Be the Person Who Overestimates
The quiet power of seeing more in someone than they can see in themselves.
I just got back from a week in Nepal co-leading a high school student trip.
We hiked, visited UNESCO sites, ate like locals, tried (and mostly failed) to stay warm at night…
and ultimately came together as a group.
There were dozens of moments worth highlighting.
But one short conversation has stuck with me:
Kid 1: I don’t know bro, I’m kind of nerdy.
Kid 2: Bro, no you’re not. You’re really funny, bro.
Kid 1: Bro, I’m not funny.
Kid 3: Bro… you don’t get to decide what we think is funny. And you’re definitely funny, bro.
Kid 1: Thanks, bro.
First, I’ve never heard the word “bro” so many times in one week.
Second, this tiny interaction immediately made me think of this quote:
“Now, when a man has been underestimated by a friend, he has some cause for taking offense since it is our friends who should overestimate our capacities. They should have an exaggerated opinion of our moral fortitude, our aesthetic sensibilities, and our intellectual scope.”
— Amor Towles, A Gentleman in Moscow
There are plenty of people who will underestimate us. (ourselves included)
But more importantly…
who’s going to be there to overestimate us when we need it most?
And who needs us to overestimate them?
It also made me think about how often students borrow their identity from the people around them…
Their peers, their family, their teachers…
In so many ways, this is what teaching is:
overestimating a student until they catch up to your belief.
Yes, honesty matters.
But so does hope.
And sometimes people need faith before feedback.
It costs nothing to cheerlead.
It costs nothing to believe in someone.
It costs nothing to speak possibility over them.
So, who needs you to overestimate them right now?
A student.
A colleague.
A friend.
Someone who can’t quite see it yet…
but might grow into it faster if you speak it first.
And if you’re in need of someone to overestimate you right now…
shoot me a message.
Let me be that person for you.
Keep Asking,
Kyle