12 Keys to Success for Misfits, Weirdos & Introverts

There are many self-help books out there that cover the topic of how to succeed, but I have found they all hold basic presumptions about the individuals reading them-they assume the reader is a normal, everyday person. I would read books and become disheartened because they didn't address the unique challenges I faced as a misfit. Conventional wisdom only partially helped me to overcome my specific hurdles. I grew up very poor without the resources or guidance that many of my peers had. I thought differently, dreamt differently, and most importantly, acted differently than those around me.

Yet somehow, I was able to succeed in doing everything from serving as a military officer, a U.S. diplomat, an educator, and an entrepreneur. Perhaps the biggest lesson I have learned in my life is that when you are different, the rules are different, as well. You are forced to think outside of the box because you don't fit into any. However, I have also learned that are misfits are divinely appointed by God to fulfill a specific purpose.

As a misfit, you've spent your entire life as a round peg trying to fit into a square hole. No one has ever spoken to your specific circumstance or taught you how to exist in a world that doesn't get you. In our society, we are taught wear masks, blend in, and reject things we don't understand. Well, what happens when you can't blend in? What happens when you are the thing that is misunderstood? We are constantly told to build up alter egos, but we never have a chance to strip down and deal with the heart of who we are.

This is not a How to Win Friends and Influence People kind of book. In fact, this book is not about changing others' reactions to you, but rather, changing your reaction to others.Your life will be different as a misfit, and how you prepare for that will determine if it is different in a good way or a bad way. Now is the time to use your unique attributes for your benefit. Misfits don't need cookie cutter advice-they need something that will meet them where they are and get them to where they need to be. Therefore, this book is designed to give you as many tools as possible to overcome whatever specific situation you are facing as a misfit, weirdo, or introvert.

Because in the end, radically different people need radically different advice.