Steem4nigeria Accelerator Contest Week 91: Not what you think

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You know, sometimes the most painful thing in life is not that people don’t like you, but that people think they know you but in truth they don’t. They see you from a distance, hear a few things, and then judge you like they’ve lived your whole life. That’s what being misunderstood feels like — and trust me, it’s not a nice place to be.

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What do you understand by being "Misunderstood"?

What I Understand by Being Misunderstood

To be misunderstood, in my own words, means you’re seen in a way that does not speak of who you truly are. People misinterprete your actions, your silence, your jokes, your choices and even your body language. This can be likened to wearing a jacket that doesn’t fit — no matter how much you explain, they just don't get it.

Sometimes, it’s not even their fault. Everyone is seeing life through their own perspective. But when they start treating you wrongly or spreading wrong impressions, it begins to hurt. Badly.

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Have you found yourself in such a situation, if yes, kindly share with us your experience

My Experience – They Thought I Was Arrogant

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Let me not lie, I’ve been misunderstood many times, but one particular experience still sticks.

Back then in school, I wasn’t the type to move around with crowds. I wasn’t antisocial, but I just preferred being alone. I was either in class, in the library, or at home watching movies or playing games. I talked when I had something to say. I didn’t do “follow follow” and I didn’t jump into every gist. That was just me.

But guess what? Some people started calling me proud. Yes, proud. They said I was acting “too big,” that I was forming like I was better than everyone else. Some even said I didn’t greet them — when in fact, I was deep in my head most of the time and didn’t even notice.

It didn’t stop there. One day, I walked into a group assignment meeting and one of my course mates said, “Ah, he showed up? Wow, you finally decided to mingle with us low people.” Everyone laughed, but me, I just smiled. Deep down, I felt like screaming, because this wasn't funny at all.

I felt judged for just being myself. And even though I tried to explain later, some people already made up their minds.

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How did you feel and how did you handle the misconception

How It Made Me Feel and How I Handled It

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It really messed me up, I won't lie, it even got to a point where I would ask myself questions. But after sitting back and looking back on all those things, I concluded that, you should never be concerned with the way people see you. You can never please people no matter how good, kind and caring you are they will also find a way to say something bad about you. That's human for you.

So, I decided to stop trying to explain myself to everyone. Instead, I focused on the few people who took time to really know me — the ones who understood my silence, saw my loyalty, and appreciated my personality.

That doesn’t mean I became cold. No. I just stopped forcing myself into places where I wasn’t welcomed or appreciated.

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Some Lessons I Learned from That Phase

1. People see what they want to see – For people whatever you do does not count especially when they have tagged you as a kind of bad person because of your character, even if you try helping people, they still tag it as show-off, even if your intentions are pure. So it shouldn't be your concern on how they feel but you doing what is right

2. Silence is often misunderstood – Not everyone understands quiet people. But that’s okay.

3. You don’t owe everyone an explanation – Sometimes, the more you explain, the more confused they get.

4. It’s okay to be misunderstood by some, as long as you’re understood by the right people.

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Is there any advice you would love to give to your readers so they don't find themselves in your shoes

Advice to My Readers

The advice I can give to my readers, is this

• Be yourself Don’t let other people’s opinion shape you into someone you’re not.

• Try to communicate when necessary — but don’t overdo it. If someone truly wants to understand you, they will.

• Don’t return bitterness for bitterness — if they misunderstand you, don’t misunderstand them back. Stay kind, stay calm.

• Keep your small circle close — you don’t need the whole world to understand you. Just a few real ones are enough.

And to those who always jump to conclusions, please, pause next time. Ask questions. Understand people’s stories before you label them.

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Final Thoughts – It’s Not Always What You Think

So many people walk around daily wearing invisible scars from being misunderstood. Some people withdraw, lose confidence, or even fall into depression because of how others painted them wrongly.

We live in a world where people easily believe on the outward appearance and action, more than the truth, they are quick to judge and condemn. THIS SHOULD NOT BE SO.

So when we interact with people we should learn not to draw conclusions based on what we see, so as not to hurt them.
Every person, has a story. Every story, has a truth that may surprise you — if only we can take our time to even listen and don't judge.

I invite @promisezella @calculuseyo1 @mr-peng to participate in this contest.