There was a period when he decided to stop explaining about himself. Not because he wanted to appear mysterious, but because every time he finished explaining, people misunderstood a little more. He said he liked working alone to concentrate, they said he was difficult to integrate. He said he didn't like gatherings, they said he was arrogant.
Once, you asked: "Why have you been so quiet all this time?". He said: "I have a little business to think about carefully". You patted me on the shoulder with sympathy: "Well, failure is always like that". He didn't bother to correct it. He just thought, don't worry, if everyone understood him from the beginning, maybe he wouldn't have any room to develop.
Being misunderstood is like a layer of armor. It helps him to be quieter, less scrutinized and have private space to work. Imagine if everyone knew all of his plans, every step was criticized or judged, then where would he have the mind to continue. He knows a female colleague who is always smiling, gentle and never argues. People think she is gentle, even easy-going. But when considering promotion, she was chosen because of her discreetness, neatness and not creating drama. She said a very good sentence: "I'm not afraid of people misunderstanding, as long as I don't go the wrong way, that's enough". Like many times, he realized that instead of using words, he uses work efficiency to build prestige and image for himself.
Patience and silence are the way to keep energy for more important things. The more you talk, the more people think you are arguing. But when you are silent and work, the result will speak up for you, slowly but surely.
Of course, you should not always be silent, but if you have to choose between explaining to half the world and silently going on the right path, you choose the next side. The right path will sooner or later lead to the destination, and people's misunderstandings will never have a deadline. So, if today someone looks at you and thinks you are out of sync, lunar or not okay, just smile. They are just seeing a short slice in your long journey. As for you, just know clearly where you are going. For the rest, just let time translate.
