Meet David Kendall

Meet David Kendall our first Awkward Spotlight Feature!!

Written by: Keedra Kendall, Awkward Society CEO

David is an aspiring Chef & Business Owner with dreams of starting and running his own Restaurant that will feature creative, unique, & outside of the box menu items. His dream is to work his restaurant alongside his staff from waiting tables, prepping/cooking meals, to running the daily functions of his restaurant. Talk about hard work and dedication! David also happens to be my youngest brother and one of the motivating factors to focus the brand Awkward Society™ on individuals who feel like they did not fit in with their peers, but have so much drive and desire to chase their dreams. David is unique, driven, and full of life. Here's David's story....

1. Who Is David Kendall? (In his own words)

I've been described as an Oreo, [but] I'm eccentric and different in many ways. I'm a kindhearted person with a little bit of assertiveness. People really enjoy my presence. I've learned and grown up as a person who is caring and loving.

"I'm very to myself but I invoke and attract people who are the same way and they enjoy the refreshing personality of someone who treats them the way they should be treated"-David Kendall

2. When You look in the mirror, what do YOU see when YOU see David?

I see a regular dude that has grown up his life in the same household with a loving family.

I see someone that wants to love other people the same way I have been loved, it's a small thing I can attribute back to the community.

When I look in the mirror I see someone who has potential to change a lot of things but just needs a little time to find the way to change it.

"I see someone who has potential to change a lot of things" -David Kendall

3. What Makes You Awkward?

"Oh WOW, There's A LOT GO THINGS THAT MAKE ME AWKWARD!"

I'm different from the norm, I've never been able to sit in a room and feel like I'm welcomed.

I've grown up in a church family. Whenever I walk into the room people look at me different because that's the presence I've been around and the anointing that my parents have given me. So when I walk into the room they ask "oh isn't your father a pastor?" And I'm like "HE IS!". So I've always been that kid that was set apart and different.

At one point I thought to myself "Oh yeah I need to fit in!", so I did. When I decided that I didn't have to [fit in] a lot of things changed. A lot of people started coming into my life and they felt that they were impacted by my life.

It's crazy when I sit and think about what life has been, what life goes to, and how when I look at the life I lived and the life I'm living...I'm never going to be a part of that norm. I'm always going to be Awkward because I have a different mindset, I have a different drive. I have a different way of thinking and being about myself than the average teenager that's 19. I'm thinking about myself and how deep life is and how impacting I'm going to have to be.

I always want to better myself and other people because people are my area and who I decide to thrive upon. I'd rather have my close people and the people I care about in the same area, same mindset, and same drive I'm trying to bestow up on myself.

"I'm always going to be Awkward because I have a different mindset, I have a different drive. I have a different way of thinking..."- David Kendall

4. Now that we know what makes you Awkward...What would you say was your Awkward Moment?

When I was younger in middle school (the start of when I decided who I was going to be). It was a rough year of me finding myself. 6th grade was rough, I got into a lot of trouble. This was the year the moment hit me like man "I'm just different!" 7th grade I decided to change and try football to maybe see if I can norm myself up some. 8th grade year I noticed none of this mattered..."I'm going to High School, I'm going to be away from all these people and none of this really matters".

9th grade was the epitome of my "Awkward Moment", almost similar to my 6th grade year. I said what is going on, what's going to happen? I'm in a new area, we're going to start something new! I was like alright, cut all this negativity out and I became a FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America) member. The best part of a whole new panel of I AM SOMEONE DIFFERENT, I AM SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, I'M GOING TO BE A LEADER WHO IS DIFFERENT. FBLA was the start of where I began doing public speaking and customer service. FBLA developed me as a person.

When I graduated there was a moment when I started going to work and interacting with different people on my new job, they started to notice my different mindset and would ask "Why do you act and talk like this? Why do you talk white". I know how to act, I know how to be myself and that just shows.

A lot of people [believe] that they have their own norm in their mind, so when you show them that you can be something different they don't understand. It drove me more into who I am to myself and I started to improve. I got to work for another company and my manager reached out to me about starting the path of becoming a General Manager (GM). Showing more and more that me being me as a person and not conforming to the norm will show that you can be something different like a GM at the age of 19 or 20.

You do not have to conform to the standards that society has for you. There are many things you can do to be different from everybody else instead of thinking like "this is who I have to be because this is what everybody else is like, this is what everybody else thinks I am". But then you sit and it strikes in your head like...what if I'm that person that needs to be different, what if I'm that person that has to do something incredibly different than everybody [else] instead of sitting at that norm. Showing something that is different to show other people that even if it's just talking to another person that no one has talked to, that situation shows that you can be that person to thrive and be something that no one else has ever done [or become].

*This moment touched me. To see that David dug deep to find the courage to be himself and become that mirror for others to see stepping outside of your shell can lead to amazing opportunities with endless possibilities. We are so often judged on our outside appearance and counted out before others get the opportunity to know our true self. Be careful who you count out, they could be the next genius of our generation. *

"I AM SOMEONE DIFFERENT, I AM SOMEONE WHO IS GOING TO BE DIFFERENT, I'M GOING TO BE A LEADER WHO IS DIFFERENT."-David Kendall

5. What are 3 goals you are achieving or plan to achieve in the next 5 years?

1. Becoming healthy- I put myself in a lot of situations where I don't optimize myself. I want to focus on being healthy so I can do better and be better.

2. Receive an internship at a restaurant or a company that will best thrive me. I want to learn the management part of becoming a business

3. Start networking and meeting people to develop friendships/partnerships that will help me strive towards concepts and ideas to start my own restaurant business. I have goals within goals and plan to help others around me along the way to reach some of their goals.

*I had to pause and let David know there is a genius inside of him. How amazing is it that within achieving his dreams he has a heart of gold to help others achieve their goals along the way!"*

"Even if you think you're going to sink you're not going to sink just by faith and by being able to trust in yourself that you know who you are going to be as a person and who you want to be a person you'll be able to swim at all times" -David Kendall

6. What other advice do you have for others that feel like they do not fit in with today's society?

For my generation...we think too much and strive/drive for other peoples admiration's, options, thoughts, and views. That's definitely what we need to stop doing. A lot of things are driven off what others think. If someone's mad at you, you want to change your attitude because they're mad at you or if someone doesn't approve of you, you want to change who you are to please them. We've changed so much that we will never truly be able to reach our goals.

There was one quote I heard "If you're trying to be the person next to you, who's going to be YOU?". That hit me in my heart because I was thinking...I've tried to be like other people or tried to be Drake, or Future, or Kendrick but they're already Drake, Future, and Kendrick so who's going to be David Kendall? Who's going to be that person that is going to be different? Who's going to be that 19 year old kid that accomplish everything but he still feels like he can accomplish more to find that ultimate goal. Who's going to be David Kendall? Who's going to be that person that you think you're going to be? You can't try to be someone else because you're not going to be yourself. Who's going to take your shoes?

People should want to be themselves within you or want those attributes that you have. They want to see that bravery. That bravery and courage that you have, they're trying to be in that also. If you give that up to be someone else, others are missing out because you are that model to show other people that they can keep going. Show them that they can keep striving and do the things that they want to do. Show them that they can be that person that they want to be within themselves.

So I feel like our generation needs to focus up more. We need to stay out of the drama/stay out of the negativity and just focus on who we are as people. We need to focus on what we can do to better ourselves. Even if you feel like you don't have your way...find something that you enjoy, find something that you do every single day, find something that makes you happy. I promise you that you can find it and it will be worth it! We need to focus on ourselves because ourselves are important to. If people see you trying and striving towards something they will support you, don't worry about not fitting in.

*Once again I'm left speechless and reply "WOW, I needed to hear that..I needed to hear that". Mr. Kendall I see a bright future ahead for you!*

"I've tried to be like other people or try to be Drake, or Future, or Kendrick but they're already Drake, Future, and Kendrick so who's going to be David Kendall?"-David Kendall

7. How can people reach out to you? (Others inspiring to become a chef/restaurant owner or someone struggling with their self and wanted to reach out and speak to you)