english-for-designers

“Naive”

by Adéla Koukalová

01 Nov 2023

Naive. This word used to fiddle with my insecurity quite a bit.

It’s no secret that when we’re young, we’re bound to be naive. You don’t know any better, after all. I mean, you have to start somewhere, though. You also have to experience things, good and bad, and sometimes both can hurt a little, too. But that’s what shapes you into the person you later become.

So, a few years ago, I had a crush on my classmate. Despite only knowing each other for a few weeks at the time, I felt like he understood me as a person. I never told him how I felt, but he noticed it pretty early on. “So you have a crush on me, huh? You know, you’re really naive.“, he said as if he was mocking me. I got embarrassed but it was a bit of a relief, too. He said it to my face with the most careless expression that I remember to this day. I’d be lying if I said he didn’t hurt my feelings. It made me think that what I felt for him was insignificant. And I, as a person, was insignificant.

But this dark mindset soon faded away. I started meeting new people. I found new hobbies. I began learning new things about myself as a person. And this new attitude on life became a vast inspiration for my past self. But it also remains a motivation for the person I strive to be in the future.

I’ve learned that being an “open book“ isn’t always a bad thing. Life’s way too short for you to play games or keep it cool with someone you care about. Sometimes, the best thing to do is to shoot your shot. Being yourself and showing vulnerability can become your power move, even when you’re risking embarrassment or heartbreak. Sure, sometimes, it’s better to hide your feelings to protect your ego. But if you’re infatuated with someone, telling them upfront will help you to move on. One way or another, if you don’t tell them now, you might regret it later.

Being naive used to represent something bad, pitiful, and not very cool in my eyes. It used to be this “icky“ trait of mine that I had wanted to get rid of. All because of a silly remark from a guy I was putting on a pedestal, as it goes with crushes.

Thanks to my new outlook, I changed the negative perception of myself. It was an illusion, an obstacle preventing me from becoming who I am today. So what if someone thinks I’m naive? Let me stay that way. It might be true that too much naivety isn’t good for you. But that doesn’t mean you should always be rational and never make mistakes. You’ll lose a sense of hope and excitement. Without naivety, one becomes heartless. And without heart, one can’t love. If you can’t love, life is pointless. And don’t forget to give Naive a fist-bump next time you meet up.