“Where did you come from?”

[You - VII]

The tongue-in-cheek question Where did you come from? is often a hurtful statement about belonging.

Obviously, you’re from here, Toronto, Tuscan, or anywhere else you may have grown up. But that’s not the message being sent. The message is this: You don’t quite fit in, which means you’re not from here!

This question stings, not because it’s true, but because it’s familiar. And it’s familiar because people like us ask it of ourselves often.

Here’s the bad news: It will always sting. And people will keep asking because exclusion is a powerful tool for the insecure. (And the more subtle the exclusion, the better it hides the insecurity.)

Here’s the good news: There's never been an advancement in society,
growth in culture,
invention in tech,
discovery in science,
fresh idea in art, and
expansion of faith
by anyone (or any team) that totally felt at home here.

Consider the question Where did you come from? a compliment. It’s one of the best indicators you’re thinking creatively and knocking on the door of something new.