Why I love misfits

There is a special place in my heart for the misfits of this world.

For those who can’t, or won’t, fit in.

They are brave souls.

They walk along a narrow line which leads them into lonely places.

When most of society is squashed into a crowded box, craving popularity, applauding the noise of the masses, the misfits listen to the whispers of their own heart.

It leads them into strange places. They are witnesses to a world the popular fit-ins will never see. They have access to a dimension most of us are oblivious to.

We owe our best inventions to them. The most breathtaking acts of artistic expression. Even the devices we use everyday that make our lives easier were once a concept in some misfit’s mind. Without them, this world would be without colour or innovation. We’d be living in caves, speaking in grunts.

That’s why my fiction is dedicated to them. Forget the alpha male. The flawless heroine. I steer my ship far away from them. I love the misfits. The outcasts. Those who walk the narrow line. They are the geniuses.

So, if you don’t fit into a neat little box and you don’t blindly follow the masses. Three cheers to you. And if you’re young and already feeling the pressure to conform, then please, do yourself a favour and don’t.

Honour yourself.

Walk your own path.

Withdraw from the pressure outside yourself and go within. That’s where the treasure lies. Everything precious is hidden deep in your centre. Not out there.

I see you. You are amazing. The light around you is breathtaking.

Let yourself shine, beautiful.

Alone, if need be.

Better that, than dull yourself down to fit in.

“And maybe that’s what a misfit is to me: someone with the ability to become increasingly dangerous, in incredibly loving ways, and not care what people think about it. [written by Jason Arias]”
― Lidia Yuknavitch, The Misfit’s Manifesto