In high school, no one wanted to be a misfit. Rather, we wanted to be the cool kid. The one who was dating the cheerleader.
It made sense. If we fit in, if we were popular, we’d be liked.
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Years later, I see how wrong this high school mindset was.
Misfits Rule
Looking back on my school days, it was the popular kids who got all the attention. Looking at them today, very few went on to anything productive.
Now, the misfits… The science geeks. The bookworms. The math lovers. The easily distracted. The class clowns…
These guys are different. These guys have gone on to make more of an impact in life than the popular students.
Why?
These social misfits know something the average kid didn’t. They knew it didn’t matter if they fit in or fit out.
What mattered was that they did what needed to be done. Yes, even the class clown did something special (he entertained).
This is why the misfits rule the world in the end. They don’t care what others think. They just do.
Misfits You May Know
There are misfits all over the world. Many you’ll never know of. Then there’s the ones you do know.
Chris Brogan – Chris is the author of The Freaks Shall Inherit The Earth, a fantastic book the wonderful Tania Dakka gifted me. Chris is a freak or a misfit. The exact name doesn’t matter. Their attitude does though.
Throughout his life, Chris felt that he never truly fit in. He didn’t want a traditional job. He didn’t want to do what normal people did. He was a freak.
But in the things he’s done, he’s seen success and failure. Yet he’s forged on. That’s what misfit leaders do.
Austin Kleon – Austin is an artist and an author. He released the book Steal Like An Artist. Even the title of his book sounds like something a misfit would write.
He’s pushing the message that you don’t have to be a genius or appear special to be creative. You can be and you are.
His message is one of a misfit’s life. Take risks, live life, be you.
Dave Ramsey – Yeah, I know what you’re thinking: Dave Ramsey is a misfit? I believe so.
Think about it. Dave’s message was out there when he first began talking about personal finance.
People thought he was crazy as he told those in debt to start paying off their smallest debts first. Get the debt snowball rolling, as he would say.
This personal finance message was out there and many labeled Dave a misfit.
Today, he’s the owner of a financial empire that has helped a multitude of people get out of debt.
Be A Misfit Leader
You don’t have to fit in to lead. Rather, it’s better you didn’t fit in.
Your skills, abilities, and interests make you unique. And this will make you interesting as a leader.
Use your misfit tendencies to lead your followers. They’ll appreciate more than if you tried to lead like everyone else.
Question: Are you leading like a misfit? Why or why not? Let’s talk about this in the comment section below.
Please note: I reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive or off-topic.