When It’s Fun to be Awkward And When It’s Not

As you know, our program on how to become good at making conversation is named “Awkward to Awesome: The Art of Making Conversation”.

First, I had some second thoughts about this name. I want to share these thoughts with you because I think it also teaches us something about social life goals.

Reason 1 – Awkward can be a good thing

Sometimes, I don’t think it’s bad to be awkward. I still do awkward things. So does Viktor.

It can be fun to be awkward, and you can laugh about it later. Like that time I spoke English with a Swedish guy for half an hour before I figured out we were both from Sweden.

Having awkward traits makes you who you are. It’s just that when your awkwardness takes over and stops you from being who you want to be, it’s not so fun anymore.

Sometimes the awkwardness is even a symptom of social anxiety or shyness. At this point, it’s not fun and quirky anymore but something that holds us back.

That’s the kind of awkward we want to move away from.

Reason 2 – It felt scammy

When I started off, I wasn’t aiming to become “awesome” because back then, that’s not something I could identify with. And I don’t identify with being some kind of “Mr. Awesome”. That’s just tacky.

However, what I DO think it truly awesome today is the social life I have now. It’s not awesome as in bikini foam parties and celebrity BBQ nights because that’s not what gives me meaning. It is awesome in the way that I can be who I want to be with people I want to be with. I think it’s awesome to have a close family of friends who I can always reach out to and who I know has my back.

At least in my head, when I hear the “Awesome” in “Awkward to Awesome”, I’m thinking about how awesome the small things in a good social life can be: having a walk with a close friend and talking about life. Feeling at ease around people. Feeling confident that you always know what to say next. Always having close friends you can reach out to and hang out with.

What our readers had to say

Finally, when we surveyed our readers and beta testers about what name they liked the most, it won big time.

They thought it summed up what the program is about: How to go from awkward to awesome by mastering the art of making conversation.

That’s when we decided to officially go with that name.

P.S. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. What is YOUR definition of an “awesome” social life? Comment down below. I’ll try to reply to as many comments as I can!

David Morin is the founder of SocialSelf. He's been writing about social skills since 2012. Follow on Twitter or read more.

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  1. It’s to be comfortable enough in my own skin that I actually enjoy chatting with people without being self-conscious of my every word, eye contact, gesture etc…

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  2. I just like to have people who I can talk to where I don’t have to mask and force eye contact or try to appear normal despite sometimes doing so anyway.

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  3. For me, I would love to be able to just say hi to a group of people I know!! When I walk up to them and nobody turns around to acknowledge me I feel so stupid!! Or I say hi and nobody acknowledges me!! That is when I feel so stupid and little!!! How do I make them notice me?

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  4. For me, being socially awesome means to feel like a part of a people group I’m talking to, not being on the edge or even outside of it. And also not feeling limited by social interactions but rather enjoy them.

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  5. Being socially awesome,from my own definition:is being able to be open and comfortable to talk about anything around certain people,knowing that the people wont use your weak points to judge you.I think in general its just being yourself as you socialize

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  6. For me, being socially awesome means being kind and loving to yourself and those you come into contact with every single day. Respect yourself and also respect others, do or say what you want but always considering if your words/actions will affect others.
    Basically, do what makes you happy but not at the expense of others feelings/emotions.

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