Not Fitting In is Okay

When I returned to the office after a four-day break, it became clear that my job and the vision I have for my life were not in alignment. Let’s set aside the fact that the work environment is toxic. What I realized—and to be honest, I’ve known it for some time—is that this is not a place of growth. It’s not a place where I can reach my full potential. I am a lion among sheep. And while not fitting in is okay, I’m staying because staying is the easy route. But it comes with a cost…

Know When to Fold Them

If, as Jim Rohn writes in The Power of Ambition, “our natural destiny is to grow, succeed, prosper, and find happiness,”¹ staying in my current job is a path to failure. While staying is easy, because it provides a guaranteed paycheque, it’s not something that I find fulfilling. And each day is a slog to get ready and go into work.

How long do you stay when something doesn’t feel right? When you dread the moment you have to leave the house? When all you’re doing is counting down to your days off? Maybe it’s time to evaluate my options, to find a better fit. Because if I’m not able to grow where I am, what’s the point in staying?

Not Fitting In is Okay

Sometimes you have to vent, get your frustrations out there so you can actually see the situation before you. When I’m honest with myself, if I’m not fitting in where I am now what makes me think that I’m going to fit in somewhere else? Because, at the end of the day, I’m always going to be me. If not fitting in is okay, then can I find a way to make the best of the situation? Can I take responsibility for my growth and development?

Of course, I can. Because there’s no hard and fast rule that says my growth and development has to apply to my job. In my downtime, I can work on becoming the person I want to become. It comes down to a mindset shift, and if you’re open to seeing the possibilities that still lay before you.

And, yes, I’m going to remind you that you are loved, you are worthy, and you matter. And, best of all, you do not need anyone’s permission to be—unapologetically—who you are.

1. Rohn, J. (2022). The Power of Ambition: Awakening the Powerful Force Within You, Shippensburg, Nightingale-Conant-Corporation., p. 173. [↩]