The "Cool Kids"

In a lot of environments, I was never one of the "cool kids." These are the ones who get all the attention and all the love while most others are just no-name people. Only so few environments have I ever been regarded as anybody "cool." These are times that have defined me on YouTube and in blogging. I try to get some attention my way, but I always get pushed aside in favor of other people. And some of the ones who do give me the time of day decide to actually give me the kind of attention and respect I wish most others would give me. I do believe that you have to earn respect. Thing is... HOW do you earn respect among peers? It depends on the environment you're in and who you're around. If you need to really stand out to be respected, then you'll have to go for that if you're trying to be respected among the greater public at large. But then again, just being yourself and letting the chips fall where they may is also determines your worth as a person around others.

So do I try to compete among others in my fields of study? Well, you can say yes both in blogging and on YouTube. I am competing to try to win the respect of readers and subscribers. I am in a much better place as a blogger than I have been at this time last year. I would struggle to get at least 100 blog hits each day. These days, I could easily reel off 500+ blog hits each day. And what about YouTube? I don't know. Most people probably think I'm too boring and too ugly to be any kind of superstar or well-respected figure. Then again, being able to get 350 subscribers going into my third year and second month on YouTube is not bad at all. I still do feel like a nobody. Or at least... I'm a nobody outside of someone looking for a good laugh or a disgraceful insult against me. I don't want to stand out THAT way. So depending on the environment, it can be either tough or impossible to stand out.

However, I don't feel like I have a serious reputation to hold up online on a daily basis. You know like in some teen-themed or college-themed shows and movies where certain characters feel like they have a high level of stature that they try to maintain on a constant basis? I think life and society are more about trying to stand out rather than try to fit in. But considering a society where we always feel like we have to compete every day to be atop the food chain, we feel like we need to constantly prove ourselves against others. No friends- just enemies all seeming to want the same brass ring you're pursuing.

What About the Others?

What about the ones who don't care or don't try to become popular? Fact about life is- not everyone is "cool" or trying to be "cool." Some people are just trying to live life and be themselves. They don't really care if they are trying to be the biggest and the best there is. Just because they are not popular, though, most people just don't care about them enough to where they can feel respected among peers. Some people may just be great people with great personalities, even if they lack the "cool" factor. Some of these people just somehow get rejected by others. That's why the cool guy who's in a rock band or on the school's football or basketball team than the guy who has a (to some people) boring personality that consistently makes the Honor Roll. That's why the sexy girl who can get any boy as her boyfriend because of her immense charm has a better chance at love than a down-to-earth girl who'd rather take her time to find love. Society is always the battle of the "cool" people, the "uncool" people, and those in-betweeners. You may think you're a "cool" person than what most people make you out to be. The fact is, though, nobody cares about you unless you GIVE them a reason to care. If your task is to stand out, you have to do something to really validate yourself among others. It usually means doing something impressive.





If you feel like you constantly have to compete to be the best among peers, it's best you just be yourself and let the Survival of the Fittest run its course in society. Who knows? Maybe you'll be around a bunch of losers... as you're the only winner among peers. I couldn't really care if I was or wasn't one of the "cool kids." All I know is that for everyone who thought I wasn't cool, at least there are friends who would argue that I am VERY cool regardless of what most other stuck-up and uppity peers think. The battle for ultimate coolness depends entirely on the people you are around and what could be done to make yourself stand out. Maybe the best advice to help you deal is this:

"It is better to stand out than fit in."

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