Our daughter always shone in her primary school. We encouraged her to fit in… by standing out. She was popular enough not to be bullied or ridiculed when excelling at subjects, particularly the arts, music and drama. Her confidence soared and she loved school.
Last summer she started secondary school and we’ve noticed a change. With the increased peer pressure she now has an overwhelming desire to blend in, to fit in, not by standing out but by doing as the others do. As a result she’s not particularly excelling at any subject and she enjoys going to school less and less.
She’s 12. She is learning and what she is going through is all part of growing up. We can only encourage her to rekindle that enthusiasm and once more be that confident young girl we all know she can be.
This is a familiar story for many folk. Society tells us we must fit in. Don’t rock the boat. Bide your time, quietly and without a fuss and everything will be OK.
When employers are recruiting staff, as well as having the right qualifications, qualities and experience, they want the people they hire to ‘fit in’ – nothing worse than a new face upsetting a stable apple cart.
If you’re a prospective employee there is a desire to fit in too, but if you have ambition then there’s also an element of not wanting to blend in too much. You’d like to get noticed, admired for your unique qualities and be utilized and rewarded accordingly.
As a business owner though you should always be looking to stand out. You should be desperate to shout from the rooftops about your business. Getting noticed is the name of the game. Fitting in and being just like the other businesses in your market is a recipe for disaster.
Strive for uniqueness. Dare to be different, expand your comfort zones and enjoy the spoils of not being just one of the crowd.
Picture by c.a.muller
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