Being Cringe is the New Skill

Being cringe is uncomfortable.
But avoiding it is worse.

Most of us stop ourselves not because we lack skills, but because we are scared of judgment.

“What will people think if I post this?”
“What if they laugh?”
“What if this looks stupid?”

So we stay silent.

My Story

I wanted to start a YouTube channel since my 12th standard.
The idea was always there.

But I didn’t start.

Not because I didn’t know what to create.
Not because I didn’t have time.

I didn’t start because I didn’t have confidence.

I was afraid of being judged, and because of that fear, I wasted almost 5–6 years.

If I had started back then—even with bad or cringe content—I would have learned faster.
I would have improved faster.

And I see this fear everywhere — especially on LinkedIn.

People hesitate to share small achievements.
They feel it’s not “big enough” to post.

But here’s the truth:

When you step out of your comfort zone — by posting, speaking, or sharing — you open doors you didn’t even know existed.

There’s a saying in Hindi that explains this perfectly:

“Log kya sochenge, yeh bhi hum hi sochenge, toh log kya sochenge?”

If we keep thinking for others, we never move forward.

It’s always better to get rejected than to regret not trying.

If you look at any creator today, they didn’t start polished.

They started:

And that’s okay.

Growth doesn’t come from perfection.

Growth comes from:

Being cringe is not a weakness.
It’s a skill.

And the sooner you learn it, the faster you grow.

Originally published on Medium