What Do You Lose by Fitting In?
I just looked over my last ten posts. The only thing they all have in common is that I'm not talking about what all my other friends are talking about. I'm not talking about lead magnets and how to automate your tweets or why it's sad that Blab failed or any of that. I'm not debating whether Instagram stories is a good or bad thing. Mostly because I don't care. It's not why I do what I do, and none of that has to do with how I want to help people market and sell and live better.
What Do You Lose by Fitting In?
By contrast, I went to a few people's sites and if you covered up their headers and just read the post titles, you wouldn't really know which site you were on. The posts are somewhat the same. The subject matter is definitely the same. It's like we're all catching the same five fish.
We lose a lot by writing about the same stuff. We lose a lot by focusing on what we think will be the trends. We lose originality. We lose the opportunity to find a new path. We lose growth.
And we lose the attention of others.
What People Want
There's a vast difference between fitting in and belonging. We want to belong. We TRY to fit in, because we think that's what we're supposed to do. But we just want a place where we don't feel crazy for loving what we love, or doing what we do. That's belonging. Belonging is knowing that we're among our people.
We don't all love the same things. We don't all have the same goals. We don't all vote the same way. But whatever that "place" is where we intersect, be that a locale, a common upbringing, a time frame, a choice of pastimes, something we live by, etc, that's the heart of belonging.
Stop Fitting In
The worst question you could ask yourself is "what would other people do?" You want to know the best diet in the world? The one that works for you. Want to know the best religion in the world? The one that helps you see a life and a world where you can feel love and support.
Belong. And be the real you, not the one worried about fitting in. It's better for all of us.
