Renaldi Adrian

Cringe—a word that became familiar with in the past decade, but the experience of being cringe is something that we’ve known since childhood.

These days, being labeled as cringe or seeing cringe-worthy content are much easier since the boom of social media. Unlike in the 2000s, when you have to physically do something, somewhere to execute your idea so that it get noticed. Now, we can simply share an idea online, just like this web.

One of the problem of sharing idea is the fear of being labeled as cringe. To overcome this, there’s one question that you need to ask yourself: Is this useful for other people? What you share should either be informative, helpful or entertain people.

Combining your brain with your gut is important. Embracing cringe is just the outermost layer, but to actually do it, you need to consider this question before sharing: Is this useful to others? What you share should be helpful, informative, or entertaining. As the saying from The Power of One goes by Bryce Courtenay, “First with the head, then with the heart.” Think with your head first—if you believe it’s useful, then pursue it with your heart and enjoy it to the fullest.

In your journey to embrace your cringe, consider these two things: “When you find things you genuinely enjoy, don’t let anyone else make you feel bad about it. Don’t feel guilty about the pleasure you take in the things you enjoy. Celebrate them.” and “The act of sharing is one of generosity—you’re putting something out there because you think it might be helpful or entertaining to someone on the other side of the screen.” from Show Your Work by Austin Kleon.

While pursuing the things you genuinely enjoy, it’s important to stay humble and be open to feedback. Some critiques may come on your way, and it’s you’ll need to embrace them. Take the constructive ones and ignore the destructive ones. Remember, feedback and critiques can be your fuel for growth. Once you’ve embraced your cringe, the next step is learning to take a few punches along the way. Here’s a quote from Brian Michael Bendis: