Embrace the Cringe 💪

I’ll never forget the smirk on my friend’s face when I told him I wanted to be a YouTuber. Actually, I never even used the word “YouTuber” (I was too scared to). I simply told him I wanted to “maybe start making videos about my classes and stuff.”

He wanted to laugh. And look—I don’t blame him. Nothing in his years of knowing me even hinted at this ambition of mine.

But I’ll never forget how utterly discouraged and uncertain I felt once I got back to my dorm room.

“Should I start a YouTube channel?”

“What if my friends and family see it?”

“Will I look stupid?”

I wrangled with these questions for most of my junior year of college, deciding to put my ambitions on the back-burner for fear of judgement—for fear of being “cringe.”

Fast forward to senior year: COVID hits and I’m back at home. I’m away from my friends.

Wait… I’m away from my friends.

If I make videos, sure, my friends might see them, but at least I won’t have to confront that embarrassment in person. Feeling like I had a safety net, I started posting videos.

Gohar’s Guide was anything but an overnight hit, but by the end of my senior year, I had amassed around 200,000 followers. That subtle skepticism from my friends quickly turned into overt praise.

I’m not writing this to bash on my friends. I love them to death—and their support has been pivotal to my journey these past few years. Rather, I’m writing this to highlight the discomfort that arises when trying something new.

Doesn’t matter what it is. Could be trying a new hairstyle, experimenting with your wardrobe, practicing a new hobby, starting a business, and yes, posting YouTube videos.

You will always—always—confront discomfort, usually externally and then internally. But if I could leave you with one message, it’s this: embrace the cringe.

Look, I know that the tens of thousands of you who are reading this are some of the most ambitious students on the planet. And I feel it would be an immense disservice to yourself, and the world, if you stifled these ambitions in pursuit of fitting in. The attributes that make you “weird” are the ones that distinguish you, and ultimately, make you successful.

The fundamental issue here is the distance between where you start and where you want to be. The greater that distance, the more “cringe” your pursuit might seem. For example, imagine you’re trying to become an influencer but have zero followers.

For your first few videos, you will have to pretend that you’re talking to an audience even when nobody’s listening. Some might not only consider this cringe, but delusional, lol. But this awkward growth phase is the inevitable cost of success.

What differentiates the average from the great is who’s willing to pay it.

What did you think about this newsletter? If you made it this far, DM me “💪” on Instagram (@goharsguide) along with any thoughts!

If you want study help, come join my Discord! We have a global community of students helping each other succeed in school. I’d love to see you there.

And if you need help with college essays, check out Next Admit! We have a team of Ivy League consultants eager to help you navigate the admissions process.

I’ll see you next week!

Best,
Gohar