The beauty of being a misfit | Lidia Yuknavitch

To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. "Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."

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[kinsmed]

"There is no true genius without a touch of madness." -Robin Williams

[MelanieAnneAhern]

I expected this to be a sort-of "everyone's a special snowflake everything about you is special blah blah" talk- but it really wasn't. It was simply the encouraging words of a woman who has felt out of place in the labels she's felt she needed to take on.
Honestly, I think everyone has felt at one time or another what this woman describes.
Just yesterday I was talking with my mom about how I feel odd because I'm not doing the things I "should be doing" for someone my age. I get so easily distracted by what others are doing, and what others think about what I'M doing. I so often feel like a misfit. So I am grateful for this TED talk.
"Your story deserves to be heard, because you rare and phenomenal misfit you, new species, are the only one in the room who can tell the story the way you would." I'll keep this in my heart.

[dansortizo]

"Even at the moment of your failure. You are beautiful. You don't know it yet but you have the ability to reinvent yourself, endlessly."

[Maracujakeks]

"You can reinvent yourself endlessly." Love that quote!

[anasahistifarin]

you know what they say the most damaged people are the wisest

[Natalia_Belenkaya]

As a 46 year old working in a convenience store, I'm watching this with tears in my eyes - sometimes all you do is choke on that voice your story will never get. Not that it's such a big loss for mankind or anything. What a brave, beautiful woman, so willing to admit her humble beginnings, and what a gorgeous flower she blossomed into, despite all that.

[hafsamohamdy]

-
"And the dream of being a writer was really kind of like a small sad stone in my throat!"

Wow! Honestly this lady's speech touched the strings of my heart that I can't describe how deep it felt 💖

[moniquevamado]

This is pure GOLD. I understand every word. My favorite TED talk yet. Bless.

[urbanbeardman]

"Here's to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels...". Thank you for such an inspiring and genuine talk. Thank you.

[MayaA-wqce]

What a courageous woman!! This is truly inspiring and eye-opening.. Unfortunately, we never really pay attention to the people around us who are struggling. Just because we dont know their story doesnt mean they dont have one.

[Eddietheallrounder]

I'm really glad I took the time to watch this. I have no idea if you'll read these comments, but I have endless respect for you already, for managing to get back on your feet. We're not defined by our mistakes or our misfortunes, but rather the person that we become after all is said and done. And you seem like a pretty great person.

[rock]

I can relate to this. You feel like you're on the periphery of life observing everything that's going on around you, but you can't put a voice to it. You're spinning your wheels trying to figure out why you're the odd man out all the time. There's a certain beauty in that process of self-discovery. You take those horrible moments in your life and try to put a positive spin on them so you can come out the other end a stronger person. Like the saying goes, what doesn't kill you will make you stronger.

[Yarshy.]

Feel so out of place in this world and like I don't deserve to be happy, thank you for this talk. :(

[THEcold]

I loved this. I think everyone can, at least a little bit, identify with being a misfit in some way. We tend to value conforming to cultural norms rather than encouraging odd individuality. Sometimes one's entire life can be changed by embracing that which makes them a misfit, rather than tucking it away in order to fit in. I guess this is just a fancy way of saying "be yourself."

[binitfrancis]

I feel I am a misfit too.. I am 20 years old and today I myself distroyed my opportunity to graduate by not writing my exams. The thing which I learned by now is that we don't have cure for our problems.. they simply haunt you and when times come when you feel okay and then you keep on digging on your past and re Kindle those pain. And now the root issue is that even being a misfit and even after knowing that moving on and doing things will make you stronger.. we tend to stuck ourself, we keep this sense of hopelessness when hard times hit us. Maybe that's life. It's altogether a different world than we expected or as we assumed it to be. But yeah today, I would like to thank you for healing me, for making me feel something worth.

[AppleSlicesUnite]

This made me cry at the realization of my story's potential

[whatsinaname-jf]

The one TED talk I keep coming back to. I love that woman and her writing. She has saved me more than once, and keeps on doing so

[Erebus..]

Wow, touching stuff. As a former homeless, ex alcoholic, recovering heroin addict, that was so moving. Thank you Lidia Yuknavitch and TED.(Only came here after hearing about this talk in one of her books I've just started.)

[nfjbveo]

i love this. Even when you fail, you are still beautiful. You always have the opportunity to change yourself. You can give yourself the opportunity to be proud of yourself. This is your beauty.

[whatsinaname-jf]

My favourite ever TED talk from one of my favourite authors. I keep coming back to this talk, and it never fails to make me nod, and cry, and feel comforted. Such beauty, such fragility.