Misunderstood

One year in college, my girlfriend invited me home for Thanksgiving dinner. It was lovely, so I wrote a thoughtful thank-you note to her parents, thanking them for their hostility. 

The correct word would have been hospitality. 

Coming to America, my English was terrible. A.k.a., this is one of many examples I could have given. 

I grew up with a speech disability. There were a half dozen letters of the alphabet that I couldn't say at all. Also, I had a pretty intense lisp. In retrospect, I was bullied quite a bit because of all of it. They had even made up a song about me. Fortunately, I confused bullying with getting attention, which I liked. 

Because of language barriers, I was often misunderstood in life. When you know you might be misunderstood, you have two choices. 

Still speak up. Or say nothing. 

I am lucky that I always kept speaking up. 

It has allowed me to launch several successful businesses that started everything but flushed out. It has also allowed me to write hundreds of blog posts, many of which are only partially thought-through intellectual explorations of whatever topic I write about. (LIKE THIS ONE) 

Most people don't want to be misunderstood. It's scary, so they never ask. They never publish. They never apply. They never launch. 

When you're willing to be misunderstood, you have a superpower. And it gets stronger every time you use it. 

Next time, when you're doubting yourself, permit yourself to be misunderstood. 

The world would be a better place.