves. The 6 year old doesn’t need any encouragement she is amazingly weird like her aunty:) the 13 year old is very much about being like everyone else following the social norms wouldn’t dare be weird. The 9 nearly 10 year old this month is half and half. Sometimes she’s exactly herself and I love it then other parts she behaves like her older sister. I wish everyone could just be themselves and not care what others thought of them :) which usually people hardly think anything of others weirdness anyway. It becomes normal and ok.

I'm so glad he didn't stick with the party boy role. This man is a genius in my opinion. I'm learning a lot from him.

The chances of any of us existing are in fact 100%

Bravo, my man! I will continue to recommend your podcast.

Fantastic talk Chris, I really enjoyed it!

Welcome to enlightenment...a place where not even the sky is the limit...where "normal" is boring...where we can become something inconceivable in reference to known experiences...where we can be untouchable by those who may wish to oppress and/or destroy us.......so happy right now! Whoot! Whoot! ~someone stumbling clumsily toward the dream of enlightenment for all humanity

Well done. So much untaped potential when this is realized.

I can't say ENOUGH how AWESOME this is and how much I appreciate it! Thank you Chris, my fellow weird brother!

Chris, great presentation. Reminds me of some things I still need to do to let my weird out. I'm also a fan of yours. And I like your weird. :)

FYI: Dali very actively supported Spanish Fascism, and was very regressive in general. His overt "weirdness" did not preclude him being relentlessly "normal" in terms of supporting and seeking to impose repressive politics (and religion) on others. To put it bluntly, Dali's "weirdness" was self-promotion at the expense of others, and his cleaving to traditionalist Church and State is emblematic of that. He made himself useful to Fascism. Arguably, he was all persona, in the negative sense mentioned in the video. So, obviously, if embracing one's weirdness does not recognize that we, as human beings, exist because others also exist--ubuntu's insight, "I am, because others are"--then your weirdness will be nothing but self-promotion in the style of Dali, and will serve the regressive forces of history. This is exactly why so much personal uniqueness goes unrecognised in the world, not because it is "weird" but because the vast majority of weidnesses are not useful to hegemonic power. Figuring out how to live your authentic weirdness, without getting co-opted (and turned into a celebrity) by oppressive political forces is a central task of living as a decent person.

Class. Very well done Chris. Very proud.

8:58 yes i really get to know about friends emotions even they dont know themselves and after talking to them about that they get amazed by how i know that 😂❤

Your channel is amazing.

So was I wrong then to tell my boyfriend that wearing a white shirt and dress shoes with a pair of sweatpants to work really shouldn't be done? 😆 P.s....he dresses a little more normal, but still a delightful nerdy eccentric, and after 20 years of marriage, still my favorite human! ❤😊

I love this guy

One of the best TedTalks I've heard!

Christ this is brilliant!

Great talk Chris!!

Great talk Chris, I bet it was a bit weird talking to a mostly empty auditorium. Your message, however, definitely resonated with me. A year or so back I read the book "Own Your Weird," by Jason Zook and I felt a vague resonance with it, but seeing as how it was so focused on product and design it didn't go much beyond that. I like your take on the idea more, and how you couched it in terms of genes, and probability. As if you really are statistically more likely to have never existed, why would you want to be constrained in how you express the good things about yourself?

Ohmg Chris Williamson you nailed it! I thank you so much for your inspirational and powerful talk, I just can imagine how much it was costing you to finally come up with it! ! believe in coincidence- because at the moment i am completely feeling i can´t hide myself anymore that´s why i stumbled happily over your powerfull talk. I still don´t know how to show up with all my past traumas, because the label of experienced Trauma is defenitely weird or makes you a weirdo in "normal"surroundings. At the moment i learn to create a method how to heal past trauma and live in the presence. So sooner or later this method will be part of my Dance and Yogaclasses which i teach anyway. So its integrated and I have hope that i can show my weirdness completely one day!