Advice

Here are some things I would tell my younger self... and things I plan to teach my children.  Some of these seem obvious, but they are lessons I've had to learn.

Go for it.  You'll miss out on many opportunities by being too cautious.  Fear and failure are part of life.  Learn from the failures and you'll learn to tolerate the fear.

You're right that being different can be a very good thing... but learning to relate is important.

Get an outside perspective.  Learn to respect the opinion of others even when they are misinformed or under-informed.  Get perspective from other cultures.  Even if you reject most of their ideas, you gain understanding and the ability to think flexibly.  You might even change your mind on important matters.

Yes, substance is more important than style -- but in a marketplace of ideas, style often wins -- and as a result has more influence.  Always take this into consideration, and you won't be so surprised at the way things go.

Most people have no problem with initiating violence to accomplish their goals or allay their fears.  This force is usually carried out through government, but not always.  Most of these people don't even recognize their actions are violent and will continue to deny it even when it's made clear.

There's nothing wrong with being wrong.  It's only foolish when you choose to stay that way after being confronted with the facts.

Don't fault people for valuing feelings over facts.  Although the heart is often wrong, validated facts can do just as much damage when applied without feeling.  (for an extreme example, think German bioethics).