Everything Worth Doing Requires a Degree of Embarrassment

Adriana Perez

No one likes to feel embarrassed. At least, I don’t. The feeling of blood rushing to your face as you stutter and stammer your way through the involuntary words coming out of your mouth, fidgeting in any way to cope with the crippling anxiety you feel as you try to explain whatever weird thing you just did. It’s one of those emotions that you don’t feel often, but when you do, it stays in your heart for a while—an ache that serves as the irrational reminder of how now, everyone perceives you in a way you don’t feel comfortable with.

Now… what if you just didn't feel it?

Crazy concept, right? I mean, you can’t just not feel an emotion, can you? And to that I say, “Okay, maybe I misspoke.” Let me ask you this: when was the last time you were about to do something that might not have worked out for you but did it anyways? I’m not talking about a test that you didn’t study for or some crazy stunt you pulled off, when was the last time you told your friends you loved them? When was the last time you tried to learn a new skill or hobby? When was the last time you put yourself out there with the risk that you might fall flat on your face and people may see you differently?

Sure, these things may sound trivial, but really think about it. When was the last time you weren’t comfortable? The last time you cared about what people thought of you? Was it when you were dancing but didn’t go full out because one of the moves looked ridiculous or extreme? Was it when you were singing and cut off midway because you got nervous that you wouldn’t hit a note? Was it when you were writing and baring your soul to a piece of paper felt attention-seeking? Or maybe you had a crush and you were too scared to tell them out of fear of rejection and humiliation.

Look, if there’s one thing I’ve learned from the time I’ve spent on this Earth, it’s this: life is too short to care about what everyone else thinks. I know it sounds cliché, but it’s true. Some of my favorite memories were made when I stopped caring about being judged and just enjoyed the moment for what it was. My best writing starts to flow when I realize that being vulnerable is necessary to convey a message. And the times I’ve looked best on stage were when I stopped overthinking and just went full out. So start loving everyone and everything around you. Put your heart into everything that you do and stop worrying about how you’re perceived because hundreds of years from now, people won’t be here to remember how you lived but right now, you have the chance to experience everything to the fullest, and you deserve all that this world has to offer.