Putting yourself out there when being obviously different

Here's a quick word of encouragement, if like me you're a non native english speaker and yet is communicating in English.

Or feel free to replace it with anything that you feel is making you “obviously” different. 

If you've been wanting to put yourself out there, and communicate with the rest of the world, just like I've been wanting to do (and doing), don't let this be an issue, because even if you make grammar errors, even if you don't pronounce words perfectly, if your accent is easily recognizable, it's okay because some people will appreciate it anyway.

When I first moved to London at 22 y.o., I was very self-conscious about my French accent. I was hoping I'll be able to adopt the beautiful British accent. After all, I was such an avid appreciator of Oscar Wilde, Jane Austin and The Monty Pythons that I could already picture myself delivering some witty repartee, spoken with an elegant Cambridge English.

Alas, it was not to be! 

I was to be found out as being foreign as soon as I opened my mouth!

Over the years, I've come to accept the fact that, well, I will always have my French undertone when I speak English (and probably any other language).

And to my surprise, I've been complimented so many times for that!

People have told me repeatedly that my accent is so charming.

And truth be told,  if you're anything like me, you probably love it when a foreigner makes the effort to speak your language, and do so with an accent.

At least, I love it! I love hearing foreigners speak French!

First, it doesn't happen so often, and when it does, I'm like “wow, that's so sweet”. I think it makes it sound different, charming and interesting (even sexy at times), very exotic - I feel like I'm traveling a bit by listening to them. It also makes me understand their language a  bit more. And with language comes culture and different ways of thinking and perceiving the world. 

I think the reverse is the same. It's fair to assume that native English speakers (at least, some) would appreciate that we bring something a bit different, that we're a bit exotic

I could be doing all my communication in French, sure, but in fact, I don't speak French so well, especially when it's about design and personal development 

I've been living abroad for so long that my French is rigged with Anglicism!

More importantly though, I want to communicate with an international community. I want to be able to have meaningful conversations with people from different countries, all over the world. That's what feels so interesting and exciting about the world we live in these days! Diversity!

I like to think of it like a large garden, filled with different flower varieties, each with their unique scent, colours, and petal shapes. 

If you feel like me, please don't let it stop you. It doesn't matter what other people think.

Yes, there will be some people who will find ways to judge you and say you don't speak well enough and you have an accent and blah blah blah… But who cares anyway about these people? It's okay, they can think whatever…

Maybe they're just not your people. Just focus on those who will appreciate you for who you are, for what you have to share, not these superficial parameters.

And also, you know, I've been living in many countries across the globe, and what I found is when people want to communicate, they will always find ways.

There's no need for perfection. This is just a barrier of the mind, it's perfectionism, the idea that one must speak the language perfectly before one can speak up. Because the only way to improve in a language is to speak it, to practice it. It's the same with everything actually. The more you practice the more you improve.

I also think that the intention you put behind what you do and say is more important: do you want to share, do you want to talk, do you want to do things just to prove that you're perfect?

Or is it coming from your heart and your intention is to communicate, to inspire and get inspired, and exchange ideas with others? Because if that's the case, then language doesn't count.

The language of the heart is universal, that I can tell you.

As Human beings, we are the same all across the world. We may see things a bit differently, but at the end of the day, we have the same fears, the same joys, a human heart …

I'll even argue a the heart of a living being.

photo by Linfeng Li